Off Topic Fish Bobber

While sorting out some stuff for my late Dads estate I had to apply for a copy of my parents marriage certificate.

On it my Grandfather's occupation was listed as "Fish Bobber". Anyone know what that is?

I knew that when he was younger he'd been on the trawlers for a while after the war and then did long distance lorry driving but it's the first I'd heard of Fish Bobbing.

They lived down Scarborough Street off Hessle Road so I'm thinking it was something to do with the docks?

 

https://www.hullfishingheritage.org.uk/the-life-of-a-bobber/

 

https://www.hullfishingheritage.org.uk/the-life-of-a-bobber/

 

Watching bobbers rolling kits across the dockside was like watching artists at work. Freezing cold, thick rubber gloves, fish slime all over the place and 10st of fish slopping about in a kit they'd roll these things quite good distances at a fast walking pace sometimes with one hand. Very skilful.

 

Thanks all I'll give that a read.

 

On 2 or 3 occasions I actually did their job. Being an office worker and working for a trawler owner, now and again the Bobbers would go on strike, and we were asked to go and discharge the trawlers. Luckily, we had 2 former Bobbers who worked for the company, and they knew how to handle the winch, which controlled the baskets of fish coming ashore. I just worked in the fishroom loading the fish out of the ice into the baskets.

It was back breaking work and bloody cold to boot.

 

My first job aged 16 was working for Smales unloading, moving the plastic tubs around & then size grading the fish.

It was hard, smelly work but paid well. It made me determined to get to college & go down a different route in life.

In many ways I’m grateful to the those days, I wouldn’t be where I am now without that smales job!!

 

The source of the phrase "Bobbers Job"

 

Wasn't that the Scouts, Bobbers job week?

 

Used to use old man Stantons café on the dock. When the bobbers came in it ****ing stunk. Stantons tea was served from a perpetually full massive teapot with the milk already in it. Good butties.

 

Bob-a-job. If the punters gave you more, you could ice-back the difference and no-one knew about it at HQ !

 

From time to time I used to unload fish in boxes out of refrigerated containers. Two in the morning, 30st of fish on a wonky old barrow, careering down a metal ramp from the container onto the dockside. 'kin horrible it was!

 

I drove for B&M Fisheries on Albert Dock for a few years. Once you got used to rolling the kits you was able to get them going and taking your hands off and let them roll freely. Cold, back breaking smelly work.
It took a year after finishing the job for the fish smell to come out of you pores.

 

Until they caught you.

 

Used to work at Hessle Box on Hull Rd 'Essle for a few summers in the early '60s. Printing the company logos & names on the wooden boxes, and using other machines to assemble the fish boxes. Once or twice a week we'd load up a flat bed, anchor them with ropes and head down to the fish docks to supply the wholesalers.

Couldn't believe how hard the barrow-lads worked down there. Looked bloody awful work.
No wonder most Saturday nights there were big fights at Hessle Town Hall dances which helped the barrow-lads release some of their tensions. Right next to the cop-shop, they never showed their faces when the brawls started. Fortunately I'd met a few of the marauding visitors through my work and remained unscathed !

 

Stanton's meat pie and peas was fantastic if you were lucky enough to get in before they ran out

 

My friend Dr. Alec Gill OBE is an authority on Hull's Fishing industry. What he doesn't know isn't worth knowing. The History centre as loads of interesting material.

 

dad's dad was a bobber. probably because of that, dad's dad let us have haddock every week. dad's ma made hot cakes every week too, and we had some of those. whenever people wax lyrical about cod, i always think how good it is that those people never got to try haddock. haddock's for hull people.

 

jumbo haddock,food of the gods!

 

Indeed.

Covered liberally in ambrosia.






(Or curry sauce as it's more generally known).