"I must go down to the seas again, to the lonely sea and the sky."

The opening line to John Masefield's poem "Sea Fever", written round about the year 1900 and which aptly describes the lives of so many Milford men who had sea salt in their blood and souls.

I had uncles and cousins, on my mother's side of the family, who worked in the town's noted fishing industry, but my dad was a self professed land-lubber, putting food on our table as he worked as a pipefitter with the Gas Board and Oil Refineries.

Doing these TRMs over the years I have been fascinated and spellbound by the stories of trawlermen and, many moons ago, my good friend, Tony Eden, once sent me his thoughts on being the son of one such man.

He said: "Like many of the townsfolk of my age, there are many of us who are sons and daughters of trawlermen, and your recent piece in your column relating to the 'Rudilais' had me reminiscing of the past, as it was one of the trawlers my dad sailed on during his lifetime at sea.

Fred Eden and his family on the Dawn WatersFred Eden and his family on the Dawn Waters (Image: Jeff Dunn/Tony Eden)

"My earliest recollection was at a very young age, living in a prefab at Observatory Avenue, before moving to the brand new steel houses at Vicary Crescent. Our very near neighbours were Affie Springer and Bertie Phillips and their families, who were both fishermen, and the majority of those in the Crescent were either connected to the fishing industry or to the nearby Mine Depot.

"From this very early age I can still vividly recall my dad setting off from the house to go to sea.

"He would make his fond farewells and set off to walk to the docks with his belongings slung over his shoulder in what I remember to be a black, waterproof, sailor's type bag with a rope over his shoulder to grip onto. We would not see him again for at least 14 days, when he would walk through the door, more often than not, with a pillow-case full of shell prawns, no doubt
caught on the last haul, and which would last no time at all!

"Early the following morning I would often go down to the dock with him to see the catch on display ready for sale, and I remember seeing crates of fish from one end of the market to very near the other, it was amazing. We would then go into Prickets Cafe where I would have a mug of tea in what looked to me like a two-pint mug. Dad would then pick up his bass of fish, which was always full to the brim, with a huge hake draped across the top, with which mum would make fishcakes. Once home the fish would be divided into packages for me to
deliver to various aunts and uncles which I didn't mind at all, as it was a good source for pocket money, as I always had tips from them.

"In those early days dad was at sea for 14 days at a time, but was only home for two, so I saw very little of him, as I was at school, and, like most trawlermen's children, it was mainly the mums who brought us up.

The trawling and fishing industry was huge for MilfordThe trawling and fishing industry was huge for Milford (Image: Jeff Dunn/Tony Eden)

"There were many occasions when his boat would arrive in the haven some hours before the dock gates opened, and he had to anchor off until then. Most of the crew would come ashore leaving a 'scratch' crew to take the boat in. On these occasions I would go out on the TOA shuttle boat and meet dad, who would always give me a guided tour and let me have a go at the wheel when he brought the ship into dock.

"There is no doubt that one of the most perilous occupations is that of a fisherman, and I well remember having many restless nights when my dad was at sea and it was stormy, fearing for his safety, and to this day I hate strong winds. There were a number of men who lost their lives at sea, and during my time I vividly recall the 'Milford Viscount', 'Richard Crofts', 'Boston Heron'
and 'Robert Limbrick'.

"Dad sailed on many trawlers during his time at sea, and some I recall are the 'Le Touquet', 'Latania', 'Tequora', 'Dawn Waters' and 'Rudilais'.

"His last boat was the 'Bryher' and, in 1976 he died on board after a lifetime at sea."

And here are some photos to go along with Tony's memories: Fred, his dad, and family, on board the 'Dawn Waters', and a 1955 West Wales Guardian pic of the crew of the 'Latania' who were: Back row L-R: 2nd Eng. Harry Horne (2nd engineer), Douglas Turrell (fireman/trimmer), Jack Spindler (deckhand).

Front row: Arthur Beavis (chief engineer), Fred Eden (mate), 'Dick' Read (skipper), Frank Reynolds (deckhand) and George 'Darkie' Rowlands (boson).

Time for me to up-anchor but I'll leave you with this week's words of wisdom which come from Maurice Chevalier: "Old age isn't so bad when you consider the alternative."

Take care, please stay safe.