Unknown source, thought to be Fleetwood Weekly News

Article provided by Les Howard

Fleetwood trawler wives are doing their part in the moves for greater safety at sea and one petition from the town has already been handed in at the Board of Trade. Carrying 550 signatures, it was organised by Mrs. Sheila Oldman of Southfleet Avenue, whose two sons go to sea in trawlers and whose husband Bill was in the Royal Navy and the Merchant Service.

The petition asked for an inspection of every trawler leaving for the fishing grounds to make sure lifesaving and firefighting equipment was fully operational.

“Although it nearly always is, I have heard of cases where it wasn’t, and this isn’t good enough where men’s lives are concerned,” said 43 year old Mrs. Oldman, whose sons Michael, ages 22 of Langwood, Fleetwood, and 21 year old David, who lives at home, are both deckhands.

The signatures, which were collected in a week by Mrs. Oldman and a few helpers, are all from fishermen’s womenfolk.

Commented Mrs. Oldman, “Insurance pays for the ships which are lost but you can’t put a value on men’s lives – no amount of money can pay for them.”

Meanwhile, Mrs Jessie Roberts of Hesketh Place, Fleetwood , is well on the way to her target of 1,000 signatures which she will send to Mrs. Lillian Bilocca of Hull, in support of “Big Lil’s” bid for a trawlermen’s safety charter.

“I’ve got more than 800 now and I think that I’ll get well over 1,000,” said Mrs.Roberts who has been helped by two of her eight children, 13 year old Billy and 12 year old Shirley.

Mrs. Roberts, whose husband George is a deckhand, said that most of the opposition that she had received had come from women who felt that such affairs were a male perogative.

“I don’t agree,” declared Mrs. Roberts. “We have to sit at home and wait, and if we can do anything to make things safer at sea, we should.”