Berwickshire church hosts new remembrance service for lost fishermen

A special remembrance service for people who lost their lives while fishing at sea is being held at a Berwickshire church.

The first annual National Fishing Remembrance Day will be marked at Eyemouth Parish Church in the Scottish Borders region this Sunday, 12 May at 2.30pm.

Maritime charities, the Fishermen's Mission, The Seafarers' Charity and Stella Maris, have teamed up to organise the event, which will be replicated in coastal communities across the UK.

The service will be led by Donna Schwarz from The Fishermen's Mission, a Christian charity, with the full support of parish minister, Rev Andy Haddow.

The order of service is a collaboration between maritime services from Eyemouth and supporters of the Fishermen's Mission from Port Seton in East Lothian to Alnwick in Northumberland.

Members of fishing communities along the coastline are expected to attend the service along with local politicians and representatives of HM King Charles, Eyemouth RNLI, Eyemouth Coastguard, Eyemouth Harbour Trust and Sea Cadets.

Fishing is one of the most dangerous occupations in the world and the North Sea can be deadly, no more so than it was on 14 October 1881.

A severe storm struck the southern coast of Scotland and 189 fishermen tragically lost their lives close to the shore at Eyemouth.

A total of 129 of them were from the town and the tragedy is known as the Eyemouth Fishing Disaster.

Remembrance

Mr Haddow said the Kirk Session is delighted that the church is hosting the first National Fishing Remembrance Day service, which will be streamed live on the church's Facebook page.

"The community here has always been focused around fishing and the industry is one of the most dangerous there is," he added.

"I know people in the community who have lost relatives just in the day-to-day running of a fishing vessel.

"People in the industry play such a significant role within coastal communities and as a church, we want to acknowledge that and remember in our prayers what they go through to put food on our tables.

"We recognise that not all people in the communities we serve attend the church, but we care about all of them and it is important that we show that and give them the space to remember those who they have lost."

Mr Haddow said he hoped that other Kirk congregations in coastal areas across Scotland will consider marking National Fishing Remembrance Day on Sunday and make it an annual event.

The community and the local churches organise a remembrance service in Eyemouth Parish Church every year in October to remember those who died in the 1881 fishing disaster.

There is a striking memorial sculpture in the town called 'Widows and Bairns' which depicts the families of the fishermen caught up in the tragedy.

The Fishermen's Mission was founded by a Christian called Ebenezer Mather who witnessed the 1881 disaster from the shore.

He decided to set up the national mission to provide a ministry to fishermen and help improve their health. It proudly bore the motto ‘Preach the Word, Heal the Sick'.

Day-to-day struggles

Marc Evans, chief executive of the Fishermen's Mission, said the service promised to be "very poignant"

"From experience, we know how every loss affects families, friends, and whole communities," he added.

"We know how this loss lingers from generation to generation.

"To finally have a national day that allows us to come together and remember so many fishermen who have lost their lives while bringing home the catch is momentous for everyone connected with fishing."

Ms Schwarz, Fishermen's Mission area officer of south-east Scotland, said fishermen face acute day-to-day struggles on multiple fronts, not least to pay their own bills and feed their families.

She revealed that some boats are manned by a single crew member and a woman called Betty Gray is working with the Fishermen's Mission to raise awareness by talking about her late husband Peter Gray, who drowned at sea near Cove in May 2021.

"His leg got caught up in a rope which was attached to a creel and he went overboard and was lost at sea," said Ms Schwarz.

"Luckily enough, the RNLI and the coastguard found him and brought him home to his family to lay him to rest.

"The dangers at sea are phenomenal so that's the reason why we wanted to commemorate the loss of life from the great disaster of 1881, which the Fishermen's Mission is built on, right through to the present day.

"We value our fishermen and also want to highlight the importance of keeping equipment properly serviced and fishermen keeping themselves physically and mentally fit – their welfare and that of their families is of the upmost importance."

Support

Ms Schwarz said she is delighted that the service is being hosted at Eyemouth Parish Church.

"I am a Christian and there is no better place to hold the National Remembrance Day for fishermen with Rev Andy Haddow," she added.

"It is the biggest church in the area and is located at a central point between Tranent and Alnwick, which is the area I cover.

"Many lives have been lost in waters off the coast of Eyemouth, so it only seemed right.

"The response for the service from the fishing community has been phenomenal and general interest has grown rapidly since we announced it"

The Fishermen's Mission said services will also be held in Fraserburgh and Wick.