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    1. [SFHG] Hastings area.
    2. I recently visited Hastings Fishing Museum, near the famous Net Shops on the seafront. It is manned by volunteers, and welcomes donations. Any members unable to visit England could send them £5 to cover p&p and ask for a selection of postcards, showing the history of the people whose work it was to catch fish, which they gutted on the beach in all weathers. It must have been a terrible job in the winter. I was amazed how small the boats were, and the height of the sails they carried. The curator told me they were called 'Ten metre' boats, but there were others that were larger. Some of these boats are preserved outside the museum. Inside the museum three walls are covered with enlarged group photographs of the hundreds of fishermen who worked on these boats over many years, plus photographs and information about The Winkle Club, a social support group for all the fishermen's families. The names of the fishermen have been very carefully written, and are easily readable for visitors. I wonder whether SFHG members, who are researching relatives who lived in the Hastings area, would appreciate these names being listed, with the name of each boat they worked, and indexed. It would need volunteers, at least one for each wall. Then, using Digital cameras, the requested photograph could be copied by museum staff and sent out on line for another £5. Members would then have a picture of their ancestor, possibly with the boat he worked on. In this way they could earn donations to support the museum. Diane 10813. Also there may be lists of names of Winkle Club members.

    05/17/2008 08:17:21