Hastings Fishermen's Museum... and Dunkirk!

With the memorial and Commemorative Service in Dunkirk today, in honour of the 75th anniversary of the "Little Ships" and the relief of the British Expeditionary Force, and French and Belgian troops (nearly 340,000 soldiers were evacuated to Britain to fight again), I thought this would be an excellent day to blog about the Fishermen's Museum.  

The first exhibit you reach at Rock-a-Nore

The Old Hastings Preservation Society created and opened the Museum in 1956 in the former Fishermen’s Church of St Nicholas, a mission chapel that served the fishing community from 1854 until the building was requisitioned by the military authorities during WW2. The building is Grade II listed, and rented from Hastings Borough Council. See more about the building and museum at their website.

The Enterprise

I have to admit I was surprised to find out that no fishing boats from Hastings actually sailed to Dunkirk in 1940 as part of Operation Dynamo, though most of Hastings' larger fishing boats were requisitioned and sailed to Dover in case they were required. One of those that did sail to Dover is the first exhibit you see when you walk into the museum, and you could hardly miss it! That is, the Enterprise RX278, and outside, amongst the boats, huts and anchors, and behind Tush & Pat's hut, is the Edward and Mary RX74, that also sailed to Dover in 1940.

Edward and Mary, and other exhibits

However, the Cyril and Lilian Bishop, the first Hastings' lifeboat built with an engine, did take part in the evacuation of troops from Dunkirk. She was built in Cowes and came into service at Hastings RNLI in 1931, until she was sold as a fishing vessel to Scotland in 1950. More history at the ADLS website; indeed, I found it very interesting to look around the site! She was since re-named “Lindy Lou” in 1976, and, near the end of the millennium acquired by Simon Evans, who collects and restores old lifeboats, and taken to his rented boatyard in Sens, France; having since moved to his personal boatyard at Migennes, where I believe she now resides.

Cyril and Lilian Bishop (in a bottle)

Very recently, Bob Arrowsmith donated a model of Cyril and Lilian Bishop in a bottle to the museum, which can be seen behind the Enterprise over in the far corner. Indeed, the main principle of my blogging about the Fishermen's Museum today is that, if you haven't before, you really should visit, there's much to see there, enjoy!