The Riverhead, Grimsby and the steamer ‘Basalt’; a watercolour by Martin Bailey.

A lovely 16 x 12 inch watercolour painting by Martin Bailey.

Here are some very interesting words about the skipper of the ‘Basalt’ by his daughter and sent to us by his granddaughter, Lesley:

John James Henry (“Jack”) Niles. He was born in 1893 and passed away February 1965. He went to sea in a trawler, but was taken along with other fishermen by the Germans in the Humber and interned in Germany at the Ruhleben internment camp for the duration of the first world war. After the war, he returned to sea and became skipper of the Basalt, a steamer which sailed between Grimsby and Hull. He often remained on the boat overnight in Hull and was there when Hull suffered its worst bombings by the Germans. Blows, the company which owned the ship, suddenly announced the ship had been sold and he was given two weeks notice at the age of 59. He was extremely upset but subsequently he was offered a position on Piggots tugs at Immingham where he stayed until his retirement. He had enjoyed his time so much on the tugs.