Grimsby Fishing Heritage Centre plays part as over 800 students sing historic song

Humberston Academy’s staff and pupils all joined in for a rendition of Three Score and Ten, a song written about a devastating storm off the coast of Grimsby in 1899.

Written by William Delf, the song talks about how many vessels and between 70 and 80 men lost their lives. As part of their lessons, the school have been learning about the history of not just the song, but also the culture that inspired it. To help, the Fishing Heritage Centre lent the school a number of items that were synonymous with this period of time such as sou’westers, oil frocks and items from the loans boxes that were used to create a display at the school, organised by Education Officer at the Fishing Heritage Centre, Sarah Spencer.

To bring the topic to a close, over 800 staff and pupils came out on to the playing fields to perform the song they’d been learning about. Joined by former Ross Tiger Skipper Dennis Avery and former Grimsby Skipper Bob Formby, the song could be heard all around the school field and was a brilliant moment for the men who have spent decades bringing fish back to the shores of Grimsby.

Dennis said: “I think this is absolutely wonderful. Not only is it great to see everyone come together, but it also helps teach the younger generation about the fishing industry.

“A lot of these people had grandparents in the industry so it’s great to be able to carry that knowledge through to these pupils.” He added: “Without the fishing industry, Grimsby would never have become as developed as it is.”

Bob added: “I didn’t know what to expect, but this has completely blown me away. It’s great that these students can now understand how fish got from the sea to Grimsby and what was involved.”

For the students, it was this sentiment that echoed with many of them. Head Boy, Charlie Holmes, said: “It’s very important to celebrate the town’s history and using the medium of song was a really enjoyable way of doing so.”

Head Girl Brooke Mayall added: “It was amazing to see everyone in the school come together to recognise the industry and to see everyone’s hard work pay off.

“I’ve also learnt a lot about the fishing industry, especially how vast it is and how everything linked together to get the fish from the sea to people’s plates.”

Although it was something completely new for the students, some of the staff were already well acquainted with the fishing industry. English Teacher Rhoda Bateson said: “My Great Grandfather was a Ship’s Husband which meant he was responsible for managing the ship and making sure it had all the supplies it needed.”

Teaching Assistant Sharon Hutchinson is also familiar with the fishing industry having worked down on the Docks at the age of 5. “From being about five years old, I worked on the docks with my Uncle Ron on a Saturday and would help by getting things ready likes teas and coffees for the men going on the trawlers.”

However, none of this would have come together without the dedication of the music department. Director of Music Richard Sleight was thrilled with the final outcome and proud to see the students perform so well.

“It’s the first time we’ve done anything this big, but the students have been exceptional and what’s supported them is that understanding of the fishing industry.”

Principal Dan Shoubridge was equally as proud of his students and staff having completed what was a mammoth task. “We refer to ourselves as Team Humberston and this performance showed exactly why that’s the case. We never say no and it was great to see everyone so involved.”

He also wanted to pay thanks to the Fishing Heritage Centre for all their hard work in helping make the dream a reality. “Right from the start we reached out and everyone has been so supportive.

“They were more than happy to help; they’ve given us props and even brought along former skippers to the performance to bring this to life.”

For more information about the Fishing Heritage Centre, visit https://fishingheritage.com/ 

For more information about the Humberston Big Sing, visit https://www.humberstonacademy.co.uk/News/Big-Sing/