Issue 47 Summer 2024

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Ipswich Maritime Matters

The newsletter for members and friends of Ipswich Maritime Trust

Issue 47 Summer 2024

HERITAGE OPEN

: join us on the Waterfront on Saturday 7th September 2024

Page 3

DAY

THE IMT GUIDE TO TATTOOS:

love them or loathe them! Pages 12-14

UP FOR SALE:

can we save Sailing Barge Victor for Ipswich?

Page 6

From the Editor

My grandfather had a tattoo. Although he died the year I was born, and I therefore never saw it (or him), a cousin recalls an anchor on his arm. My mother was baffled as to why he should have had one done – but as we learn from our guest contributor and novelist Philip K Allan on page 13, tattooing became very popular in Edwardian times and continues to be so.

In this issue, we have compiled your very own IMT Guide to Tattoos! IMT Trustee Jon Cobbold takes a closer look at their Naval (not navel) origins, and what the images mean.

Stuart Grimwade, IMT’s Image Archivist and this year’s recipient of the Richard Smith Memorial Trophy (page 10), shares with us his recollections of a famous tattooist based on the docks in Ipswich.

Was this where IMT member Chalky Cooper had his tattoo done of Suffolk circumnavigator Thomas Cavendish’s ship The Desire?

Come and join the party!

I look forward to celebrating with you at this year’s Heritage Open Day (page 3).

Cathy Shelbourne

Contents

News pages 3-5, 10-11, 24-25

The IMT Guide to Tattoos pages 12-14

From the Archives selected by Stuart Grimwade page 15

From the Chairman pages 6-7

Heritage: ‘Bob in the Bedroom’ by Rosemary Harvey

pages 10-11

Talkback reports by Ben Good pages 16-19 Heritage: Spotlight on LV18 pages 20-21 Book review by Cathy Shelbourne page 22 Obituary page 23

Maritime Quiz page 26

62nd Pin Mill Barge Match page 27

Diary dates page 28

IMT Committee members

Chairman: Ben Good info@ipswichmaritimetrust.org.uk

Treasurer: Adam Rae treasurer@ipswichmaritimetrust.org.uk

Membership Secretary: Richard Fayers membership@ipswichmaritimetrust.org.uk

Newsletter Editor and Events Co-ordinator: Cathy Shelbourne editor@ipswichmaritimetrust.org.uk; events@ipswichmaritimetrust.org.uk

Barge trips: John Warren barge @ipswichmaritimetrust.org.uk

Social media: Jon Cobbold info@ipswichmaritimetrust.org.uk

Minutes Secretary: Frances McGready

Help us cut down on postage

With increases in postage costs on the horizon, we are keen to keep down our mailing charges. If you have an email address and haven’t let us know, do please inform our Membership Secretary now. Members receive regular mailings by email, including this Newsletter, as well

as news uploaded to our website. However, we appreciate that many members like to have a copy of the Newsletter in their hands, and to pass on to others. So if you are unable to pick up a copy at the monthly IMT meetings, we are happy to post it to you.

www.ipswichmaritimetrust.org.uk Follow us on Facebook

CELEBRATING IPSWICH’S MARITIME HERITAGE

Come and join the party!

During this year’s

national Heritage

Open Days IMT will

be celebrating our maritime

heritage from on board

Sailing Barge Victor, and in

the Old Custom House on

the Ipswich Waterfront.

We’ll be in residence on

Saturday 7th September

from 10am-5pm, and

we’ll be joined by the

Shefarers and Orwellermen

shanty singers at 12 noon,

following author Barry

Girling signing copies of

his final edition of Band

of Brothers, the definitive

guide to bargemen

associated with the port of

Ipswich, at 11am. (If you

were one of them, we’d love

to hear from you!).

At 11.45am, the

Deputy Mayor of Ipswich,

Councillor Lynne

Mortimer, will unveil the

new maritime heritage

information board at the

Old Custom House and

acknowledge Ipswich’s

status as a heritage harbour.

Visitors are very welcome

to have a look over Victor,

join in the shanty singing,

take a look around IMT’s

exhibition of incredible

images from Ipswich’s past

– which will be displayed

on the ground floor of the

Old Custom House, by kind

permission of ABP – and

view the latest display,

about the West Bank, in the

Window Museum on Albion

Quay.

Could you help for

an hour or two by

chatting to visitors

and promoting

membership of IMT,

either on board Victor

or in the Old Custom

House?

We’re also looking for

assistance beforehand

in setting up the

display boards, and

decorating Victor, on

Friday 6th September.

Please contact events@

ipswichmaritimetrust.

org.uk ASAP!

Cathy Shelbourne

Free commemorative postcard

The themes of this year’s Heritage Open Days (HODs)are

Routes - Networks - Connections.

The Heritage Harbours Group, to which Ipswich was

elected in January 2024, is working with HODs and has

produced a commemorative postcard showing then and

now photos of the harbours and inland ports, which are still

essential highways for maritime trade and tourism.

The postcard harks back to an age of writing missives to

family and friends, with a picture of the place. It particularly

references IMT’s amazing collection of picture postcards,

some of which were presented to The Hold earlier this year

(see page 11).

Pick up your commemorative postcard free from Victor!

UPDATE ON THE WATERFRONT ABP’s Wet Dock plans

ABP have now

In addition, the

submitted their

application includes an

formal planning

extra Museum Window

application for the works

for IMT with (modest)

mainly to reorganise

storage facilities. This will

the pontoons in the Wet

be on the end of a new

Dock, following their

building to be built on the

acquisition of the Neptune

former Neptune carpark

Marina business. This

(and, before that, RORO

latest proposal is arguably

terminal), very close to,

an improvement on the

and facing, the pedestrian

original plan ABP produced

thoroughfare, and will

NEW IMT WINDOW MUSEUM DISPLAY

in boat numbers on the

Waterfront side (which in

fact has already started,

looking at the number of

already-vacant Neptune

pontoons). For some

people, this numeric

reduction is the only

important measure of the

negative impact of ABP’s

plans. However, IMT’s focus

is on heritage matters, and

News

therefore we should look at

quality as well as quantity:

if the modern boats can

move 100m or so across

the water to make way for

some traditional boats, then

arguably we have a chance

to increase the maritime

appeal of the Waterfront.

That benefit, plus the extra

passage and swing space

offered for Victor and

others, plus the new IMT

display area, means that I

believe we can support the

new application.

Ben Good

A brief history of the Wet Dock

Ipswich Maritime Trust’s

wet dock in the country.

up shop and lasted until

Window Museum is the

This dock is still largely

the latter part of the last

only site in the town

the same size as when it

century. But not only was

solely dedicated to showing

was built by deepening and

the West Bank a place of

the maritime history of the

widening a natural bend

industry, it provided a

port, which has been in

in the course of the Orwell

focus for leisure activities

existence since the seventh

river bed. This meant

with a swimming club,

century. In those days, the

cutting the dock off from

sailing clubs and the means

port was little more than a

the tide but the river itself

of getting afloat to enjoy

few quays on the northern

still had to ebb and flow

trips on paddle steamers

bank of the tidal River

and take the water of the

to Felixstowe and Harwich

Orwell. And so it remained

River Gipping out to sea.

which ran from 1895 to

for some one thousand

The answer was to build a

1930.

years but, as the country

‘river by-pass’ on the south-

We have tried in the

became industrialised,

western side of the new

current window display

the demand for bigger

dock - this artificial ditch is

to show and describe

and better ship and cargo-

the New Cut.

something of the breadth

handling arrangements led

The land to the west

of uses to which the West

to the creation in 1842 of

of this cut and alongside

Bank has been - and is still

what was then the largest

the natural River Orwell

being - put. This includes

is known colloquially

the installation of the

to Ipswichians as ‘Over

high-tech flood barrier now

Stoke.’ This became

being used to protect the

heavily industrialised in

town from ever-rising sea

the 19th century although

levels.

shipbuilding and even

And our new screen

whaling had been going

shows a continuous loop of

on for decades earlier.

wonderful photos from the

Engineering companies

IMT Image Archive, of the

like Ransome and Rapier

West Bank and New Cut.

(makers of walking

draglines and lock-gates, for

example) and Cocksedge,

as well as maltsters and

fodder manufacturers, set

The IMT Window

Museum is on Albion

Wharf IP4 1FT.

what3words: cars.

branded.game

Richard Watkinson

for consultation last year,

and in some ways is an

improvement on the

current arrangement.

It creates more open

water space for traditional

vessels - SB Victor and any

visiting ships - to swing

and manoeuvre when

they approach and cast off

from berths on Common

Quay, which was a key

concern for IMT originally.

It will also free up more

space between Common

Quay and Salthouse Hotel,

potentially offering the

possibility of additional

traditional vessels to add

to the atmosphere of the

Waterfront.

include outside space for

us to set up temporary

displays to engage with

passersby. Directly opposite

CoffeeLink, at the top of

Orwell Quay, this should

be a rather more visible

location than the current

Window Museum.

The new proposal retains

about 18 stern-to berths

on the Waterfront (north)

side of the Wet Dock, but all

the other Neptune berths

will be removed (with

now no corresponding

extension of pontoons on

the other side - hence the

increase in space referred

to above). Obviously, this

is a substantial reduction

SETTING THE SAILS FOR 2026

Ipswich Maritime Festival

As mentioned at the

added complexity of the

recent AGM, we have

potential Victor purchase

concluded that we

(see page 6), partly because

will not be ready in time

of funding pressures in the

to put on the festival in

council, and partly because

2025. This is for a number

we had not started the

of overlapping reasons.

process of looking for local

First, the tall ships which

sponsors.

should be the centrepiece,

This last point leads to

need to be booked, with

the third reason: there is

financial commitments,

too much to do and too

18+ months in advance.

few of us trying to do it! So

Second, we need to have

we will use the breathing

sufficient funds in place

space offered by the delay

soon enough to know that

to entry to get more people

we can pull it off. We hadn’t

on board to help make

made enough progress on

it happen. That means

that, partly because of the

both collaborating with

local organisations - the

Borough Council, ABP

and Ipswich Central are

already in a working group

led by IMT, but we need to

bring in more grassroots

organisations - and more

IMT volunteers.

So there is a way to use

the delay as an opportunity

to strengthen our network,

build the volunteer base,

synchronise better with

our (to be funded!) Schools

Programme - and maybe

all this with an IMT-owned

Victor as a centrepiece!

NEW IMT WINDOW MUSEUM DISPLAY

in boat numbers on the

Waterfront side (which in

fact has already started,

looking at the number of

already-vacant Neptune

pontoons). For some

people, this numeric

reduction is the only

important measure of the

negative impact of ABP’s

plans. However, IMT’s focus

is on heritage matters, and

News

therefore we should look at

quality as well as quantity:

if the modern boats can

move 100m or so across

the water to make way for

some traditional boats, then

arguably we have a chance

to increase the maritime

appeal of the Waterfront.

That benefit, plus the extra

passage and swing space

offered for Victor and

others, plus the new IMT

display area, means that I

believe we can support the

new application.

Ben Good

A brief history of the Wet Dock

Ipswich Maritime Trust’s

wet dock in the country.

up shop and lasted until

Window Museum is the

This dock is still largely

the latter part of the last

only site in the town

the same size as when it

century. But not only was

solely dedicated to showing

was built by deepening and

the West Bank a place of

the maritime history of the

widening a natural bend

industry, it provided a

port, which has been in

in the course of the Orwell

focus for leisure activities

existence since the seventh

river bed. This meant

with a swimming club,

century. In those days, the

cutting the dock off from

sailing clubs and the means

port was little more than a

the tide but the river itself

of getting afloat to enjoy

few quays on the northern

still had to ebb and flow

trips on paddle steamers

bank of the tidal River

and take the water of the

to Felixstowe and Harwich

Orwell. And so it remained

River Gipping out to sea.

which ran from 1895 to

for some one thousand

The answer was to build a

1930.

years but, as the country

‘river by-pass’ on the south-

We have tried in the

became industrialised,

western side of the new

current window display

the demand for bigger

dock - this artificial ditch is

to show and describe

and better ship and cargo-

the New Cut.

something of the breadth

handling arrangements led

The land to the west

of uses to which the West

to the creation in 1842 of

of this cut and alongside

Bank has been - and is still

what was then the largest

the natural River Orwell

being - put. This includes

is known colloquially

the installation of the

to Ipswichians as ‘Over

high-tech flood barrier now

Stoke.’ This became

being used to protect the

heavily industrialised in

town from ever-rising sea

the 19th century although

levels.

shipbuilding and even

And our new screen

whaling had been going

shows a continuous loop of

on for decades earlier.

wonderful photos from the

Engineering companies

IMT Image Archive, of the

like Ransome and Rapier

West Bank and New Cut.

(makers of walking

draglines and lock-gates, for

example) and Cocksedge,

as well as maltsters and

fodder manufacturers, set

The IMT Window

Museum is on Albion

Wharf IP4 1FT.

what3words: cars.

branded.game

Richard Watkinson

for consultation last year,

and in some ways is an

improvement on the

current arrangement.

It creates more open

water space for traditional

vessels - SB Victor and any

visiting ships - to swing

and manoeuvre when

they approach and cast off

from berths on Common

Quay, which was a key

concern for IMT originally.

It will also free up more

space between Common

Quay and Salthouse Hotel,

potentially offering the

possibility of additional

traditional vessels to add

to the atmosphere of the

Waterfront.

include outside space for

us to set up temporary

displays to engage with

passersby. Directly opposite

CoffeeLink, at the top of

Orwell Quay, this should

be a rather more visible

location than the current

Window Museum.

The new proposal retains

about 18 stern-to berths

on the Waterfront (north)

side of the Wet Dock, but all

the other Neptune berths

will be removed (with

now no corresponding

extension of pontoons on

the other side - hence the

increase in space referred

to above). Obviously, this

is a substantial reduction

SETTING THE SAILS FOR 2026

Ipswich Maritime Festival

As mentioned at the

added complexity of the

recent AGM, we have

potential Victor purchase

concluded that we

(see page 6), partly because

will not be ready in time

of funding pressures in the

to put on the festival in

council, and partly because

2025. This is for a number

we had not started the

of overlapping reasons.

process of looking for local

First, the tall ships which

sponsors.

should be the centrepiece,

This last point leads to

need to be booked, with

the third reason: there is

financial commitments,

too much to do and too

18+ months in advance.

few of us trying to do it! So

Second, we need to have

we will use the breathing

sufficient funds in place

space offered by the delay

soon enough to know that

to entry to get more people

we can pull it off. We hadn’t

on board to help make

made enough progress on

it happen. That means

that, partly because of the

both collaborating with

local organisations - the

Borough Council, ABP

and Ipswich Central are

already in a working group

led by IMT, but we need to

bring in more grassroots

organisations - and more

IMT volunteers.

So there is a way to use

the delay as an opportunity

to strengthen our network,

build the volunteer base,

synchronise better with

our (to be funded!) Schools

Programme - and maybe

all this with an IMT-owned

Victor as a centrepiece!

BOOK SIGNING BY AUTHOR BARRY GIRLING

Band of

Brothers

The final version of

this epic directory of

bargemen associated

with the Port of Ipswich is

a fascinating read! Not only

is it an admirable source of

facts and figures up to 1960,

but it’s also a social record

of some of the families

and villages and towns in

Suffolk so closely associated

with sailing barges and the

water-borne traffic between

Ipswich and London.

IMT Newsletter Summer 2024 ... page

4 5

IMT Newsletter Summer 2024 ... page

The author, Barry Girling,

will be signing copies

during Heritage Open Day,

Saturday 7th September,

at a special price to IMT

members of £10. See him

on board Victor at 11am.

Otherwise available from

local bookshops or direct,

from redroundabout92@

gmail.com for £15 plus £3 p&p

From the Chairman

FOR SALE: 1895 SPRITSAIL BARGE

How do you solve a problem like Victor?

Some years ago,

Andrew Lloyd Webber

had a problem. He was

putting on a production

of The Sound of Music, and

needed to cast someone

for the Maria von Trapp

role, who wasn’t going

to cost him a fortune. He

also wanted to find a way

to generate some good

publicity for the upcoming

show. So, he turned the

problem into a huge

opportunity by creating a

reality TV talent show, ‘How

to solve a problem like

Maria.’

Well, now Ipswich has

a problem - called Victor

not Maria - which could be

similarly turned into a huge

opportunity. SB Victor is

for sale. Wes, the skipper, is

approaching a time of life

when he wants to hang up

his smock, so he and the

barge’s owner have agreed

to put it on the market.

This raises the possibility

that ‘our’ barge might soon

sail away down the Orwell,

never to return.

That would be a

terrible shame: not

only was Victor built

here, but has in recent

years become, on

its berth outside the

Old Custom House,

the iconic image of

Ipswich’s maritime

heritage. And for IMT,

her departure would

be a particular loss:

we already use her

for various meetings

and for our own trips

down the river, and

would like to start

using her more for school

trips and other events.

So, we are actively

considering the possibility

of IMT making an offer

for Victor. Obviously, that

would mean, among other

things, we need a plan

for the money - both the

initial purchase price and

ongoing costs - and for a

new skipper, plus crew and

volunteers, to look after her.

These are big issues for

us, but the benefits are

big as well. We would be

saving Victor for Ipswich,

as well as giving IMT an

new floating base on the

Waterfront, plus a platform

for schools trips and

cultural events, as well as

revenue from existing river

trips business.

What do you think

about this? If you have

any comments or want

to get involved, please

get in touch! info@

ipswichmaritimetrust.

org.uk

Ben Good

A new home for an old painting ... and other gifts

We were very pleased

to be offered, by the

late Anthea Durose, an

original painting by Cor

Visser. Since it's a life-size

portrait of a bargeman, it's

quite large, so finding the

right home for it was not

straightforward! However,

after discussing the options

with its owner, we have

agreed that it will hang

in Suffolk New College,

where it will be seen by

many people every day. The

painting has a fascinating

backstory - see feature on

page 8.

We are grateful:

•

To Maggie Green for the collection of over 200 photos of

barges on the Orwell and elsewhere, taken by her late

husband John Green of barges and the Wet Dock

To Ruffy Ruffles, for a

complete set of back

editions from 1954 to

1984 of Sea Breezes, which

we will add to our book

collection

To Wendy Caiels, widow

of Ronnie, for a cine film

of a 1960 championship

barge match in the

Thames estuary, which we have had digitised

Can you assist?

Salve et Vale

Celia Waters has resigned

as membership secretary

- thanks for all your hard

work, Celia! - to be taken

up by Richard Fayers -

welcome, Richard, and

thank you!

At same time, Colin

Waters and Stuart Harris

have both retired as

Window Wizards, after

many years of good work.

Thank you to both!

We are now looking for

volunteers to help with

the curation and set-up of future window displays

Other news

The indefatigable Stuart

Grimwade has supplied the

Chamber of Commerce with

images from our Archive

for their celebration of

140 years of Suffolk's (but

mainly Ipswich's) industrial

heritage. See page 24 for

more information on the

Chamber’s C140 initiative.

He has also produced

a new sign/information

board to replace the one

outside the Old Custom

House - which had

definitely seen better days!

This is being done by kind

permission of ABP, and

with financial support

from Ipswich Central. The

board will be unveiled on

Saturday 7th September

as part of our Heritage

Harbours and Heritage

Open Day celebrations (page 3)

We need help!

We have much to do, but

not enough pairs of hands

to do it with! As we move

IMT in new directions, to

expand our contribution

to our community and to

secure its long term future,

we need volunteers for all

kinds of roles:

•

Helping to organise

events

Being ‘on the door’ or

attending our stall

Heritage - curating

what we’ve got and

doing research

Heritage - helping with

the Window displays

Communications -

boosting our presence

and content on social

media

Fund raising - helping

to write grant

applications

Developing and

managing our

relationships with local

sailing clubs, marinas

and boatyards

Helping with the

Festival organisation

Working with schools

- administering and

participating in our

outreach activities

Helping with SB Victor

The Hidden Fleet

project- finding and

documenting the local,

independently-owned

and interesting old

boats

There’s a lot here - not

quite something for

everyone, but certainly a

good variety of tasks. If

you’re interested, or know

someone who might be,

please let us know!

What's next?

As you can see, we have

a lot going on and a lot

to work through in the

coming months. It’s a lot

of work but it is also a

period of great opportunity

for IMT. A campaign to

‘Save Victor for Ipswich’,

and re-engagement with

multiple local groups to lay

the groundwork for a 2026

Festival, are great chances

to raise our profile within

the town, and to signal our

big plans for the future, and

for the next generation of

IMT members.

We obviously need to

attract more interest from

people who maybe don’t

know much about us

right now, and hopefully

that interest will take

the form of donations,

more members and more

volunteers.

So, expect to see more

publicity from the Trust in

the coming weeks – and if

you have a way of helping

with that, by spreading the

word, recommending us to

people you know, making

your own suggestions,

whatever, then that would

be hugely appreciated

Thank you!

Heritage

A picture paints a thousand words, so it is said. Rosemary Harvey investigates the story behind an enigmatic painting by Cor Visser

'Bob in the Bedroom'

Ipswich Maritime Trust has been

donated a painting by the Ipswich

artist Cor Visser. The donor,

Anthea Durose, was a student and

friend of Cor Visser, and inherited

many of his works.

The painting (see section above)

is of a sailor, in the hold of a wooden

boat. “Anthea thought the picture was

of Bob Roberts,” says IMT chairman

Ben Good. “She called him ‘Bob.’

But Anne, Bob’s daughter, said it’s

definitely not. She thinks it’s Bill

Evans, Bob’s mate in the Cambria.”

Cornelis ‘Cor’ Visser was a well-

loved member of the Ipswich

art scene. He was born in the

Netherlands in 1903, and studied art

in Haarlem, where he became friends

with Mauritz Escher (perhaps best-

known for his seven stairways in the

print Relativity.) Cor’s life was always

connected with the sea. From 1927

he lived with his wife Emmy aboard

a series of boats, and exhibited

around the Netherlands and Belgium.

In Dutch, he became known as the

‘sailing painter.’ He sailed to Ipswich

for the first time in 1937 and spent

the next few years crossing het

Kanaal between the Netherlands and

England.

When WW2 broke out, Cor was

marooned in England, unable to

contact his family. He was appointed

war artist to the Dutch Royal

Family in exile, and sketched Queen

Wilhelmina under such strict secrecy

that he was taken to her location

blindfolded! Postcards based on that

sketch were airdropped into occupied

Holland by the RAF. By chance Cor’s

family recognised his handiwork and

realised that he was alive!

After the war, Cor gave up ever

hearing his surname pronounced

properly again and settled in Suffolk.

He and Emmy lived for years in his

boat in the Ipswich dock, and he

worked out of a studio in Fore Street.

Cor seems to have made friends

everywhere, and was ‘good at people,’

which his sympathetic portraits

bear out. He was known for his

ever-present pipe and his naughty

sense of humour. On being asked

how someone as mischievous as him

would ever pass the Pearly Gates, Cor

laughed, and said he would distract

St Peter by talking about fishing. He

recorded the people and places of

Suffolk, onshore and off, and liked to

paint in situ (a concerning habit if the

tide was coming in!)

He taught art at the Fore Street

Gallery (next to Out of Time Records

today) and exhibited with the

Ipswich Art Society, of which he was a

life member. During this time, he met

his protégé Anthea Durose, to whom

he taught the magic of portraiture.

Cor painted ‘Bob’ in a sailing boat’s

hold. The sailor has his back to the

ladder, and one boot on the first rung.

The light from the hatch casts down

on his cap and face. He looks wary, as

if he is waiting for someone to speak.

‘Bob’ never sold. Cor kept the

painting in his studio, where it gained

a patina from decades of pipe smoke.

Cor passed away in 1982 in Ipswich,

and the painting was left to Anthea.

To her, it was ‘Bob in the Bedroom’

– the only room in her house big

enough to keep such a large painting.

Ben and I met Anthea in person,

a 91-year-old lady with a feisty

flowerchild spirit. She introduced us

to Cor through his scrapbooks, and

we met ‘Bob.’ I showed Anthea the

pictures I found of Bill Evans, and

she cried with delight, “That’s him!

That’s Bob in the Bedroom!”

Bill Evans was born in Greenhithe.

John Hall, a family friend, remembers

that the area was then greenery,

down to the Thames. At that time,

Cutty Sark and HMS Worcester were

both moored there as training ships,

and John remembers the Greenhithe

children sneaking onto the grand

old ladies to see how high they could

climb before getting caught! Bill and

his brother Peter both went to work

for the shipping company FT Everard,

and Bill found his way to sailing

barges.

Bill Evans was mate of the

Cambria with Bob Roberts. There is

a photograph of him in one of Bob

Roberts’s books, and he is mentioned

as being “never a talkative chap.”

John too remembers Bill as being “a quiet sort of bloke" Bob Roberts was the very opposite of ‘quiet’ so it’s possible he introduced Bill and Cor

during the 1950s when they were all

in Ipswich at the same time.

Or maybe not: Cor would stop

strangers in the street and ask to

paint them. He painted dockers,

sailors, cops, Dutch grannies, French

fishermen – anyone with a story-

telling face. Looking through Cor’s

scrapbook with Anthea and a cup of

tea is to meet a parade of interesting

faces. There is even a clipping of ‘Bob in the Bedroom' from an English newspaper.

I got a good look at teh clipping and... it isn't Bill Evans. It can't be. The newspaper was printed in

1938. They look like twins, but Bill

Evans would have been a boy in

1938. Unless he was a very wrinkled

teenager, ‘Bob,’ can’t be Bill. He’s a

ghost.

There were hundreds of sailing

vessels tramping up and down the

coasts, and thousands of bargemen.

The real Bob may have been Dutch,

or English, or even French. He may

Section of painting by COR VISSER

have sailed to Ipswich; he definitely

crossed paths with Cor Visser.

Or perhaps Bob is Bill, and the date

in Cor’s scrapbook was wrong?

Whoever the real Bob was, he is the

epitome of a sailor-man – here, then

gone. He agreed to stand around in

a barge’s hold long enough to have

his portrait painted, and then he

disappeared like a ship’s wake.

I did not have the heart to tell

Anthea that Bob cannot be Bill. She

passed away in Ipswich Hospital in

April 2024.

FOOTNOTE: When Anthea first

offered the painting to IMT, we said

we would need to find somewhere

to hang it as IMT does not have the

space. We were delighted when

Suffolk New College agreed to display

‘Bob’ in one of their public areas,

and even more pleased that Anthea

approved of this plan, happy for

‘Bob’ to be seen by many more young people.

Richard Smith Memorial Trophy

And the recipient

of this year’s

Richard Smith

Memorial Award is … Stuart

Grimwade, the IMT’s Image

Archivist! The Richard

Smith Memorial Award

is given annually by the

Trust to a member who has

contributed in a significant

way to the understanding

of local maritime culture or

heritage.

From an early age Stuart

was messing about in boats

(especially his brother

Mark’s) in the docks. An

interest in photography led

him to record, in colour,

many of the comings

and goings on the busy

waterfront in the 1960s.

When he retired from a

career in town planning

in 2000, he joined the

IMT at his brother’s

suggestion and put his

planning experience to use

in negotiating a series of

‘windows’ which became

the IMT’s permanently

open museum on Albion

Quay.

“The concurrent

development of the Image

Archive meant a ready

supply of images for each

Window display, of which

there have been 25,” recalls

Stuart. “During lockdown

I had time to record the

illustrated talks I had

given over the years, using

the contents of all the

collections. With the help

of other volunteers, it has

been possible to begin

annotating and uploading

the whole archive.”

These can be accessed

from the IMT website or by

contacting image-archive@

ipswichmaritimetrust.org.

The Richard Smith trophy

(bottom left) was presented

to Stuart Grimwade, at the

Trust’s AGM on Wednesday

19th June by award-

winning photographer

Anthony Cullen, right.

In the background, and

enlarged, below, is a photo

taken of Stuart at Pin Mill by

Naomi Cassidy during one

of Anthony’s Photographic

Workshops.

Top: One of the earliest

photos of the Old Custom

House, recently sent to

Stuart by a correspondent

in Australia. Below: Stuart’s

brother Mark, messing about

in Vetiver in Ipswich Docks,

circa 1964.

When postage cost just a halfpenny

IMT’s Leonard Woolf

Collection of picture

postcards, of the Port

of Ipswich and the River

Orwell in Victorian and

Edwardian times, was

deposited with Suffolk

Archives at The Hold in

Ipswich on Friday 22nd

March 2024.

The Collection consists of

over 1,500 postcards, many

hand-coloured, of scenes

and ships along Ipswich’s

waterfront, in the 1890s,

1900s and 1910s. On the

reverse are messages

from Ipswich residents to

friends and family around

the country, capturing the

anxieties and felicitations

of the era.

“Happy birthday,” writes

a boy to his sister in West

Kensington, adding that he

will be sending her some

neadles (sic), and that “my

birth-day is on Friday.”

Another writes that she

is posting the card now so

that it arrives before she

does – that afternoon!

Leonard Woolf, a lifelong

collector and enthusiastic

member of IMT, left the

postcards to the Trust in his

will. Born in 1934, he died

in 2018, and was involved

in agriculture, horticulture

and environmental

issues all his life, being

presented in 2015 with

a Green Hero award

for his environmental

campaigning.

He was assisted in his

later years by fellow IMT

member Bob Pawsey (see

photo, far right) in bidding

for and purchasing suitable

postcards to add to the

collection. “They were

kindred spirits,” recalls

Bob’s daughter Emma

Pawsey. “They shared a

deep affection for their

home town, and a fervent

dedication to preserving its

rich maritime heritage.

“Both enthusiastic

collectors of postcards

and assorted ephemera,

they swiftly realised the

significance of Leonard’s

collection. My father, in

particular, committed

himself to its preservation,

dedicating a substantial

portion of his life to

cataloguing and ensuring

its legacy for future

generations. My sister

and I take immense pride

in his contribution to the

town’s historical archives,

particularly his unwavering

support for maritime

endeavours.”

To enable the postcards

of the past to be more

widely accessible to future

generations, the IMT

decided to copy the images.

Over the past twenty years

all the postcards have

been scanned by a team

led by IMT’s Archivist,

Stuart Grimwade, and are

available to view on the

Trust’s website.

“The Collection is one

of the largest of its kind of

the same general location,

focusing as it does on

the river and dock area

of Ipswich,” says Stuart.

“And having been through

the postal system –

when stamps cost just a

halfpenny! – they contain

many messages of social

interest as well as showing

the huge variety of local

maritime scenes around

the turn of the nineteenth

century.”

Five enormous albums

containing the postcards

were handed over to The

Hold by IMT chair Ben

Good. The albums were

received on behalf of

Suffolk Archives, a Suffolk

County Council service, by

Senior Archivist Bridget

Hanley. (See photo above,

with Angela Woolnough

and Stuart Grimwade).

Scans of the postcard

fronts can be viewed at

www.ipswichmaritimetrust.

org.uk. See the actual

postcards at The Hold:

applications should be

made for a reader’s ticket:

www.suffolkarchives.co.uk

Heritage

The IMT Guide to Sailors’

Tattoos and what they mean

In an era in which tattoos and body modification are now generally

considered socially acceptable, there is one group of people who have

always sported their tattoos proudly. Sailors have for centuries been

displaying a raft of tattoos.

The reasons and meanings behind the tattoos are a reminder of places

visited; loved ones left behind or lost; belonging to or identifying with

a group; or a whole host of superstitions held at bay from having a

particular tattoo.

A tattoo is an indelible design of coloured pigment punctured into the

skin. It’s now a safe and hygienic process, yet, back in the early years of

tattooing, sailors would create the pigment from a number of things, even

gunpowder and urine!

What do these colourful works of art mean? Too numerous to list them

all, here are a selection of the more popular works.

The Swallow

believed that these tattoos would

measures how far

increase chances of survival. “A pig on

a sailor travels.

the knee, safety at sea…”

Each swallow

denotes 5,000

nautical miles.

Crossed Cannons

represented service

on board a military

vessel.

Love them or

loathe them?

We take a closer

look at TATTOOS!

IMT trustee, British

sailor – and proud

bearer of many tattoos –

JON COBBOLD explains

the meanings behind the

images

The Anchor is

the most secure

object on the ship

and serves as an

icon of stability.

With a banner

and name added,

it suggests that

the named person

keeps them grounded. Can also

denote a successful Atlantic crossing.

A Nautical Star

represents the

ability to find your

way home, even if

lost at sea.

A Mermaid

depicts the

danger and

beauty of

the sea: half

women,

half fish,

mermaids

were believed

to seduce and

lead sailors to

their deaths.

Hold Fast: to

celebrate a

career as a deck

hand. It is said

that having hold

fast on each of

the deckhand’s

fingers gave

them the grip required to work the

lines and rigging.

The Pig and

Rooster image is

derived from times

when livestock

were transported

in wooden crates.

These crates

floated when ships

went down, and the livestock were

often the only survivors. Sailors

The Pin Up girl was

the only female a

sailor would see for

for long periods away

at sea. Often they

would conjure up a

memory of a loved

one back home.

Regardless of how

people perceive

tattoos, they are generally personal

to the wearer. Certainly, as a British

sailor I enjoyed the fact that I could

carry on a tradition of British

seafarers gone before.

The Royal Navy’s current tattoo

policy has recently changed, and

you can have tattoos on your hands

and the back of your neck. The

main stipulation is that they are not

obvious when wearing Number 1 dress uniform.

PHILIP K ALLAN has an

excellent knowledge of

the 18th century navy.

He studied it as part

of his history degree

at London University,

which awoke a lifelong

passion for the period.

A longstanding member

of the Society for

Nautical Research, he is

also a keen sailor and

writes for the US Naval

Institute’s magazine

Naval History.

This blog first appeared

on his website www.

philipkallan.com and

is reproduced by kind

permission.

See our review of

his latest book in his

Alexander Clay series,

on page 22.

Tattooing needles and combs from

across the Pacific, on display in

the National Maritime Museum at

Greenwich

Tattooing in the Navy

During the age of sail,

seamen took great pride

in maintaining a distinct

appearance from mere landsmen.

Most refused to cut their hair,

wearing it instead in long, closely

woven pigtails down their backs.

Not for sailors the britches and

stockings worn ashore. Instead,

they sported a more practical

garment for climbing aloft of their

own invention, which they called

‘trousers.’ Towards the end of the

18th century, a new craze swept

the lower decks of the Royal Navy

that would further differentiate

sailors from the rest of mankind.

They began decorating their arms

with designs and messages inked

permanently into their skin, using

a process called tattooing.

Tattooing had existed in

different times and places

for millennia. The Romans

encountered it when they

fought barbarian tribes during

their imperial expansion, as did

European settlers when they

populated the Americas, but it

remained largely on the margins

of western society. What changed

this were the three great voyages

of exploration that Captain Cook

made to the Pacific between 1768

and his death in 1779.

The word ‘tattoo’ is Polynesian,

and is the sound made by the

little wooden hammers that the

islanders use to puncture the

skin, creating dense patterns of

lines that adorned their bodies.

This practice had been going on

for centuries in the Pacific before

Cook discovered it. While it was of

only passing interest to the great

explorer, it proved fascinating

to his crew. His sailors were

predominately young men, and

just like their 21st century peers,

they found the idea of tattooing

irresistible. They asked local

artists to decorate them, with

anchors, sailing-related messages

like “hold fast” or “dread nought”

or the names of their wives and

sweethearts far away. When they

returned home, they were paid off

and dispersed into the maritime

community, proudly sporting

their tattoos. And much admired

they were by all who encountered

them.

Tattooing could have more

practical benefits for sailors

beyond simple decoration. Until

the end of the Napoleonic Wars,

the Royal Navy used impressment

to maintain numbers. Sailors

who were American citizens

and some British seafarers were

immune from the press, and were

issued certificates to prove this.

But these often had such vague

descriptions and this coupled

with many sailors’ propensity

to sign onto ships’ books under

false names, led to widescale

abuse. The result was that Royal

Navy officers often assumed the

certificates to be false. However,

unique and distinctive tattoos

included in the description on a

certificate was a more reliable

way of proving identity.

At first tattooing remained

largely confined to sailors,

although not necessarily just

to the lower deck. Lord Charles

Beresford, a distinguished rear

admiral in the Victorian navy and

an enthusiast for country sport is

known to have had a very large

tattoo concealed beneath his

uniform. It depicted the hounds

of the Waterford Hunt in full cry,

pouring over his shoulder and

down his back in pursuit of a fox.

Only the tail of the fox was visible,

the rest of the animal having

apparently disappeared up the

admiral’s anus.

Lord Beresford was not the

only member of the British upper

classes to carry a concealed

tattoo. By the start of the 20th

century up to a fifth of the House

of Lords are said to have had

tattoos. Lady Randolph Churchill,

mother of Winston, had a snake

tattooed around her wrist (where

it could be concealed beneath a bracelet) and her son is said to

have shown his obsession for all

things naval by having an anchor

tattooed on his forearm. Even

royalty was not immune from the

lure of tattooing. British Kings

George V and Edward VII both

had one, as did Kaiser Wilhelm

II and even Tsar Nicholas II of

Russia.

Although by the end of the 19th

century tattooing more generally

had moved beyond the navy to

other largely male and working-

class groups, such as soldiers and

criminal gangs, it was still much

more prevalent among seafarers.

Samuel O’Reilly, the American

inventor of the electric tattoo

machine, reported that most of

his customers were sailors in

the 1880s. In 1908, an article

in American Anthropologist

reported that 75% of sailors

in the US Navy were tattooed,

findings that prompted the naval

authorities to issue regulations

about what tattoos were and were

not permitted.

The electric tattoo machine

led to a proliferation of tattoo

parlours, and this allowed the

practice to spread far beyond

sailors. Today groups as diverse

as Hollywood stars and Latin

American drug gangs both sport

them. They can be seen from the

catwalks of Paris to the football

stadiums of London. But I wonder

how many of those getting a

tattoo today think of the Royal

Navy sailor who first held out a

bare arm beneath the fronds of a

palm tree on a beach far away and long ago.

Tattoos about Town

John Heath (left) joined us on board Victor for the Pin Mill

Barge Match. His Swallows and Amazons tattoos attracted

much attention! “I had a couple of tattoos done when I was

a teenager. The guy who did them was called Fat Bob. He

had been using his houseboat at Pin Mill as a tattoo studio

but by the time I had mine done he had a proper studio in

Ipswich in Woodbridge Road. It

closed in 2015 after 30 years!

Roll on 30 odd years, and I

needed to get my old tattoos

covered up. I had recently read

the Swallows and Amazons series

by Arthur Ransome and had been

inspired to learn how to sail - so

it had to be a nautical theme

combined with Arthur Ransome’s

stories. My tattoos include Nancy

Blackett, a cormorant from Cormorant Island, a compass as

used by John while sailing up the lake at night, the Swallow

and Amazon dinghies and various nautical bits and pieces

including a barge as featured in Coot Club. (This was actually

based on Arthur Ransome’s own experience of tying up to

barge Pudge). On my other arm, a work in progress, is the Thermopylae, a tea

clipper ship as sailed on by Peter Duck in the book of the same name!”

Right: IMT

member

Chalky Cooper

rolls up his

sleeve to

reveal a tattoo

of the Desire,

one of Suffolk

seafarer

Thomas

Cavendish’s

ships in his first circumnavigation

from 1586-88.

Left: Tattoo-talk at a recent IMT meeting

The Royal with the Dragon Tattoo

“Nearly everyone on board has been tattooed, “ an excited Prince

George, later King George V, recorded in his diary when visiting

Japan in 1881 as a midshipman on board HMS Bacchante. “I have

got a dragon on one arm done at Tokio & a tiger on the other

arm done at Kioto.” It took three hours for the artist to create the

“large dragon in blue and red writhing all down the arm. We did not find the pricking hurt at all"

From the Archives

With IMT's Image Archivist Stuart Grimwade

1950s Dock Life

At the editor’s suggestion,

I have selected this photo

over perhaps more

photogenic images from the

Archive, to complement other

items in this Newsletter on the

topic of tattoos.

I took the photo in the mid-1950s

with my first camera (my father’s

ancient Zeiss which would now be

at least 100 years old!). It shows

the very first non-commercial

vessels permitted to use the dock

on what was then Ransomes Quay.

Among them was my brother’s

boat which he, as a young RS&J

apprentice, had

been permitted to

moor there for the

princely sum of

two shillings and

sixpence a year. He

has many stories

to tell of those

days, but those

are probably best left

to another time to talk

about.

In those days tattoos

were almost exclusively

associated with those

whose lives took them

to sea, and so it was

that any tattooist worth

their salt would be

found on the dockside.

In the case of the Wet

Dock, the Ipswich

tattooist lived on his

boat on Ransomes

Quay, and this craft can be seen on

the left in my photo above.

He traded under the name of

Professor Jack Zeek with his

wife, whom he referred to in his

Cockney rhyming slang as ‘Reet’

(aka Rita). The letters HARD LUCK

were tattooed across his knuckles,

and THANK YOU on the palm of

his hand. He also had a long row

of dots tattooed around his neck

with the words CUT ALONG THE

DOTTED LINE showing above

a red pirate-style neckerchief

which added to the general air of

intrigue.

Above: Mark Grimwade

with his boat Vetiver;

below: tattooist Professor

Jack Zeek

To my schoolboy

eyes, he was

a wonderfully

‘dangerous’

character, but

once I got to know

him, I began to

see the most kind,

generous, honest

and helpful man you

could possibly wish to

meet. He claimed to

know well in advance

that his wife’s baby,

later to be born

onboard the boat with

him as mid-wife, would

be a girl, and he was

proved right.

In those days Ipswich

Dock provided the sort of education that no school could teach!

The IMT’s amazing image

archive is available online. Either

browse the entire digital collection

on www.ipswichmaritimetrust.

org.uk/image-archive, or, if

for specific advice or help,

please contact image-archive@

ipswichmaritimetrust.org.uk.

Our collection of maritime

artefacts has been photographed

by our volunteers, and catalogued

on eHive, a web-based cataloguing

system. This can be viewed at

ipswichmaritimetrust.org.uk/

collection-and-archive/

If you can help with looking after

these collections, or would like

to submit photos or objects

relating to Ipswich’s maritime

heritage, please contact us at

info@ipswichmaritimetrust.org.uk

Talk back

Ben Good reports on the talks and events so far in 2024

We fought them in Gunboats

Wednesday 7th February 2024

Talk by Julia Jones

We are in a

time when

talk of our

relative unpreparedness

for war has started

to migrate from those

bellicose but politically

peripheral generals to

the mainstream. It is

sobering stuff, and not

what I expected to see in

my lifetime. In that sense,

Julia Jones’ talk about,

inter alia, the contribution

of amateur sailors (and

one in particular) to the

British war effort, was

timely, if not particularly

reassuring. Everyone

loves stirring tales

of British pluck and

derring-do, of course, but

we would prefer them to stay in

the 1940s; we don’t want to have

think about whether we could do

so well in the 2020s.

Julia’s talk started peaceably

enough, with calming pictures

of her (previously Arthur

Ransome’s) Bermudan ketch,

Peter Duck, on the Deben. But that

was just her establishing her link

to the tale she had to tell. Peter

Duck had been her father’s, and

he had served in the Royal Naval

Volunteer Supplementary Reserve

(RNVSR) during the Second

World War. The RNVSR was the

Navy’s response to a shortage of

offices as war loomed. In short

order, 2,000 had volunteered: a

brotherhood of sailing enthusiasts

from all walks of life. They went

on to serve with distinction in

a variety of missions and roles

where they could use their

knowledge of navigating inshore

waters. Julia’s book, Uncommon

Courage, based partly on papers

of her father’s that she found after

his death, tells their story. It’s one

of bravery, inventiveness and a

healthy disregard for hierarchy -

all very appealing to the English

sense of ourselves and “how we

won the war”. One of these

plucky sailors, however,

wrote his own account of

his wartime exploits.

Robert Hichens was

probably amongst the

best of them: certainly,

he was a very fine

exemplar of the idea that

determined amateurs

could do at least as good

a job as the professional

navy. His book, We fought

them in gunboats, was

published during the

war (though after he was

killed in action), and is

an account of his time

serving mainly out of

Felixstowe’s HMS Beehive

on Motor Gun Boats

(MGBs). At that time,

the proximity of our east coast

waters to Europe meant that

both sides in the conflict were

continuously sending small boats

into each other’s waters to lay

and clear mines, attack shipping

and raid harbours. It required fast

boats and a new set of rules, and

Hichens was at the forefront, as

commander of the squadron at

Beehive, of developing from hard-

won battle experience, the tactical

and equipment improvements

required.

The role required the ability to

lead men, and to challenge the

chain of command, plus practical

abilities, bravery and seamanship.

Hichens evidently had all these

qualities in spades. A solicitor

before the war, a competitive

sailor and racing car driver,

inventor of the ‘Mark VIll cocktail’

(gin, rum and squash, or whatever

was available in the Mess), he

soon established a reputation as

a daring commander, was highly

decorated, and not afraid to take

on his masters when he needed

to get something done. He once

declared “getting a new gun out of

the Admiralty is like making love

to an elephant”, (although I am

IMT Newsletter Summer 2024 ... page 16

not entirely clear quite what he

meant by that).

There were in fact two editions

of his book published. The first,

published during the war through

the efforts of his wife, was heavily

censored by the War Office,

and came in at 55,000 words.

The second edition, published

last year by Julia’s publishing

company, and after rather lighter

editing by her, came in at 88,000

words. Clearly, the 33,000

redacted words made somewhat

uncomfortable reading for the

Whitehall desk-sailors.

The Felixstowe dock which

was home to HMS Beehive was

filled in and built over during

the construction of the container

port. As we left the talk, Wes,

the skipper of SB Victor, told me

he was on the last boat to leave

the dock before it was officially

closed. Thus, the progress that

has swallowed up the old dock

is the same progress that was

enabled by the bravery and

sacrifice of Hichens and many,

many others who made it their

base during those hectic, terrible

years. And today, all that remains

is the pink stonework set in the

ground to delineate its original

footprint.

Those tales of Hichens and

all those other brave British

amateurs make stirring reading

and are wonderfully told, by

both Julia and Hichens himself.

Thinking about that pink

stonework afterwards, though,

my main feeling was: long may

it continue that our skylines are

dominated by the trappings of

peaceful and thriving trade, andnot by military installations.

We fought them in gunboats (HMS Beehive edition), edited by Julia Jones, is published by Golden Duck www.golden-duck.co.uk

The Wreck of the Gloucester

Wednesday 6th March 2024

A talk by Claire Jowitt and Julian Barnwell

The Gloucester was a 3rd

rate warship which sank in

controversial circumstances

off the Norfolk coast in 1682,

carrying a future king of England.

Its wreck was only discovered in

2007 after a five-year search by

two local men, brothers and keen

amateur divers. So, there are at

least two stories here: the story

of the wreck itself and its political

context, and that of the discovery

and investigation of the wreck

325 years later. To tell

both stories took two

people, one an academic

historian, at home in the

archives, and the other

a man of action, at home

in a 7mm wetsuit on the

bottom of the North Sea,

each with the manner

one might expect of

their respective callings.

And so it was with

Claire and Julian,

both excellent

communicators. We

could see how the two

stories complement

each other so well, and

we could see how good

things happen when

people with diverse

skills and outlooks work

together.

One of the

pleasures of the IMT

talks is the great

variety of types

of speaker we can

attract. For this

event, we were able

to enjoy two very

different types in the

same evening. From

Claire the historian,

we learned about the

Gloucester’s royal

passenger and what

he was doing on

board. James, Duke

of York, had been

effectively banished

from the country by

From top: Professor Claire

Jowitt, Julian Barnwell, and the

catalogue from the exhibition at

Norwich Castle Museum

his elder brother, King Charles II,

in response to one of the periodic

upwellings in suspicion of the

royal family’s papist inclinations.

However, by 1682 he was back at

court and in the process of being

rehabilitated. So, he had set off up

the east coast in a small flotilla,

with Gloucester as its flagship, to

collect his family from Scotland,

where they had been living.

What happened next was a

classic illustration of the perils of

early navigation around

a changing coastline - a

toxic combination of

knowing accurately

neither the ship’s

position nor that of the

hazards they needed to

avoid - combined with

the dangers of unclear

chains of command. The

Captain wanted to avoid

the sandbanks by going

the long way round, the

pilot by hugging the

coast. It seems they took

a middle course, which

was always going to end

badly, in this case with

between 130 and 250

people drowned.

After the accident

came the enquiries

and courts martial,

recriminations

and scapegoating,

all freighted and

distorted by political

rivalries, and

arguably culminating

in the head of the

Navy siding with

William of Orange

and so getting the

last laugh on the

Duke (who by then

had become James

II).

But all that

aftermath is worthy

of a Hilary Mantel

series all of its own, and we have to move on to the story of finding

the wreck 325 years later. Julian

and Lincoln Barnwell are two

brothers who have dedicated

over 20 years to the Gloucester.

These are two brothers whose

relationship is rather different to

that of those other two brothers

in this story, Charles II and James,

Duke of York. No banishing by one

of the other in the 20ᵗʰ century:

instead an extraordinary shared

resolve, originating with Lincoln’s

discovery in 2001 of an entry

for the Gloucester in a directory

of east coast wrecks, which

mentioned both cannons and an

heir to the throne on board.

Starting in their own RIB, and

then upgrading to a 28m ex-Navy

dive boat, they spent many days

surveying with a magnetometer

capable of detecting the cannons

(and much other ferrous detritus

One of the 149 beautiful onion-

shaped wine bottles recovered from

the wreck, encrusted with 300 years

of barnacles. Some still have their

stoppers in place, and the wine intact.

Many have a ‘sun in splendour’glass

seal, as above.

besides) on the seabed. Then, in

2007, after countless false leads,

they found their cannons. Since

then about 450 artefacts have

been recovered, although it was

only when they found the ship’s

bell in 2012 that they could be

100% certain that the wreck was

indeed the Gloucester.

Today, the ship remains on the

bottom, its outline visible under

the mud, and its location a secret

that Julian was not prepared to

share with us. The plan is to set

up a trust to continue with the

archaeological activities, including

the preservation and analysis of

the artefacts which is already well

underway, and in time to establish

a museum in Great Yarmouth.

Despite the obvious parallels

with the Mary Rose, we are

unlikely to see her lifted off the

bottom and floated back to port.

Though if she is, I am sure the Ipswich Wet Dock would be delighted to welcome her.

Researching your Maritime Family History Workshop

4th February 2024

A group of 12 of us were brilliantly hosted

by Mandy Rawlins in The Hold at Suffolk

Archives, for a workshop on how to find out

more about one’s maritime ancestors. She used as a

case study the story of my own family’s involvement

in the wreck of the General Grant in 1866, but what

was great was that people came with their own

families’ historic connections with the sea that they

were keen to explore. These stories ranged from the

international – mothers, fathers and grandfathers

voyaging the world in the Merchant Navy - to the

very local, with connections to local barging families

and their barges, including Thalatta and the Pride of

Ipswich. Mandy shared multiple resources for anyone

interested in having a go at maritime research, and

gave us an online demonstration as well.

She also put on display a selection of wonderful

old documents from The Hold’s archives, and gave

us a tour behind the scenes. In the aftermath of the

workshop, we set up a Facebook group dedicated

to maritime research, accessible through IMT’s

Facebook page, although this needs to be managed

more actively than it is at the moment.

Please get in touch if you would like to know more

about these resources.

info@ipswichmaritimetrust.org.uk

Suffolk’s changing coastline

Wednesday 3rd April 2024

A talk by Professor Mark Bailey

Professor Bailey came to

talk to us about our local

coastline. In a changing

world, all things within it must

change too, whether by choice or

involuntarily. That’s as true for

our speaker as it is for the subject

of his talk, but, for our professor,

one gets the impression that his

changes in tack have been his

choices. Once an international

rugby player, after a career

yo-yoing between the highest

echelons of academia and head-

teaching, Mark has made a

specialism of peering at the most

abstruse and indecipherable

medieval documents, to discern

the economic stories they tell.

And if, in a challenging academic

funding environment, you can

steer those stories towards a