Acclaimed singer/songwriter Reg Meuross has joined artistic forces with author Brian W Lavery to present ’12 Silk Handkerchiefs’ which tells in music, narration and pictures, the story of Hull’s 1968 triple trawler disaster and subsequent uprising led by fighting fishwife Mrs Lillian Bilocca, calling for greater safety on the trawlers. The song cycle, written by Reg, is performed by himself alongside Hull musicians Sam Martyn and Mick McGarry. The multi-media show includes never-seen-before images and a series of narrative links by Brian W Lavery from his book. The music and narration will also be released as a CD on December 14th.
Reg is currently raising funds through CD pre-orders. Please support the project: https://goo.gl/M5z95r.
In January and February 1968 three trawlers, the St Romanus, Kingston Peridot and Ross Cleveland sank in atrocious conditions within 3 weeks of each other. 58 men lost their lives and the Hessel Road community was torn apart. The miraculous survival of one man, Harry Eddom, mate of the Ross Cleveland, drew attention to this almost constantly grieving city and the incredibly dangerous industry where health and safety practices were less than basic. The uprising that followed, spearheaded by ‘Big Lil’ and her ‘Headscarf Revolutionaries’ and their tireless campaign, is now recognised as one of that century’s most successful campaigns of civil disobedience. The result was new safety measures which saved thousands of lives in the decade ahead, at great personal cost to the campaigners (from blacklisting to death threats) before the industry itself went into decline.
Brian W Lavery
Reg said: ‘In March 2017 I was invited to play a concert in Hull. I had already heard about Big Lil’ Bilocca and her fight in the late Sixties to pressure the Government into introducing much tighter safety after the triple trawler disaster of 1968 and I was drawn to find out more while I was there. My research led me to the book ‘The Headscarf Revolutionaries’ by Brian W Lavery and to a meeting with Brian’s friend, local musician Mick McGarry (who turned out to have been my support, along with Sam Martyn, at the gig I’d just played). Together we went for an in-depth tour of the old fish docks. Mick also gave me a collection of local songs and Brian gave me a copy of his book. The detail in the book provided some really rich source material for a song cycle based on this fascinating and important period of British industrial history.’
Brian added, “I was greatly honoured when I heard the song cycle Reg had written. He is truly a gifted songwriter and it seemed obvious that we should work together on what became ’12 Silk Handkerchiefs’. The title comes from the fact that Lil’s last action was to send her daughter to buy a set of handkerchiefs to give as gifts to those who had treated her is hospital before her death in 1988. Reg’s music honours and complements the story of the Dark Winter that claimed so many of our brave trawlermen. If a picture is worth a thousand words, then a Meuross song must be worth so much more. With these six wonderful songs, this poet has re-cast a story that took me eighty-thousand words to tell. And I am honoured and delighted that he did.”
The next full show is on Thursday 8th November 2018 in Hull Minster, and the audio CD will be released on December 14th. ’12 Silk Handkerchiefs’ will be on the road in 2019 as the multi-media experience, as well as within Reg’s solo touring.
Please support the project by pre-ordering a CD, and if you can, coming to the gig, which is raising funds for Humber Rescue. If you would like to book the multi-media show or the Reg Meuross solo experience, please get in touch with katie@fromthewhitehouse.com.
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12 Silk Handkerchiefs Show details
Thursday 8th November, Hull Minster South Church Side Hull, England, HU1 1RU
Music: Reg Meuross with Sam Martyn and Mick McGarry, narration and slide show by Brian W Lavery
TICKETS £8 via hullminster.org & hullboxoffice.com 01482 221113
Hullminster ticket link: https://goo.gl/DNvVWL