Harry
Duffin MBE
Harry
Duffin MBE
This is the story
of my maternal grandfather Harry Duffin. Whilst I know a good
deal about him, there are many questions that remain unanswered,
if you can help in any way however small I would be extremely
grateful if you would contact me
He was
born at 31 Regent Street, Hull, on 10th August 1889, the youngest
of the eight children of William and Betsey Duffin.
By the census in 1891, he was living at the same address with his
mother, his 3 brothers, and three of his four sisters; his father
William having died on 5th February 1890, about six months after
Harry was born.
On census
night 1901 the family were still in Regent Street at number 83.
Harry ran
away from home when he was twelve years old, and I believe went
to live at Ulrome with his uncle Robert Brian Allerston, known as
Bob, and his crippled son William, known as Bill, who was about
the same age as Harry. Quite why Harry ran away from home I'm
unsure of ; his mother died four months before his 13th birthday,
so this could well have been a factor in his decision to leave
home.
On 4th
January 1910 in Hull, Harry married his first wife Alice Gertrude
Meggitt, they had one daughter Irene, born in 1910. Alice died in
September 1911 of tuberculosis.
Harry
wanted to go to sea so he joined the Royal Navy, serving on a
mine sweeper during WW1. NB: I have yet to find any record of his
naval service.
I have a
photo of him on board the Steam trawler Mercury which was
registered in 1900 and was sunk in 1915 by a German submarine.
After the war he worked as a fisherman for Hellyer Brothers out
of Hull. Harry married his second wife, my grandmother,
Rose Harriet Hampshire Henning, on 17th January 1925, in Hull.
I have
records of the voyages Harry made as skipper between 1934 and
early 1940 on the following vessels: Pict, Mohican, Goth,
Imperialist, Andaman, Syrian, Dromio & Kings Grey.
His one
and only voyage on the Dromio started on Dec 20th
1939 according to the Hellyer Bros records in Hull City Archives.
A report in the “Times” dated 23 December 1939 stated
“ The Hull trawler Dromio which was unsuccessfully bombed by
German aeroplanes on Sunday, sank in the North Sea on Thursday
night after a collision with an Italian Steamer. 16 members of
the crew were landed last night. The Italian vessel was little
damaged and proceeded on her voyage”. A second report dated
27th
December modified the original: “Fifteen Hull fisherman, the
crew of the trawler Dromio, were landed at a north eastern port
on Saturday after their ship, which had been part of a fleet of
boats bound for the Arctic fishing grounds, had sunk after a
collision with the Italian liner Valentino”. My subsequent
research has revealed the name of the Italian ship is the
Valdarno, and not as reported in the Times. In a report in the
Hull Daily Mail, “All the crew of 17 were rescued and put
aboard the trawler Colonio, which put them ashore at a north-east
port.”
I
understand there was a court case about the collision which Harry
attended, however I have no details of the event.
He was the first skipper of the Imperialist, which was christened
in 1938 by his daughter Ethel (my auntie) when she was 12 years
old, and made its maiden voyage on January 30th
1939.
Harry
was given the nickname Swill Deck Duffin because he would have
the deck swilled down after every catch was landed.
During WW2 he was made a Temporary Skipper, RNR with seniority of
23rd
October 1939. In April 1943 whilst the captain of a convoy
on route to Iceland, they came under enemy fire, a trawler
crew ended up in the sea, and Harry on board the Yorick went to
the rescue and saved every man. For his bravery he
was awarded the MBE.
Click here to view an
extract from the London Gazette concerning the presentation of
the MBE by His Majesty King George VI.
Extract from Hull Daily
Mail April 14 1943. - Article on Harry Duffin's award.
The
following poem was written by a great grandson from Harry's first
marriage, Duncan.
A TRIBUTE TO
SWILL DECK DUFFIN.
He sat on a
milestone at twelve years old, counting his sovereigns made of
gold,
He never looked back from that day, the misty March morn he ran
away.
To sail the seas
was his heart's desire, just like a thirst that sets a throat on
fire,
He didn't want to be a tinker or tailor, so he joined the RN and
became a sailor.
Through training
and practice he learned his trade well, but where he would go
next no one could tell.
For over the years he'd acquired great skill, and a war was
a'brewing with old Kaiser Bill.
He served on a mine sweeper in those four years, years of agony
and of tears,
On a night watch to keep awake he'd strive, for on him depended
many hundreds of lives.
When the war was
ended to fishing he turned, from which a fair living he always
earned,
He acquired a nickname of "Swill Deck Duffin", and
Capstan full strength he was always a'puffing.
To Greenland,
Bear Island and Iceland he sailed, to bring back a good catch he
never failed,
Turbot and skate and haddock and cod, and when he came back he
gave thanks to God.
The captain of a convoy in World War Two, those lost at sea under
him were very few,
With his stubborn pride he didn't give in, though his chances of
winning were always slim.
While sailing to
Iceland he heard a dull whine, the blue and green aircraft were
coming in line,
The enemy planes dived again and again, but old Swill Deck Duffin
said "Hold your fire, men"
The crew of a
trawler was thrown in the sea, but old skipper Duffin a brave man
was he,
Without hesitation to rescue he went, and every man home to his
family was sent.
To him an
invitation to the Palace came, and with it brought a great deal
of fame,
The award he was given was the MBE, presented to him by George 3
+ 3.
Unfortunately I
never knew my grandfather as he died in the Duke of York Nursing
Home in Bradford, on the 24th of February 1944.
Thumbnail images of the Imperialist
and the Pict.
I am told by
Neville Beavers that the image of the Pict is of a vessel by that
name that was built c1971, and therefore is not the vessel that
my grandfather worked on.
Help
Required.
In order to complete the story I would dearly love to contact the
descendants of Bob Allerston and his son Bill. The MI book for
Ulrome includes the death of William Allerston of The Cottage,
Main St. Ulrome, on 21st August 1971, aged 80
If anyone with knowledge of Ulrome could help out it would be
much appreciated.
I would also like
to make contact with descendants of Alice Gertrude Meggitt.
And of course I would love to make contact with anyone whose
ancestors were involved with the rescue, either from my
grandfathers vessel, which was the Yorick, or from ancestors of
the crew of the stricken trawler.
If any further
information comes to light I will add it to the story.
Page created by
Steve Garton 11th April 2004.
