Sunday 10 May was the National Day of Remembrance for Fishermen and Helen Lovell-Smith, from the Fishermen’s Mission and Rev’d Philippa Bellows, Team Rector of Brixham Mission Community, led a service on Brixham quayside to commemorate those lost from the local fishing community.
During the service flowers were passed to the RNLI boats from Plymouth and Exmouth to lay at sea. There was music from The Missin’ Links shanty band and a recording was played of Brixham CofE Primary School pupils singing ‘Lost and Found’ a contemporary hymn which has been adopted by the Fishermen’s Mission to raise awareness of the organisation’s work.
Mack Robinson, an LLM from Teignmouth, who wrote the lyrics to the song and attended the service, said afterwards “Fishing is the most dangerous peacetime job, and the roll call of names before the minute’s silence was shocking.
There was music provided by a local shanty band
“Not just due to its length, although it was almost unbelievable how many names there were. No – it was also how many family names came up again and again. It shared the same sadness of a war memorial in a small village. Each generation of fishing families lives with a reminder of the power of the sea.
“That gave a special poignancy to hearing the recording of Brixham C of E Primary singing ‘Lost and Found’, our song for the Fishermen’s Mission. I was told that the local school plays the song as children file in for assembly, and the children spontaneously sing along.
“Many of these children come from fishing families, and even at a young age they are aware of the dangers faced by their fathers and uncles each day. To hear those young voices singing ‘Now fill my sails, and bring me home, through water, wind and wave and foam…’, even as their fathers are out at sea in all weathers – well, it reminded me of how much I take for granted.”
Helen Lovell-Smith told BBC Radio Devon: “The children from Brixham CofE school have really embraced the song Lost and Found and the video features footage of my daughter waving her Daddy off to sea and then joyfully welcoming him back home. It’s very poignant and I remember that from when I was a childm waving my own Dad off to sea.
Flowers were carried by lifeboat to be laid in remembrance at sea
“For fishing families, you get used to it and you have to trust in the ability of your family members going off to sea. They go through a lot of training, they are skilled seamen, but it’s hard, fishermen give-up a lot of important family occasions throughout the year, just to go to sea.
“At the service we remember those fishermen who unfortunately haven’t come home and also celebrate those fishermen who can’t be present because they are out at sea to put fish on the table for our nation.”
The service was also livestreamed on the Fishermen’s Mission Devon Facebook page, so bereaved families from around the world could also take part and hear their loved-ones name being read out.
“The list of names is always being added to,” said Helen, “Unfortunately it is a working document.”
You can hear Brixham Primary school children singing Lost and Found and hear the interview with Helen Loveel-Smith here on BBC Sounds (at 7.10am):
You can find out more about the Fishermen’s Mission and support their work here.