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General Information

Club History

During Hostilities no moorings were allowed on the Walney Side of the channel and no serviceable boats were allowed to remain on Walney Island this meant that some boats moved across to Ferry Beach.

 

In 1941 on request from the Club a small petrol allowance was allocated to boat owners provided they fished and then only in daylight, they also had to be registered and required to exhibited two pre determined signal flags out of a set of four with

Monthly records returned on the quantity of fish caught and the area where caught to obtain more petrol coupons.

The club sought in 1942 permission for members to visit Piel during the Holiday Period which must have been granted as I often went there during the wartime years, Mrs. Minton was the landlady at this time that lived with her son on the island.

From 1944 to 1949 no meetings were held and the Club Membership was in 1944 -126 Members, 1945 107 Members, 1946 89, Members. 1947 57 Members, 1948 45 Members

The reason for the initial high membership was by reason of security, during the war years only club members were allowed down Ferry Beach on showing a pass to the docks board policeman who was stationed at the lane end and was in attendance twenty four hours a day.

During the period of no meetings Mr Leslie Nicholas kept the club ticking over and in his words until the lads return, and true to his word on the 20th Feb 1949 on Mr Bert Hall arranging a meeting in the clubhouse a Committee was elected and Mr Leslie Nicholas handed over the clubs documents and did not involve himself in any further club business.

Several members were called to serve their country with a few never to return a Mr. Dawson. 30 Years of age went down on the ship “Mavis”, Jack Pilton 25 Years of age Lost at Dunkirk, Matthew Jefferson 30 years of age Lost at Dunkirk, Bert Ayres 24 Years of age died of a Tropical Disease in Ceylon, Joe Ayres 22 Years of age in an engineering accident, and Artie Hunter 22 Years of age lost on an Atlantic Convoy.

It is also recorded that club members paid a weekly subscription to provide comforts to members on active duty.

During hostilities the pierhead was a Gun emplacement with associated buildings and occasionally when fired the timber clubhouse shook and everything around it.