VON CLUCKS COMING

Hey I remember the coal hoss and cart.

oh yes he was big hoss and he delivered coal onto the pier for the steam trawlers/drifters that worked the port fishing for cod and haddock or anything else foolish enough to out its head into the oncoming net. all were accepted the unsalable been sold to the crab potters for bait the payment of which in cash was named "RANGHAM"  a strange name but one well understood and used to this day to describe cash in the hand business.

Well these old and ancient ships by modern diesel standards burnt copious amounts of black dusty coal cheap as it could be got and delivered to the harbour side by huge wheeled carts in equally huge sixteen stone sacks tipped down a chute onto the deck and from there into the hatchways down below where it was stored in the fish room for use later Tons of the stuff at one go maybe twenty tons at a loading in five different cart loads..

Shoveled by us lads of 12 or 14years old  for a bit of wrangham and the odd fish fry on the vessels return when we would assist in the unloading of the catch too

Health and Safety had not interfered with our lives by then we lived-in amore sensible environment and were expected to look after oneself so it should be today.

Don't get me on Health and Safety!!!

Well this  hoss has pulled up alongside the Emulator a steam trawler /drifter and had his nose bag on and his huge head inside up to the eye brows snorting the chaff out of the top of the bag with huge exhalations of air down his nostrils and tossing the bag up and down to reach the best bits I suppose while the coal was been tipped down the chute into the trawler

Now we were prone to sea mines drifting into the bay which had been cut loose by my dads mine sweeping activities he been a commander of a mine sweeping flotilla from the Humber to the Tyne sometimes they cut a mine mooring but missed its flight to the surface in the dark and this was then a very dangerous mine carried by tide action all over the place and still armed and deadly. If they came ashore they  would explode on the beach or the rocks near the spa where windows were removed or boarded over .

Well while Dobbin was engaged in his brunch a mine exploded near Holbeck across the south bay which surprised Dobbin a bit and he took off down the pier still wearing his nose bag over his eyes and pulling the unbraked trolley the unfortunate occupants of the trolley were thrown into the harbour or onto the pier ‘

Dobbin was stopping for nothing now , he was aggrieved at this disturbance to his lunch break and heading for somewhere more peaceful which he unfortunately found when he inevitably ran out of terra firma at the end of the pier and disappeared over the end still hauling the trolley and the rest of the coal.

Now the mystery is where did he go then?

The coal and the trolley were recovered at low water but of Dobbin there was no sign .He was if he had never existed the shafts were empty of both beast and rigging and no amount of searching revealed his new resting place when daylight returned a thorough search of the harbour and sands were carried out by the constabulary comprising of one sergeant our complete force at that time but big enough to make three of the little pathetic bullies we have today   however Dobbin had been BEAMED UP  or eaten by a giant jaws creature while he lay under the sea who had a liking for leather rigging too.

Now Scarborough has two harbour linked by another entrance right opposite the main one and on which pier there exists a hand crane which will lift about seven tons.

Dobbin had been snatched and carved and removed to the butchers place of operation before you could snap your fingers. He probable just got time to expire under the water before the huge hook got accidently caught in the reins of his rig and pulled through the inner entrance by the crane butchered where he lay in the water into manageable bits and pulled up onto a lorry or a MR Jones’s van and away to his final sacrifice for the war effort.

Suffice to say that the local butcher made sure that the  local families living on their wits at that time all had a good chunk of meat in the bags on Saturday no questions asked as to its content  

I believe we got his heart which was ok for beast heart wasn’t rationed been declared offal during the war and we lived on offal

I still like ox heart roasted and sliced it’s a wonderful lean meat and much better than the little lambs hearts we get today, huge rings of lean meat  lovely.

Well the hoss was replaced with a more placid beast and the trolley braked while unloading took place we were not to receive gods blessing of another hoss  meat day for the remainder of the conflict.

Aay Dobbin lad you did your bit for the needy .

Pete skipper