DEAD BOD - HULL
DEAD BOD
You can see Dead Bod in its preserved glory at The Humber Street Gallery on Humber Street in Hull. Dead Bod was painted onto the side of a corrugated iron shed at Hull’s Alexandra Dock on the banks of the Humber in the 1960s. Over the years it became a welcome feature for the weary fishermen returning home from their fishing trips – a sign that they were finally close to home.
My grandfather was a deep sea fisherman from Hull. I am always humbled when I think of the job he had to do - having to go away in extreme conditions for weeks at a time to do one of the most dangerous jobs in the world all so he could put food on his family’s table. In the day there were no health and safety regulations like there are now and you couldn’t just quit your job if you didn’t like it for how else would you look after your family? So these men had to grin and bear it. My grandfather wrote diaries in his time as a fisherman and they make quite brutal reading in parts. He wrote how his hands would be covered in sores from a combination of hauling the fishing nets in and the salt water, yet they still had to carry on with this relentless task day after day. That must have been so painful and horrible. That’s just one example of the harshness of the everyday life on the trawlers. There are countless more.
He also wrote how he used to look forward to seeing Dead Bod on his way back home – how it used to lift everyone’s spirits. I am very glad that it was saved. It is an important part of Hull’s history.
Dead Bod was painted onto the wall of the shed by Captain Len ‘Pongo’ Rood and Chief Engineer Gordon Mason after they had enjoyed a few ales and they stumbled across an open tin of paint. As to why Dead Bod was painted, the story goes that the Skipper of the ship they were on had been looking after an injured seagull with a broken wing which had landed on deck. He had spent a few weeks nursing it back to health and Captain Rood assisted him in this. A few weeks later, the bird was looking better and they put the box on deck to see if the bird would fly off. Unfortunately for the bird the Bosun (who sounds like a grumpy chap) came along and booted the cardboard box, and that was the end of the poor bird. The Skipper was very annoyed about this and apparently complained all the way back home about how long he had looked after the bird. The Bosun was bemused as to why there was so much fuss about ‘A Dead Bod’ . The story spread over the next few days to the other boats about what had happened and Captain Rood at the time thought it would be funny to tease the Bosun and Skipper about the incident. Dead Bod over the years became an important marker on the River and indeed part of Hull’s fishing heritage.
The Child likes looking at Dead Bod as he gets to do lots of Dead Bod impressions and as there is a cafe in the Gallery, in the room where Dead Bod is, he gets the opportunity to sample the interesting snacks and refreshments on offer . Dead Bod gets a big tick from me, and a big tick from The Child ✔️✔️
Useful Information:
Dead Bod is in The Humber Street Gallery on Humber Street:
www.humberstreetgallery.co.uk/
You can see Dead Bod in its preserved glory at The Humber Street Gallery on Humber Street in Hull. Dead Bod was painted onto the side of a corrugated iron shed at Hull’s Alexandra Dock on the banks of the Humber in the 1960s. Over the years it became a welcome feature for the weary fishermen returning home from their fishing trips – a sign that they were finally close to home.
My grandfather was a deep sea fisherman from Hull. I am always humbled when I think of the job he had to do - having to go away in extreme conditions for weeks at a time to do one of the most dangerous jobs in the world all so he could put food on his family’s table. In the day there were no health and safety regulations like there are now and you couldn’t just quit your job if you didn’t like it for how else would you look after your family? So these men had to grin and bear it. My grandfather wrote diaries in his time as a fisherman and they make quite brutal reading in parts. He wrote how his hands would be covered in sores from a combination of hauling the fishing nets in and the salt water, yet they still had to carry on with this relentless task day after day. That must have been so painful and horrible. That’s just one example of the harshness of the everyday life on the trawlers. There are countless more.
He also wrote how he used to look forward to seeing Dead Bod on his way back home – how it used to lift everyone’s spirits. I am very glad that it was saved. It is an important part of Hull’s history.
Dead Bod was painted onto the wall of the shed by Captain Len ‘Pongo’ Rood and Chief Engineer Gordon Mason after they had enjoyed a few ales and they stumbled across an open tin of paint. As to why Dead Bod was painted, the story goes that the Skipper of the ship they were on had been looking after an injured seagull with a broken wing which had landed on deck. He had spent a few weeks nursing it back to health and Captain Rood assisted him in this. A few weeks later, the bird was looking better and they put the box on deck to see if the bird would fly off. Unfortunately for the bird the Bosun (who sounds like a grumpy chap) came along and booted the cardboard box, and that was the end of the poor bird. The Skipper was very annoyed about this and apparently complained all the way back home about how long he had looked after the bird. The Bosun was bemused as to why there was so much fuss about ‘A Dead Bod’ . The story spread over the next few days to the other boats about what had happened and Captain Rood at the time thought it would be funny to tease the Bosun and Skipper about the incident. Dead Bod over the years became an important marker on the River and indeed part of Hull’s fishing heritage.
The Child likes looking at Dead Bod as he gets to do lots of Dead Bod impressions and as there is a cafe in the Gallery, in the room where Dead Bod is, he gets the opportunity to sample the interesting snacks and refreshments on offer . Dead Bod gets a big tick from me, and a big tick from The Child ✔️✔️
Useful Information:
Dead Bod is in The Humber Street Gallery on Humber Street:
www.humberstreetgallery.co.uk/