Comments on: TO BE A PILOT: THE STORY BEHIND A PAINTING

By: Vanessa Russell

Vanessa Russell — Sun, 11 Dec 2011 08:06:07 +0000

I have been researching my family history for some time and have recently learned from my father that his uncle may have been a pilot on the Humber. His name was Thomas Greaves. His family were from Knottingley and had a long history of working on the inland waterways. The 1911 census shows Thomas was the master of the Keel “Virtue”. We know that by this time that it was increasingly difficult to make a living on the canals and my family were adapting to this. My grandfater, Jim Greaves became a bridge master working on most of the bridges spanning the river Hull.
If you have any information regarding his brother Thomas, we would be most grateful.
Thank you.

By: Patrick Maw

Patrick Maw — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 14:18:23 +0000

Having just found that one of my family was a Humber Pilot this morning, I have found your story so informative and interesting.
My ancestor was George Waddingham, pilot on the 1901 and 1911 census. His father was Blythe Waddingham who was lost in the Baltic off the coast at Gdansk in 1872. Blythe was from Winteringham originally and was related to the mariners and ship builders of that village. George was in the Port of Hull Orphaned Sailors home after the loss of his father. There with him was his brother Thomas Blythe Waddingham who seems to have lost his life on board a ship called the Royal Welsh in 1888. If you could offer any more on these people I would be most grateful
Thank You.

By: David Raddings

David Raddings — Tue, 10 May 2011 13:52:08 +0000

Thank you for your kind words Janet.
Should you or anyone with a query regarding a family involvement as a Humber Pilot we have records of many of the Pilots from 1800 onwards and so we may be able to help with any family tree enquiries.

Please submit your enquiry to jndsimpson@hotmail.com

By: Janet Bishop

Janet Bishop — Fri, 19 Nov 2010 15:15:42 +0000

Thankyou for your very vivid and beautifully written story. One side of my father’s family were Humber pilots, all through the 19th century (and probably before). Their name was Rowan, and my gt grandfther Thomas William, the last of the family to go into the pilot service, died in 1903. I wonder if the Rowans and Raddings knew each other in Hull?

By: Helen Doe

Helen Doe — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 11:36:45 +0000

An excellent compilation of the letters and documents that sheds light on the life and hard times of the owner/master of a small sailing coastal vessel. Thank you for publishing this.

Helen Doe