SMM+S

apanderson · Forum Moderator Joined: 25 Nov 2008 Posts: 28

Situated within the Old Churchyard on Eyemouth's Main Street.

apanderson · Forum Moderator Joined: 25 Nov 2008 Posts: 28

Also in the Old Churchyard.

Adam Brown · Posted: Tue Nov 25, 2008 11:00 pm Post subject:

Anne

Thanks for these photographs. I knew of the first memorial but was unaware of the second one.

Adam

jimmcginlay · Posted: Wed Nov 26, 2008 7:50 pm Post subject:

Great photographs Anne, I've been wanting to see the Jill Watson memorials and they look to be very moving pieces that live up to the feelings that inspired these memorials.

There is a good article on the 'Black Friday Bronze' by author Fi Martynoga which appeared in The Scots Magazine, October 2008 including an interview with the sculptor Jill Watson.

The ‘Black Friday’ disaster occurred on 14th October 1881 after several weeks of bad weather during which the fishing fleet had been stuck in harbour. The day of the disaster dawned clear and calm but the barometer was falling. Despite the risks the men of the fishing fleet were in dire straits through loss of earnings and had to put to sea. As they reached the fishing grounds the weather broke and they were caught in a violent storm. Many boats were destroyed, some within full view of locals and families on the shore. The Harmony reached the coast only to be smashed on rocks while the Radiant almost reached the mouth of Eyemouth Harbour before being swamped. The men of both crews perished on the rocks.

It is planned to have a group of memorials and there is another one at Burnmouth. Jill Watson herself is of fisherman ancestry and carried out some research into the fishermen’s families before executing her commission. On one memorial the figure of the small boy playing behind the women is a depiction of the nine year old son of David Ritchie who perished on the Lily of the Valley. It is planned to expand the memorial to finally depict the seventy eight widows and one hundred and eighty two orphans of Eyemouth left by the disaster all looking out seawards and fundraising is continuing. Work on the memorial for the four widows and fourteen orphaned children of Cove is already underway.