Salt of the earth

Dear Hull in print,

The In-crew : Denis is third from right

I came to Hull from Scarborough in 1937 after I lost my father to the dreaded TB, which he had suffered since the First World War.
I was eight at the time, and had a brother and a sister both older than me. My mother chose Hull for us because her older sister lived locally, on James Reckitt Avenue, and we moved into a new house on what was known as Simpson's Lane, later changed to Woodhall Street.

My brother and I started at Mersey Street School, but because of the proximity of our house to a knacker's yard - where they killed horses and boiled the bones for glue - we moved to Rockford Grove, off Rockford Avenue.
When the Second World War broke out, my brother and I were evacuated to Helmsley in North Yorkshire. We were billeted with the vicar in a huge house, along with some boys from Middlesbrough, six of us in all, but later my brother was moved to a farm. This upset me as I wanted to be with him, so the farmer's wife agreed to take me as well.

Aboard the Cape Crosier

As a young man I went into the navy to do my conscription, and when I came out I decided to give the Hull fishing industry a try. I did my first trip on the Lord Lloyd. It was Christmas 1948, and the camaraderie of the men was so good I decided to have more trips in a bigger ship.
I went on the Lord Rowallen, and a few trips later I went into Hudson Bros and sailed with many skippers, including Jack Woodall, Ted Bilton, Sid Sparks and Ken Neilson.
My wife Irene and I had two children - Sharon and John - and I came ashore for good in 1966. I then went lorry driving, delivering fish to different parts of the country.

Later, I took the family to Saudi Arabia, where I worked for seven years.
It was 110 degrees in the shade. After that we settled in Manitoba, Canada, where I worked in a copper mine - and it was minus 40 below!
Today, we live east of Vancouver in a small town with large lakes around us. I have a small boat - a cabin cruiser - on Okanagan Lake, which is 60 miles long and has excellent fishing.

New Life in Canada : Denis Percival enjoys the festive season with wife Irene, son John and daughter Sharon in British Columbia.

We enjoy long summers and hardly any rain, so as a retired man you can imagine where I spend a lot of my time.
Canada is a land of opportunity for anyone willing to work, but I still consider England my home and miss Hull dearly. However, aged 77, I don't think I'll ever move back.
I often think of my Hull trawling days and the men I knew, who were the salt of the earth.
If any of them are still around today, I would like to hear from them.

Kind regards,
Denis Percival,
Princeton,
British Columbia,
Canada.

(Note - if any readers remember Denis and would like to contact him, please contact Hull in print and we will pass on your details.)

Rain didn't stop play

Dear Hull in print,
May I say, on behalf of all my colleagues at the Keswick Climbing Wall and Outdoor Activity Centre, that children and young people we met in Hull this summer were a credit to your city.
I was in Queen's Gardens with a specially constructed climbing wall, which we supplied for the National Playday event, which saw the open space turned into an outdoor playground.
Despite the pouring rain, we introduced more than 100 children and young people to the climbing wall through the course of the day, who were aged from five to 16.
We take the climbing wall to towns and cities across the country, and I have to say the children and young people we met in Hull were friendly, well mannered, grateful, and positive in their attitude and approach.
They were a great bunch to work with, the most polite and charming kids we have worked with for a very long time, who really made the most of their introduction to climbing.
May I say, on behalf of everyone at the Keswick Climbing Wall and Outdoor Activity Centre, that we would be delighted to bring a climbing wall back to Hull, and see your impressive city and young people once again.
But hopefully the weather will be better next time!

Regards,
John Austin,
Director,
Keswick Climbing Wall and Outdoor Activity Centre

If you have any memories or views you would like to share, write to:
Hull in print letters, The Guildhall, Alfred Gelder Street, Hull, HU1 2AA, or email hullinprint@hullcc.gov.uk