CHAPTER VI 



TRAWLERS TO THE RESCUE 



Grievous though some of the losses of warships and 

 their crews were, yet these calamities were lessened 

 by the help which fishermen were able to give. In 

 very many cases the fishermen were serving in mine- 

 sweepers ; but many others were doing their ordinary 

 work of catching fish or were on their way to or from 

 port. Wherever they were or whatever they were 

 doing became immaterial if need arose to bear a 

 hand in saving life from a ship in distress through 

 enemy attack or striking a mine or any other cause. 



Very prominent amongst these cases of rescue was 

 that of the battleship Formidable, which was sunk 

 in the Channel on New Year's Da}-, 1915, with great 

 loss of life ; a loss which would have been much 

 heavier but for the courage and fine seamanship 

 shown by Skipper William Pillar and his crew in 

 the trawler Provident. A singular circumstance in 

 connection with this affair was the persistence with 

 which the vessel was described as the Providence ; 

 newspapers and historical works perpetuating the 

 mistake. The Provident was a typical Brixham 

 beam-trawler, owned as well as skippered by Pillar. 

 Her mate was William Carter ; John Clarke was the 



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