KEEPING THE TRADE ROUTES CLEAR 



British fishermen of all sorts on the North Sea were 

 carrying on their varied work. 



Heavy losses were sustained, apart from the casu- 

 alties of war. On January 25, 1917, three British 

 trawlers and a smack were lost, the smack being the 

 Ethel, of Ramsgate, and the trawlers the Lucy, the 

 Gladys, and the Star of the Sea. When the crews of 

 the trawlers were landed they stated that they had 

 been in open boats for seventeen hours. 



During the whole of that time these fishermen 

 had suffered intensely from exposure, but happily, 

 in their cases, as in all instances like them, help and 

 comfort were at hand as soon as they reached haven. 

 As a rule plenty of clothing, food, fire and rest were 

 available ; and when supplies ran short there were 

 always fellow-fishermen ashore who took off their 

 own boots and some of their clothing and lent them 

 to the sufferers who had come in from the bitter sea 

 after prolonged exposure. 



Survivors remained ashore only long enough to 

 pull round, then, at the call of duty and the need 

 of making a living, they found fresh ships and went 

 back to sea. 



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