FISHERMEN IN WAR TIME 



ences and a spell in hospital. News of his return 

 reached Fraserburgh, and, rightly enough, the 

 proud townspeople determined to do him honour. It 

 was arranged that the Town Council and the magis- 

 trates, supported by the local volunteers, should at- 

 tend at the railway station and welcome the hero; 

 but the gallant skipper heard of these unwanted 

 honours and outwitted the promoters as completely 

 as he had got the better of the enemy cruisers. He 

 so arranged things that he reached Fraserburgh by 

 the last train, arriving on a dark November night, 

 and as no one knew of his arrival, he got home un- 

 noticed and unrecognised. Soon after his arrival 

 his wife presented him with a son and heir, and this 

 the V.C. hero declared to be the greatest honour 

 that had been conferred upon him. Skipper Watt 

 received his Victoria Cross from the King at Buck- 

 ingham Palace on April 6, 1918. 



During a visit to England Skipper Woodgate, of 

 the Koorah, gave an insight into the sort of work 

 that the trawlers had done in the Dardanelles. 

 " When we were up in the Dardanelles," he said, 

 " there was what we call three groups — one, two and 

 three — and each group had to go up, one at a time. 

 The vessel I was in belonged to the second group. 

 The night we were going to make the final dash in 

 the Dardanelles, up to the Narrows, we went, no 

 lights up, everything covered in. They let us get 

 right up to the Narrows, and as we turned round to 

 take our sweeps up, one of our number was blown 

 up. Then they peppered us from each side, from 



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