FISHERMEN IN WAR TIME 



missioners grew, and to become very prominent 

 amongst them was Dr. Wilfred T. Grenfell, who, 

 after spending a long enough time in the fishing 

 fleets to qualify him to do so, took his master's 

 ticket, and soon afterwards went out to the lonely 

 Labrador to take charge of the vast desolate spaces 

 in which the Deep Sea Mission worked amongst a 

 suffering race of fisherfolk and other toilers. 



The Council of the Mission realised at an early 

 stage of the war that it would be impossible to 

 continue their work in the fleets at sea on the old 

 basis, and accordingly steps were taken by the 

 Chairman, Sir .William F. A. Archibald, to place 

 the three fine hospital steamers at the disposal of 

 the Government. With this object the Chairman 

 wrote to the Prime Minister and in due course the 

 matter was dealt with by the Admiralty, the result 

 being an intimation that for the time being there 

 was not a suitable opening for the employment of 

 the vessels. 



In these circumstances the Council continued to 

 make the best use of the steamers, but the day was 

 not distant when the Admiralty, recognising the 

 urgent need of making use of the best steam fishing 

 vessels available, requisitioned two of the Mission 

 Hospital Steamers, the third having been in the 

 meantime taken over in the most generous manner 

 by Sir Charles F. Chadwyck-Healey, as a Hospital 

 Steamer. In this capacity the fine ship, structu- 

 rally altered to fit her for her new work, did much 

 valuable service in conveying wounded troops and 



214 



