Names Of Lifeboatmen....

A Memory of Sheringham.

The gentleman laying on the ground in the front is my great grandfather John 'Teapot' West.  He was a fisherman and lifeboatman but also well known for being a 'Fisherman Evangelist'.  Together with William Craske and William Long he was a Methodist Preacher for over 50 years.  They travelled throughout the county preaching and after visitors heard them they appeared at rallies in such places as London, Birmingham and Liverpool.  These fishermen/lifeboatmen were strong, brave and somewhat exceptional men.  There is a phrase used which I think fits them beautifully - 'Iron Men in Wooden Boats'.
Pictured from left:
1. Henry 'Joyful' West
2. Wilson Able (with pipe)
3. Grice (in the background - unsure of Christian name)
4. 'Brighams' Bishop
5. 'Joyful' West (father of Henry - No 1)
6. John 'Sparrow' Hardingham (Young Lad)
7. John 'Rook' Reynolds
8. 'Potter' Hardingham (leaning on boat - father of John - No 6)
9. 'Fiddy' West (seated)
10. John 'Teapot' West (laying on ground).
Fishermen nearly all had nicknames.  In the days when this photograph was taken the fishing community here was huge - hundreds of fishermen on the beach and scores of boats.  Fishing was a family tradition and sons followed their fathers and grandfathers for generations in going to sea, families were large and a lot of the community was related in some way.  This resulted in men sharing the same names - both surnames & christian names (for example my great grandfather John pictured here had a son, my grandfather, who was also called John and he in turn named one of his sons, my uncle, John!).  So you can see that this lead to some confusion when all of these men would have been working together on an overcrowded beach!  Fishing was a dangerous occupation and it was important that when you called to someone the person you were talking to responded - not half the beach!!  Therefore they all had nicknames to differentiate them from other men with the same name.  I do not know the history of all the individual nicknames some are obvious such as 'Squinter' or 'Red Eye'.  I do however know the history behind why my great grandfather was called 'Teapot'.  He rescued a pilot who had crashed in the North Sea and brought him home in his fishing boat.  In return for saving his life the pilot and his wife gave great grandfather a silver teapot.