From fishing trawlers to Second World War submarines, my family have a long connection with the sea

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Published: Sunday, 21 April 2024 at 09:00 AM

My great grandfather William Oliver Ross, a skipper and owner of a fishing smack, is shown here with his wife Ann (née Perfect) and their seven children. My grandfather Horace is standing at the back. The six sons all fought in the First World War.

Black and white photograph of a Victorian woman

My maternal grandmother Gertrude Hulse was born in Grimsby in 1887.

Black and white photograph of a man with a waxed moustache in Navy uniform

My paternal grandfather served in the Royal Naval Reserve in the First World War in minesweeping and anti-submarine activity.

Black and white photograph of a man in Second World War flight gear

Married to Eveline Ross, my mother’s sister, Tom George died when his bomber was shot down over Belgium in 1942.

Black and white photograph of a young man in Navy uniform

My uncle Edwin Buckingham served as a telegraphist/sonar operator on submarines during the Second World War and was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal.

Black and white photograph of a woman, two boys and a girl in Victorian clothes

My paternal grandmother Lottie Buckingham (née Gane) with her daughter Lottie and sons Harry (at the back) and Edwin.

Black and white photograph of a man with a flat cap, moustache and beard and a little boy in a sailor suit

My father Harry and his grandfather Harry Gane, who worked as a cod fisherman.

Black and white photograph of an old man with a beard and a little boy in a suit

My paternal great grandfather Samuel Buckingham was born in Myton, Hull, in 1856, and is shown here with his Irish grandfather in the early 1860s. Samuel became a skipper and owner of a fishing smack. His parents and siblings all emigrated to Australia in the 1870s.

Black and white photograph of a couple getting married in the Second World War, surrounded by their guests

My father Harry Buckingham married my mother Doris May Ross in January 1942 in Cleethorpes. Harry was in the Merchant Navy, repeatedly crossing the Atlantic between 1939 and 1942.