(1890-1980)
West Cliff, near sunken garden, Whitby
Originally working as a nurse in World War 1, after suffering bronchial problems, doctors advised Dora to seek sea air to help. So, she bought a cottage in Whitby, where her new found passion for fishing thrived. During WW2, Dora fished, fine-tuned her navigational skills and was adept at handling long lines and crab pots. She qualified as a skipper and acted as a pilot for boats through the dangerous minefields. Despite the initial scepticism of her fellow fisher folk, Dora quickly proved she was a skilled and talented worker and became affectionately known as Skipper Dora.
Dora’s impressive catches often made it to local and national newspapers and, along with her brother James, were renowned for their ability to catch Atlantic bluefin tuna (known as ‘tunny’), believed to be one of the strongest fish in the sea. However, the popularity of tunny fishing dropped off dramatically during the Second World War, and the practice eventually led to a significant reduction in local herring and mackerel stocks, resulting in the disappearance of blue fin tuna from the coastal waters.
After the war, Dora and her brothers James and Ronald created a fish company to buy fish from local fishermen at a reasonable price and sell it at a loss to assist struggling families without them suffering a loss of pride, an act which saved much of the town from poverty in difficult times. This was a secret kept until she died in 1980. She was also heralded for her rescue efforts and joined other fisher folk in relentless aid missions when boats ran into trouble at sea.
During her lifetime she wrote three books, one about her experiences in WW1 and two about fishing in Whitby: They Labour Mightily and Freemen of the Sea.
Skipper Dora stands as one of the sculptures of Whitby’s Walk with Heritage trail. Artist Emma Stothard features, get this, 6 females out of 9 sculptures! The other women sculptures are representative of women, so not named, but they deserve a space here. Enjoy!
WomenstatuesUK 