Scarboroughs oldest skipper - Thomas Normandale

Scarborough's oldest trawler skipper, Mr Thomas Normandale, passed away at his home, 3 Paradise Row, on Monday evening in his 84 year.

A native of the town had been a master since 18 years of age and was for 32 years oin the employ of the late Mr Alderson Smith. He retired 25 years ago last week.

Mr Normandale commenced his seafaring career in the old sailing smacks, later of course commanding a number of the present steam type of trawler. His earlier vessels included "Star of the East" and "Violet," while his last command was the "Seal". This veseel (owned by Mr Alderson Smith) he took to Iceland in 1901, the year after she was built. It was while skipper of the "Seal" that Mr Normandale fell down a bunker and received injuries which incapacitated him for over twenty weeks.

FIRST TO USE THE OTTER TRAWL He was among the first fishermen to use the Otter trawl net, having one in action before they were in general use.

The late Mr Normandale was well known and highly respected among the local fishing fraternity and also at Grimsby and Aberdeen, from where he frequently fished.

Mrs Normandale died shortly after the war.

One son is left, Mr William Normandale, skipper of the trawler Nordale. A younger son was on board the Strathorn when she was blown up by a mine in 1919 with the loss of all hands. There is one daughter residing in America.

OTHER ARTICLES
• The Beam trawl and the Otter trawl
• The 200 year history of scarboroughs RNLI
• The national RNLI and the Scarborough lifeboat of 1861.
• A sea shanty about a storm on the Scarborough coast
• Three Scarborough trawlers sunk by mines in 1920
• The history of the Scarborough fishing industry
• Thomas Crimlisk - First of the Crimlisks
• Tommy Rowley - stories about loss of life at sea
• Scarborough Steam Trawler Owners
• Scarboroughs Old Town and its connection to the sea
• Harwood Brierleys description of Scarborough harbour at the opening of the 20th century
• The loss of the Scarborough trawler Heritage in 1993
• The early years of the Scarborough Lifeboat
• Shipbuilding at Scarborough - the wooden barques and schooners
• The port of Scarborough in the late 15th Century
• Scarboroughs Heyday of Inns,smuggling and illicit stills
• Scarboroughs Lifeboat - the huge storms of October 28th 1880
• Life in the Old Town of Scarborough and harbour - the fishing families
• The U-Boat campaign in the First World War

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