Meeting People ( boat crews )

by Keith Rogers

Over the years, 'President' has attracted visitors who have a story to tell of their own and family's connection with the canals in their true commercial days. It is particularly interesting when that connection is with the Fellows, Morton and Clayton fleet. Who can forget Mrs Sarah Poole, daughter of James Woodfield – ‘President's first captain, with the commissioning photograph of ‘President’ under her arm, at the Nelson public house towards the end of the 1991 fly run.

On Saturday 9th April there was a working party at the museum attending to the bottom of ‘President’ – cleaning out mud, tightening bolts, painting, reloading ballast etc.. A lady and one of her grandchildren, stood watching us with clearly real interest. So, putting on my PR hat, I went to tell her what we were doing. No such explanation was needed – I wish she had stopped my PR efforts a little earlier – for this lady has first class FMC credentials and said - “I know”. And so we met Mrs Margaret Moore, now of Bartley Green. All being well our history researcher / archivist, Richard Thomas, will be able to visit Mrs Moore early next year to add some considerable human interest to the FMC story.
For now, a few snippets from our conversation:

• Her maternal grandfather was Joseph Green – Captain of ‘Daffodil’ Also captain of ex-steamers ‘Admiral’, ‘Prince’ and ‘Vanguard’. Her other grandfather was Jacob Ball - Captain of ‘Cactus’ and ‘Baron’
• A nice family connection was that the engine from Daffodil was transferred to Cactus.
• ‘Cactus's’ butty was ‘Ena’
• Joseph Green fathered 23 children. His first wife, who sadly drowned in a lock, bore him 8 children.
  Within 12 month he had re-married and his second wife bore him 15 children. She was all of 4' 10” tall.
  To keep the right side of the inspector the children would be hidden, and 'rented' out. Other boatowners would pay for the use of the children. The boys would operate locks.
• Mrs Moore, at seven years of age, had her own windlass, and helped with the locks.
• The children would get quite grubby, particularly from the lock mechanisms so, once a week, they would get a hot bath behind the engine. Their hair would be washed with DERBAX soap. A black coloured concoction that put paid to any nits that might be around.
• In between times it would be some water in a bowl from the painted cans. Mrs Moore said that the BBC, in the late fifties or early sixties, made a film about canal boats in which her granddad had appeared. Despite much effort the family has been unable to find any trace of it.
• Mrs Moore, as a girl, left the boats to live in Braunston where she would receive a proper education.
  This year ( 2005 ) she visited the Braunston Boat Show and saw a tremendous change from when she knew it, both the boatyard/depot and the surrounding area.

Richard has contributed some superb historical material to this edition. Maybe in the next one we shall see the full “Mrs Moore” story. I told Mrs Moore that when Richard calls to talk to her he will be bringing a large chocolate cake.

[ winter 2005 ]