What can be done

To inspire your researches, you may like to see John Clifford's detailed study of his Grimsby seafaring family, which links family history and maritime records to the historical context. Grimsby Fishermen at Work and War

It is the story of James Clifford, who left Derby aged 15 in 1894 and became a ‘fisherlad’ apprentice in Grimsby. Read about life at sea, the local girl James married and their family, the streets they lived in, the trawlers he skippered and the growing international fears that they would have shared through both world wars as well as the difficult economic conditions of the 1920s and '30s. The story includes the parallel life in the Royal Navy of James’s brother Charles, including his wartime service in the North Sea.

The study is hosted on Trevor Hallifax's site, Deep Sea Trawlers, which aims to catalogue every trawler ever based in Grimsby with details of their owners and significant events in their years of service.