Lillian Bilocca

Lillian Bilocca (née Marshall; 26 May 1929 – 3 August 1988) was a British fisheries worker and campaigner for improved safety in the fishing fleet as leader of the "headscarf revolutionaries" – a group of fishermen's family members. Spurred into action by the Hull triple trawler tragedy of 1968 which claimed 58 lives, she led a direct action campaign to prevent undermanned trawlers from putting to sea and gathered 10,000 signatures for a petition (the Fishermen's Charter) to Harold Wilson's government to strengthen safety legislation. She threatened to picket Wilson's house if he did not take action. Government ministers later implemented all of the measures outlined in the charter.

Early life Lillian Marshall was born in 7 Welton Terrace, Wassand Street, Hessle Road, Hull on 26 May 1929 to Ernest Marshall, trawlerman and former Royal Navy engineer, and his wife, Harriet, née Chapman. She left the Daltry Street Junior School, Hull at the age of 14 and worked as a cod skinner. She married Carmelo [Charlie] Bilocca (1902–1981), a Maltese sailor who worked with the Hull-based Ellerman-Wilson Line, and later as a trawlerman. Her father, husband and son all worked at sea on the Hull fishing trawlers and Bilocca worked at an on-shore fish factory, filleting the catch.

Headscarf Revolutionaries trawler safety campaign During January and February 1968, the city was hit by the Hull triple trawler tragedy. On around 11 January, the trawler St Romanus was lost with all 20 hands in heavy winds; no knowledge was received of her loss and a search was not begun until 26 January. The Kingston Peridot was subsequently lost – probably on the night of 26/27 January – in icy winds and was reported as probably lost with all 20 hands on 30 January. Upon hearing of the loss of the second vessel, Bilocca is said to have exclaimed to her daughter that "enough is enough" and resolved to take action. The last message received by radio from her skipper, Phil Gay was "I am going over. We are laying over. Help me. I'm going over. Give my love and the crew's love to the wives and families". Ernie [Ernest] Bilocca saw the Ross Cleveland sink from the Kingston Andalusite on which he was a deckhand. Bilocca threatened to picket Prime Minister Harold Wilson's private residence if her demands were not met. A mural on Hull's Anlaby Road painted by Mark Ervine and Kev Largey depicts Bilocca and her connections with the "headscarf revolutionaries" and the triple trawler tragedy.

Lavery's book in turn inspired singer-songwriter Reg Meuross to write a song cycle titled 12 Silk Handkerchiefs, released as an album in December 2018. The song cycle was performed as a multimedia show in Hull Minster for the first time on 8 November 2018, in collaboration with local musicians Sam Martyn and Mick McGarry, with Lavery narrating and presenting a slideshow of seldom-seen images.

Maxine Peake has written a play entitled The Last Testament of Lillian Bilocca which opened in Hull in November 2017. An earlier play by Val Holmes, who grew up in Hull at the time of the tragedy, was entitled Lil. The German journal SPIEGEL presented her life story in 2020.

On 22 January 2022 a blue plaque was unveiled on Lillian Bilocca's former home, in Coltman Street, off Hessle Road in Hull.