FTX-134 - I WISH THEY'D DO IT NOW

TOM BROWN -2-

In the 2nd of his 2 albums, Tom BROWN of Caister, continues with the stories and songs of the East Anglian fishermen. He is also joined by his wife, Bertha, who worked as a "doffer" in Belfast, and together they sing a HIRING FAIR SONG. There are some traditional songs, like THE FEMALE DRUMMER, WINDY OLD WEATHER, THE MAID OF AUSTRAIA, BUTTER AND CHEESE AND ALL and I WISH THEY'D DO IT NOW as well as local composition, THE CAISTER LIFEBOAT DISASTER. He tells of life on the herring boats, the Australian run, as well as giving the background.

1. Song: THE CAISTER LIFEBOAT DISASTER, 1901 (by Ken Saul): Pt 1 - 2.45

2. Talk about the life-boat today, 1901 disaster, the village motto, "Never Turn Back" and about the song - 2.42

3. THE CAISTER LIFE-BOAT DISASTER, 1901 - last part of song - 1.27

4. Talk about Caister village & local family nick-names - 1.50

5. Song: I WISH THEY'D DO IT NOW - 3.34

6. Talk: meeting his wife. Bertha talks about her work as a doffer in Belfast and next song - 2.29

7. THE DOFFIN MISTRESS sung by Bertha with Tom in chorus - 2.37

8. Further talk by Bertha about wet-spinning and about previous item - 0.25

9. Talk by Bertha about next item - 0.17

10.Duet Song: MAGHERAFELT HIRING FAIR (or TOM BOY) - 3.20

11.Talk by Tom about his family, learning songs from mother & next song - 0.35

12.THE FEMALE DRUMMER sung by Bertha & Tom (learned from his mother) - 5.30

13. Talk by Tom about going to sea in a herring drifter and next song - 0.35

14. Song: WINDY OLD WEATHER - 2.35

15. Talk about his first ship, cook's job, Australian run, bosun Peggy - 5.40

16. Song: THE MAID OF AUSTRALIA - 4.35

17. Talk about coming home, work as net-stower, wage shearing, rigging-out,oil- skins, net-hauling, basket-filling, hawser-men, whaler-men and yunkers, getting 'rug out', berth with a Winterton skipper and song - 7.00

18. Song: BUTTER AND CHEESE AND ALL - 3.00

19. Talk about singing in pubs, "Sing, say or pay", singing on boats, teetotal father, last time he saw him, "tearjerkers" and his grandfather's song - 2.05

20. Song: THE GREAT MEAT PIE - 2.50

Recorded by Peter Kennedy at Soundpost Studios on the 25th March 1979, with special thanks from Peter to Roy Harris for introducing Tom to him. Edited by Peter Kennedy and first published on Folktrax Cassettes 1979.

Known locally as "Jack Whampoo's boy, Tom", Thomas Harold William BROWN was born at Caister-on-sea, near Yarmouth, on 11th March, 1919. His father, Jack, was a fisherman with a skipper's ticket, and both his grandfathers were also skippers. His father lost his life in 1941 when the steam-drifter, "Helpmate", was blown up by a mine. His mother, Nellie Crane, was from Caister and Tom was the youngest of 4 children (2 boys and 2 girls). After school in Caister, at 14, he went on the steam-drifters, and, at 15, found himself on the Australian run as a deck-boy in the Merchant Service on S.S. "Port Caroline". The round trip then took 9 months.

1934, he was home fishing again as a net-stower, and in 1939 as a whaler-man. During the war he served as a rigger, a leading hand-wire splicer, in the Royal Naval Supplementary Reserve. After the war, with his mother left on her own, he left the sea and worked for the Midland and Great Northern Railway at Stalham finishing up as a guard. When the line was closed he found work at Worksop in Nottinghamshire and it was here that he first attended a folk club and found himself in demand as a folksinger. This rediscovered interest he claims has lifted him "out of the doldrums" and Tom expresses his gratitude to all the Nottingham club members who have accepted him amongst them.

Tom's wife, Bertha Elizabeth WALLACE, born 12th September 1923, Mackey Street, N. Belfast (known as "Tiger Bay") and went to Hillman Street School. On reaching 14 on a Sunday she was at work on the Monday at the Jennymount Spinning Mills. After a week she was a doffer and at 16 a doffin mistress. She met Tom in Belfast and they were married in 1948.