Billy Doe, Harbour Master

Billy Doe rowing launch in harbour: photo, Janet Hopkins

The big effort was when they used to go across to Lymington, seagull egging.  When there was a marsh over there, there used to be trillions of the things, black headed gulls, and they used to sell them as plovers’ eggs – that’s what they called them.    The Harbour Master when I was small, was Billy Doe.  When he retired the Harbour Commissioners gave him a launch, about eighteen foot.
The Commissioners gave that to Billy so he didn’t have to row across to go egging, because he used to go across egging as well.  The launch had a little Lister diesel.
The season of the year to collect seagulls eggs was about April on.
I can remember going across with grandfather. All the marsh was separated by little streams and the old fellows all had their own little bit; they used to bang a stake in with their name on. They all had some agreement with all the old fellows from around there and the first thing they did – the first day you went over – was to break all the eggs.
You broke all the eggs you could see, and went back a couple of days later and they’d pretty much be fresh. Alec Cokes b 1945