Margaret Innes Hughes (nee Reid)

Margaret Hughes was born on November 7, 1921 in Buckie, Scotland. Her father came from a long line of fishermen and her mum was a stay-at-home mum as most women were at the time.

In 1937 at 16 years old she began gutting herring. She followed the fleet around the country with another gutter and a packer. Her job involved walking a mile in the dark first thing in the morning to gut the herrings as they had to be landed fresh and gutted quickly. She would regularly cut her fingers as she was working as fast as possible, because of this she would go to work with her fingers already bandaged to minimise new injuries and protect old ones from the salt. Because of her job she always smelled of fish and to make up for it she was only given sixpence per barrel, the equivalent of 2.5p today.

She met her husband, a fisherman, through her work. She was almost never married to him as his mum told him lies about Margaret, causing him to call off the engagement. He ended up on a boat with the Navy, and luckily for Margaret, her dad happened to be on the boat. Her dad explained to him that it was all lies and she was broken-hearted. They got back together immediately and married in 1942. Once married, they moved to Cellardyke and Margaret retired.

Her husband died at 66 years old, when Margaret was 59. Prior to her husband’s death she had mainly stayed at as most fishermen’s wives days revolved around waiting for their husbands to come home. Margaret was an active member of the community until her death, being a part of the Burgh Guild, British Legion, Sunshine Club and the church guild.

Margaret died on January 8, 2007.

                               

Research by Sophie Palmer                    

Photo of Sheila, daughter of Margaret, and her husband John Taylor by Adryan Firnhaber