The Goole Times, Friday, 28th December 1923
CAPTAINS’ CONCERT ~ PRESENTATION TO MR G. W. WINTERBOTTOM ~ ROUSING SEA SHANTIES
There was a very pleasant gathering in the form of a captains’ smoking concert at The North Eastern Hotel, Goole, on Friday when a presentation was made on behalf of the marine superintendents, staff, captains and officers of the Goole Steam Shipping (London, Midland and Scottish Railway) Company to Mr G. W. Winterbottom, O.B.E., on the occasion of his retirement from the position of steamship manager at Goole. The presentation took the shape of an oxidised silver curb set, tidy, coal vase, and screen, of simple but effective design. There was a large and representative gathering and a very pleasant evening was spent, a capital programme, including a number of sea shanties, having been arranged by Mr C. R. Ingleby.
Commander W. B. Clementson occupied the chair, and among those present were Capt Prentice, Capt Arnold, Capt E. Cook, Messrs C. Reed, B. Davies, A. E. Smith, C. R. Townend, G. Temple, J. W. Thrall, F. Cameron, J. Gibson, C. F. Marshall, A. W. Atkinson, P. H. Earnshaw, W. Bleasdale, A. Townend, T. Fearnhead, W. Collier, A. Haigh, W. H. Waite, J. W. Mapplebeck, Captains C. Sherwood, Spink, A. Harrison, R. Ward, J. Siddall, W. Aaron, J. W. Walker, P. Jones, H. Sherwood, Messrs W. H. Aaron, T. Flower, C. E. Harrison, E. Gleadhill, H. J. Austin, E. E. Mowbray, Stanley Hughes, Orr, Range, P. Fitzgerald, A. S. M. Hutchinson, W. Hepworth, H. Boyes, and others.
At the outset the chairman said they were there that evening to pay tribute of respect to a kindly and courteous gentleman. His departure was a matter of general regret in the port of Goole, and he would leave a host of friends behind. {Hear, hear}
Captain Prentice, in proposing the toast of their guest, said Mr Winterbottom had been in Goole for upwards of 18 years, and during that period he had steered the ship through many changes and phases. That period included the war years, and those years introduced many difficulties. But his judgement, sound sense, broad mind, and broad shoulders had safely carried them through all.
Mr Winterbottom had also taken a great interest in local affairs. Among other movements he had taken an active part in the Boy Scouts. Mrs Winterbottom, too, had shown herself a faithful and hearty worker in many causes. Goole would be worse of for their departure, and it would be difficult to replace them. They all hoped that both would live long and enjoy good health for their well-earned retirement. {Applause}
The toast was heartily accorded, three cheers being given for Mr and Mrs Winterbottom.
The presentation was made by Capt Cook on behalf of the marine superintendent, staff, captains and officers. During the time Mr Winterbottom had been in Goole, said Capt Cook, he had treated them all in a very fair, straight and honest manner. They very much appreciated this, and because of their appreciation they were there that evening to show their respect and to make that presentation. He had very great pleasure in handing to Mr Winterbottom these little gifts and he hoped, as they all hoped, that he would enjoy contentment and happiness in his retirement. {Applause}
Mr Winterbottom, who was cordially received, said that 19 years ago he came amongst them a perfect stranger, and he was proud to think that in leaving the town he should be leaving many friends behind him. During those years there had been many changes, and he believed there were only three of the present captains who were captains then; Capts Arnold, Prentice, and Cook. His association with the Goole Steam Shipping Company had been very pleasant. Referring to the war years, Mr Winterbottom said he really did not know how he should have carried on without the sympathy, kindness, and good feeling of the captains. Having been associated with the commercial life of the port during those years, he had learnt to appreciate its importance, and he always drove home the fact whenever he could that it was the most important place in the world. {Hear, hear}. He had tried to uphold the dignity and importance of the port. No one could say what was in store for Goole. He had not the slightest doubt that it would go ahead. The London, Midland and Scottish Railway Company, with all its ramifications, would take care that it was not behind Hull. He thanked them most heartily for their generous gifts, which he and his wife would look upon with pleasure and pride.
Mr C. Reed proposed “The Chairman,” remarking that Commander Clementson was one of the first friends he made in Goole when he came up from the “benighted south.” They had had that evening a very genial chairman who had carried out the three duties of his chair; to “stand up, speak up, and shut up.” {Laughter}
As stated, a splendid programme had been arranged by Mr C. R. Ingleby, with the hearty assistance of the Goole Glee Singers. These shanties, joined in with gusto by the captains, were a conspicuous and delightful feature of the evening’s entertainment. The poet of the port – whoever he may be – had improved the occasion by adding verses with pointed local allusions to some of these shanties. Most of the shanties go with a rare swing, and the captains gave very impressive demonstrations of how to give it voice.
The Goole Steam Shipping poet is a bit of a prophet, as all true poets are, and this is what he anticipates :-
In nineteen hundred and twenty-five, In nineteen hundred and ninety-nine,
We hope the railway will contrive The stream might flow in a straighter line
To make Goole like a busy hive If walls are built, won’t this be fine
And find work for the railway, the railway. For ships that sail the Humber, the
Oh, we’re hopeful for the railway, Humber.
Here’s a health to a splendid railway. Oh, for water deep the captains pray,
Oh, their dreams may come true some day.
With the Goole Glee Singers, under the direction of Mr Will Clarke, contributing the major portion of the programme, with wonderful accompaniment played with sympathy and fine touch by Mr Farnill Clayton, it is almost superfluous to say that it was wholly delightful. Mr Will Clarke himself contributed with The Song of the Volga Boatmen, his rendering so remarkably good that there was whole-hearted demand for it to be sung again.
The violin solos given by Mr Herbert D. Moore made a powerful appeal, as well they might, for he played with rare skill and marked purity of tone. He was recalled each time, and on one occasion had to respond twice.
Capt Spink, one of the school of old “sea dogs,” who makes a point of being at these gatherings and joining in lustily in the sea shanties, contributed a couple of songs to the programme. One of these told of the advantages of a voyage on the canal to Leeds, and how, when the need for the vessel to be “all out,” the “engineer” cried from the bank that the horse was doing his best.” Capt Spink was heartily applauded for his contribution.
At the close the chairman expressed thanks to Mr C. R. Ingleby for his excellent work in arranging the concert, and to the glee singers, Mr Farnill Clayton, and Mr H. D. Moore for their valuable assistance.
The Goole Times, Friday, 28th May 1937
LATE STEAMSHIP MANAGER
NEARLY TWENTY YEARS’ WORK IN GOOLE
We regret to record the death of Mr George William Winterbottom, O.B.E., manager of the L.M.S. Steamship Company at Goole for nearly twenty years. Mr Winterbottom died on Friday at his home in Southport at the age of 74 after an illness of three weeks.
Mr Winterbottom retired from Goole thirteen years ago, and during his long residence in the town, from 1905 to 1924, he was prominently identified with many sides of public life. He was area commissioner for the Boy Scout movement and president of the local branch of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution. He was awarded the O.B.E. for services rendered during the War. He leaves a widow.
He entered the service of the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway Company in April 1877, at the goods station at Bury. He was subsequently transferred to the district goods superintendent’s office at Bury, and in 1878 he removed to Manchester to take up a post in the office of the chief traffic manager, where he remained for several years. He was then transferred to the chief engineer’s office and for sixteen years occupied the position of chief clerk to the chief civil engineer.
In 1904, when the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway Company obtained powers for steamship services to the continent, Mr Winterbottom was selected for the position of assistant steamship manager at Goole, and commenced work here in January 1905, when the railway company took over the old Goole Steam Shipping Company’s business, and in 1908 he was appointed steamship manager at Goole.
In the same year he was elected as one of the three Goole Shipowners’ representatives on the Humber Conservancy Board, and for the last four years before his retirement he held the position of deputy chairman of the Board.
At Goole, Mr Winterbottom was the first vice-chairman of the Goole Parochial council, and was president of the Goole branch of the Boy Scouts’ Association, an organisation in which he always took a keen and energetic interest.
When Mr Winterbottom retired he was the recipient of many gifts from various bodies with which he had been associated; the Boy Scouts’ Association, the marine staff of the L.M.S. Co., and the Goole Steam Shipping clerical staff. All paid tributes to Mr Winterbottom’s work in Goole. The presentations were marked by remarkably high tributes, which were paid by Goole gentlemen engaged in the activities of the port, and all of them deeply regretted Mr Winterbottom’s retirement. At that time, he said, in reply to the tributes paid to him, that his work had been his hobby, and that he would never forget his staff, many of whom he had engaged when they were boys. He added that he saw a lot of possibilities in Goole.
After Mr Winterbottom retired to Southport he acted as secretary and treasurer to the Sunshine Home for Blind Babies, at Birkdale. He also became interested in the Merseyside Mission for Seamen.
The funeral took place at Southport on Monday. A service at Emmanuel Church, where he had been a worshipper and official for many years, was followed by interment at Duke Street Cemetery.