The Headscarf Revolutionaries: Lillian Bilocca and the Hull Triple-Trawler Disaster

In the harsh Arctic seas of 1968, three trawlers from Hull’s fleet sank in just three weeks. 58 men died. Lilian Bilocca put down her filleting knife, wrote a petition, and stormed into action. With her army of fishwives she took her battle to the docks and led a raid on Parliament. They changed the shipping laws. Lillian Bilocca became an international celebrity. The lone survivor of the tragedies made headlines too. In a tight fishing community, it’s dangerous to stand out.