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

Winter 1968. Three Hull trawlers sink. One fishwife vows to change the law. A powerful story of death and survival. In the harsh Arctic seas of 1968, three trawlers from Hull’s fleet sank in just three weeks. 58 men died. Lillian 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, ‘Big Lil’ became an international celebrity. The lone survivor of the tragedies made headlines too. In a tight fishing community, it’s dangerous to stand out.