The Fleetwood Fishing Queen

Fleetwood Fishing Queen cut out image

The ‘Fishing Queen’ was a celebration of the Fleetwood Fishing industry and the nominated girls had a connection through their jobs or their parents’ employment to the fishing industry. The chosen girl had a Mayoral Reception at Fleetwood Town Hall (now Fleetwood Museum). She then had a tour of Fleetwood in a procession before being crowned in Memorial Park. 

The Fishing Queen would often attend events with the Lancashire Cotton Queen who represented the cotton industry in the county. The two Queens were the perfect advertisement for British working class towns. 

The six Fleetwood Fishing Queens were:

  • 1934 Anne Elvidge  
  • 1935 Kathleen Worden  
  • 1936 Kathleen Connolly 
  • 1937 Rene McAvoy 
  • 1938 Edith Nuttall 
  • 1939 Edna Minns  
Fish Queen Group 1936 photo credit D.Gillingham
Photo Credit: Fleetwood Museum
Fleetwood Fish Queen - Kathleen Connolly 1936 credit Fleetwood Museum
Photo Credit: Fleetwood Museum

In 1937 Rene McAvoy embarked on a 14-day voyage on a Fleetwood Trawler to St. Kilda Scotland, proving to many at the time that women can handle the harsh seas of the North Atlantic Ocean.  

The Fishing Queen contest ran from 1934 to 1939. It never resumed after WWII.  

The full Fishing Queen Regalia was last worn by Edna Minns whose father was a Fleetwood Councillor, after her year as Queen he stored the costume safely thoughout the war years. The family donated it to Lancashire County Council in the 1970s. It was thought lost for many years, after a dedicated search the staff traced it through the Lancashire Archives Service as it was mis-catalogued as a simple ‘fancy dress costume’   

The crowning of The Fishing Queen was often complemented by the Fish Trades Ball that took place annually at Marine Hall Theatre Fleetwood. Where people who worked in all aspects of the industry came together to celebrate the industry together.   

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