Dora Walker (1890–1980) was a British woman who became the first female fishing boat skipper on the north East coast. She became an author writing her memoirs and also history and tales of the fishing community in

Whitby Whitby is a seaside town, port and civil parish in the Scarborough borough of North Yorkshire, England. Situated on the east coast of Yorkshire at the mouth of the River Esk, Whitby has a maritime, mineral and tourist heritage. Its East Clif ...

and the North East Coast.

Early life and family

Dora Muriel Walker was born to John Ely and Mary Elizabeth Walker, a textile manufacturing family in

Mirfield Mirfield () is a town and civil parish in Kirklees, West Yorkshire, England. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, it is on the A644 road between Brighouse and Dewsbury. At the 2011 census it had a population of 19,563. Mirfield ...

, Yorkshire. Her father was a blanket manufacturer, she was one of a large family, including brother Sir Ronald Walker, sisters artist Hilda and Kathleen – who became secretary to Ramsay MacDonald. She was the sister of Eric Walker (RAF officer) and of artist Hilda Annetta Walker, the aunt of Yorkshire artist Marie Walker Last, and the great-great aunt of

James Northcote James Northcote (22 October 1746, in Plymouth – 13 July 1831, in London) was a British painter. Life and work Northcote was born in Plymouth, and was apprenticed to his father, Samuel Northcote, a watchmaker. In his spare time, he drew a ...

Career

World War I years

At the outbreak of war in 1914, she joined the

British Red Cross The British Red Cross Society is the United Kingdom body of the worldwide neutral and impartial humanitarian network the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. The society was formed in 1870, and is a registered charity with more ...

but as they were not prepared to allow V.A.D's

Voluntary Aid Detachment The Voluntary Aid Detachment (VAD) was a voluntary unit of civilians providing nursing care for military personnel in the United Kingdom and various other countries in the British Empire. The most important periods of operation for these units we ...

to nurse behind the front line she applied to join a Belgian Hospital run by Dr

Antoine Depage Dr. Antoine Depage (Watermael-Boitsfort, 28 November 1862 – The Hague, 10 June 1925), was the Belgian royal surgeon, the founder and president of the Belgian Red Cross, and one of the founders of Scouting in Belgium.John S. Wilson (1959), Sc ...

and was accepted – working alongside

Elisabeth of Bavaria, Queen of the Belgians Elisabeth of Bavaria (Elisabeth Gabriele Valérie Marie; 25 July 187623 November 1965) was Queen of the Belgians from 23 December 1909 to 17 February 1934 as the spouse of King Albert I, and a duchess in Bavaria by birth. She was the mother o ...

. From a traditional, privileged and protected background she had left Yorkshire with a gift of an ambulance from her family. She later transferred to the Duchess of Sutherland Hospital founded and run by

Millicent Leveson-Gower, Duchess of Sutherland Millicent Sutherland-Leveson-Gower, The Duchess of Sutherland RRC (née Lady Millicent Fanny St. Clair-Erskine, 20 October 1867 – 20 August 1955) was a British society hostess, social reformer, author, editor, journalist, and playwright, ...

in Calais on her return to Yorkshire she set up a boys' and men's club in Dewsbury

Whitby – seafaring and fishing

After the war, Walker suffered from bronchial problems and was recommended by her doctors to seek some sea air. She bought a cottage in

where she became interested in the fishing, going out with Bobby Harland a local fisherman with her brother James. She had her own boat (''Good Faith'') built and fished as Skipper with Laurie Murfield as her crew who despite the adverse reaction of his fellow Whitby fisherman came to respect and admire her capabilities. Adept in handing long lines and crab pots and with fine navigational skills she became known as Skipper Dora and was accepted and respected in the fishing community. She fished through

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

with a pistol in her belt and aided many rescues at sea with the life boat and others. After WW2, she created a fish company with her brothers James and Ronald to buy fish from the local fisherman at a reasonable price often selling at a loss – to assist the struggling families without loss of pride – this was kept secret until her death in 1980. At the end of her fishing career she gave Murfield and his son her boat, ''Good Faith''. She became the Honorary Keeper of the Whitby Museum in 1953 until her death and was also President of the Whitby Women's Lifeboat Guild. She wrote several books including ''With the Lost Generation 1915-1919'', ''Freeman of the Sea'', and ''They Labour Mightily''. Many of her ship models were bequeathed to the Whitby Museum and can be seen on display in the Shipping Wing. An exhibition of her life is planned in May 2019 at the Whitby Museum.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Walker, Dora People from Mirfield 1890 births 1980 deaths