With monster mania gripping
the world in early 1934, as a result of Loch Ness, it was inevitable that the
worlds press would seize any opportunity to promote similar stories, and there
would be plenty, with no continent apparently without its own version of the monster.
In early January of the year, it was the turn of the Yorkshire coast,
when several sea serpent sightings were made and circumstances suggested that an unusual predator was in the area.
There was excitement in Filey today when it was reported either that
the Loch Monster had found its way to the Yorkshire coast or that Filey had
developed a monster of its own. This morning a stroller along Filey near Scarborough
reported that had seen a huge body with numerous humps and small head a short
way out to sea. A search covering Filey Brigg and North Bay proved fruitless,
but farther north, near Gristhorpe Bay, there was more excitement when a
supposed monster was seen two hundred yards from the shore. When it was
approached, however, the long line of humps separated, and the “monster "
proved to school of large porpoises a line.
Dundee Evening Telegraph -
Wednesday 03 January 1934
In February, local fishermen had been wondering why fish had
disappeared from the Filey coast and were experiencing a poor harvest, when a
similar creature was observed at sea. One witness claimed it was bigger than a
motorboat and had a tree trunk neck,
while another described small eyes, a big head and a long raking body with two bumps on it.
Fishermen at Cleethorpes are convinced that the
monster that has been robbing their lines is a giant seal. One who claims that
he has seen it twice during the week-end describes it as looking exactly like a
seal, but says it is very big one—about eight feet long. Other fishermen who
claim to have seen it confirm this view. Whatever it is, it has a voracious
appetite, and yesterday, when a young fisherman went out to examine his lines
found they had been torn clean from the buoy to which they had been attached.
Creature That Robs Fish Lines-Hull Daily Mail,
Monday 05 February 1934
A few days later the apparent culprit was caught.
Bridlington fishermen believe they have solved the
mystery of the monster, which was reported to have been seen off the Humber and
is stated to have dragged fish off fishermen's lines as the lines were being
hauled in. The crew of the fishing coble Cutty Sark yesterday arrived at
Bridlington with a seal weighing over 16 stones and measuring nearly six feet
long. The men who caught the seal were those who were wrecked when the Premier
II went aground south of Hornsea last month. Bill Glenton, one of them, stated
“we were fishing some distance out the bay when I felt something heavy on one
the lines. The weight of whatever I had caught had taken the lines right under
the boat, and I did not know what I was pulling in. Suddenly I saw a huge head
appear at the side of the boat, and I nearly let go of the line with surprise.
First I did not know what it was, and thought of the Loch Ness monster. But
when I saw the whole of the body I realised was a large seal. With the help of
my brothers, Bob and Jack, and Collins, the other member of the crew, we
dragged the seal aboard with a gaff, and killed it”. `The arrival of the seal
at the pier caused considerable interest, and it was later sold to a
Scarborough fish buyer, and taken to Scarborough.
The Humber Monster Killed-Nottingham Evening Post,
Wednesday 07 February 1934
However not everyone was convinced that this was the case and a much
more exotic sounding creature with some similarities to a sea lion or fur seal was
described by one of the fishermen in the same article.
A Cleethorpes fisherman who says he has been
fishing here for 51 years, and that he knows seals and porpoises well enough,
refused to believe, before the news of the Bridlington catch, that the monster
that has been robbing fishermen's lines Cleethorpes is a giant seal is Mr
William Croft, and he said that what he and his two sons saw would be six or
seven feet in the water, with a head like Great Dane. He added: it appeared to
have ears and mane. Its neck was longer than a seal's, and its head was set
differently. “We saw the best part of two feet of head and neck above the
water, and it was distant only 50 yards so. I should judge the creature to be
eight feet long”.
An eight foot long, aquatic animal with ears, a mane and a dog like head
certainly suggests such an animal although none are indigenous to Europe or the
UK.
Ten days later however another potential suspect had been identified.
For a few minutes yesterday Filey people believed
that they wore being visited by a monster, but their hope for a new attraction
for the summer season were soon dashed. Mr. Titch Jenkinson, skipper of the
Filey motor boat Heather, saw what seemed to be a huge creature when he was two
miles from shore. It appeared to be resting near the Brigg. Other fishermen
also noticed it and raced towards the Brigg. When we got near it.” said
Jenkinson, “we found a huge seal, the biggest I’ve seen, resting on the rocks.
The rocks behind it gave the appearance of a long body. When we got near it the
seal dived into the water and swam away.”
Hopes of a Filey Monster Disappointed Hartlepool
Northern Daily Mail - Saturday 17 February 1934
Then in March a very British encounter with a sea serpent, seen on land,
took place at night and was apparently reported in the Daily Telegraph for the
1/3/1934. A further account can be found in The Yorkshire Evening
Post-13/3/1934. Bernard Heuvelmans included it in his seminal work; In the Wake of the Sea Serpents and gives
the name of the witness as a Mr Wilkinson Herbert, a name subsequently repeated
in all published accounts of the episode, including my own. However a review of
contemporary newspaper sources suggests it was recounted by a Mr B. Harbert, a
local Coast guard who had taken a wrong turn along the sands at Filey Brigg in
Yorkshire during the course of his duties.
Mr Harbert was returning from watch on Carr Naze, on a path near the
water’s edge, when he spied an object crawling over some black looking seaweed.
Last night I was going along Filey Sands on duty.
The rain had stopped and stars were shining. In the darkness I missed the top
path to Filey Brigg and took one near the water’s edge Near Filey Brigg rocks I
heard a growling like a dozen dogs ahead, walking nearer I switched on my torch
and was confronted by a huge neck, six yards in front of me, rearing up 8 ft.
high! The head was a startling sight- huge eyes like saucers, glaring at me,
the creatures mouth was a foot wide and neck would be a yard around. The
monster appeared as startled as I was. Shining my torch along the ground I saw
a body about 30ft. long. I thought this was no place for me and from a distance
I threw stones at the creature. It moved away growling fiercely and I saw the
huge black body had two humps on it and four short legs with huge flappers on
them. I could not see any tail. It moved quickly, rolling from side to side,
and went into the sea. From the cliff top I looked down and saw two eyes like
torchlight’s shining out to sea 300 yards away. It was a most gruesome and
thrilling experience. I have seen big animals abroad, but nothing like this.
Harberts description initially seems to
suggest a large pinniped such as a sea lion from its movement and morphology. The indigenous pinniped species of Europe however are all phocid (true seals) and have claws rather than flappers and would lurch or bounce along, not roll from side to side, again hinting at a sea lion identity.
In a further account of this encounter Harbert
stated that the head looked like a porpoise,
rather bizarre. But if this had been a mature sea lion then the development of a
sagittal crest (below), may have made the head look unfamiliar and perhaps more porpoise
like in the darkness.
Sea lion at Morrow Bay, Mike Baird
The Filey Dragon
And in fact a very long time before Mr Harbert’s encounter, no less than
a Dragon had been seen. This legend concerns a local Taylor, Billy Biter who
was walking along the cliffs one mediaeval, misty morning, when he tumbled into
a ravine that turned out to be the lair of a dragon. The dragon was about to
devour him when Billy offered a local sweet delicacy, a parkin, which the
dragon enjoyed so much, that he let him go. Billy told his wife who then set
about baking the biggest and sickliest parkin in the whole of Yorkshire, which
when offered to the dragon, caused its jaws to become stuck tight. The dragon
then flew into the sea but could not overcome the icy waves. Its bones turned
to stone and became Filey Brigg.
A truly delightful account so did Harbert feel the time was right for
another dragon? Doubtful, as apparently he received quite a bit of ribbing from
his colleagues.
Redux
Redux
At face value this account and description seems to suggest a long
necked pinniped, apparently related to the otariidae (fur seals and sea lions).
However things get slightly more complicated when we consider some of the
findings of our research, i.e. a number of sea lions such as the California sea
lion have escaped captivity or been deliberately released over the years in the
UK and Europe; perhaps this was one such errant animal.
But just to confuse the
issue even more there is another factor which needs to be considered. This is that at the time, Filey did in fact have its own resident monster
pinniped.
His name was Bonzo……
His name was Bonzo……
To be continued.
Adapted form The Seal Serpent
Adapted form The Seal Serpent
robcornes1@btinternet.com
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