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A GROUP of ex-Hull trawlermen have appealed to thieves to return a six-foot high statue dedicated to the memory of the thousands of fishermen from the city who have died at sea over the past 100 years.
The bronze monument sculpted in the shape of a lone male figure weighs about 300 kilogramms - or over 20 stones - and stood on a large plinth. Local police think it may have been taken because the thieves believe it has scrap metal value.
But to the fishermen who used to sail out of Hull it means far more than that. The statue was commissioned to celebrate the links between Hull and Iceland, and in particular the Icelandic port and community of Vik. But it was also seen as a memorial to all those fishermen who perished at sea and have no known grave.
A spokesman for the Hull-based British Fishermen's Association said the statue meant a lot to his members.
He said: "I just hope the thieves have some conscience and return the statue undamaged. More than 6,000 men from this port gave their lives through fishing and to us it is the next best thing to having a grave. The people of Hull and Iceland are closely linked together and this momument is priceless to us."
Hull's Lord Mayor Colin Inglis called the theft "an assault upon the traditions and culture of this city". He said that on many occasions Hull trawlermen were rescued by the people of Vik and given food and shelter when the trawlers got in trouble. Police are hoping that the statue may be too large and too well known to hide or sell on.
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