Thyge Andersen Enevoldsen: The Story of Thyge Andersen Enevoldsen

Thyge Andersen Enevoldsen was born at Sonder Lyngvig, Holmsland Klit, on the west coast of the Jutland penninsula in 1868. The Holmsland Klit is a 35 km long, 1-2km wide transgressive coastal barrier which separates the highly dynamic North Sea from the large Ringkøbing Fjord. Along most of the west coast, there are long, wide beaches with fine, white sand and expansive dune areas. The sea can be rough. and threatening. Agriculture, fishing and oyster catching formed the principal sources of income for the Holmsland inhabitants.

Thyge's parents were Enevold Thygesen (14.09.1827-09.02.1922) and Mariane Iversen (Frich) (22.12.1828-04.04.1919).

Shortly after Enevold and Mariane were married in circa 1848, Enevold served as a soldier and was called up to serve on one of the Navy gunboats in the First Schleswig War. The war lasted from 1848 to 1851. The war ultimately resulted in a Danish victory and it is believed that Enevold fought with great bravery at the Battle of Fredericia in 1949. During the period of the war Mariane moved to live with her Uncle, Christen Johansen Frich at Sonder Lyngvig. It was here that Mariane gave birth to their first child, Ane Christine. After the war Enevold returned home and was able to afford the purchase of a small plot of heath on the holmsland. perhaps with money awarded to him as a reward for his services in the war.

Battle of Fredericia 1849

It is not known if Enevold also served in the Danish Army in 1864 during the period of the Second Schleswig War but at age 37 it is possible that he was once again called up to serve his country.

With the conflict with Prussia now resolved, Enevold was able to concentrate his attentions on family life and to earning a living from his newly purchased estate. By the time Thyge Andersen came along he was the youngest of 11 children born to Enevold and Mariane. Known siblings of Thyge are, Anne Christine, Kirsten, Iver Nielsen, Christen Frich, twins Ane Margrethe and Thygemine. Christen Jensen was born after Thyge.

Danish soldiers returning to Copenhagen - 1849, by Otto Bache

Thyge Andersen Enevoldsen's Birthplace

Life for the family was incredibly hard and it was a constant battle to survive in what was a very challenging environment. The family existed on the poverty line and living conditions were extremely tough. When the Danish Painter Carl Jensen stayed with Enevold Thygesen he documented a converstaion that the two of them had about what it was like to live on the Klit.

"Money owned we do not,"explained Enevold. "Often we have both starved and freezed. Confined by the bad weather for some time, we had nothing to eat or burn. So we stayed in our beds for days, hoping that the storm would lie down, so we could come back at sea and provide little fish".

Enevold also told Carl Jensen about the war in 1848-50, when he had served aboard Navy ships and, among others helped in several skirmishes. To read the full account go to Carl Jensen, Danish Painter - Transcript

So it is not suprising that we learn that at the age of 14 years of age Thyge left his family home in search of adventure and the possibility of building a more prosperous life for himself. It is believed it was his intention to travel to Newfoundland. Sailing with his brother Christen Frich Enevoldsen, he arrived in England around 1882. Christen could not settle and very quickly returned home to Denmark leaving young Thyge to fend for himself. Christen is buried in the cemetary of Norre Lyngvig Kirke.

One presumes that Thyge would not have been able to speak English when he first arrived in England and one can only imagine the trials and tribulations he must have faced as a young boy settling into in a strange and foreign country. What must life have been like for my young Grandfather?

He settled in Hull and became an apprentice on the fishing smacks that sailed from Hull. He served his time learning his trade on sailing smacks and possibly later on early steam trawlers. Through careful research it has been possible to gain a valuable insight into Thyge's early years working in the fishing industry. We know that in July 1884 he served as an Apprentice on the Uranus (H903) a fishing smack owned by a John Holmes. By 1890 he was serving on the Marquis of Lorne as a Third Hand and by 1894, at the young age of 26 years, he was serving as Skipper of the Sir Albert Rollitt which was owned by a Richard Simpson. Early in 1896 he joined up with John McCann and others in a venture that was ultimately to lead to the formation of the Yorkshire Steam Trawling Company. Thyge became the Skipper of their first vessel, s.t. "Cuckoo" in which he had 8/64ths share. The Cuckoo was 103 feet long and she fished the North Sea, West Coast, the Faroe Islands and in the summer Iceland. The bunkers held 60 tons of coal so to get to Iceland and back she had 10 tons of coal on deck. She picked up additional supplies at Long Hope on the outward journey and again on the way home. The success of the Cuckoo led to the building of the Lord Charles Beresford, 105 ft long, in 1897 and the Yorkshire, 115 ft long, in 1898. In 1900, the 125 ft long Oliver Cromwell was built. With 8 vessells now in the fleet, the Yorkshire Steam Trawling Company was formed in 1901.

Here is an extract from Thyge's log written in 1896;

Note written in log

McCann first ship built at ?????? yard
To take ‘Cuckoo” which was just about ready for sea but got delayed with her engines did not go to sea before the 23/2/96.

When I informed Mr John Walton that I was going to leave him he became furious and prophesied that I should lose my bit of money before twelve month was over and also Richard Simpson the late manager told me I was going among rogues and they would ruin me and if only I would go in with him he would behave like a father to me. That meant for me to start and work the ss ‘Pride of Humber’ out like he had five more beside her out just the same. But I was not having any truk I had seen enough how he had gone on with the others. I should have said he had until New Year of that year 1896 been manager for the Humber when Mr John Walton took them with the assistance of Richard Hobbs late of F&T Ross’s firm also of Hull where his brother John Hobbs succeeded him.

Commenced with the ss Cuckoo on the 24^th of Feb 1896 in which I had a ⅛ or 8/64 shares. I paid one hundred pound down and the rest I paid 5% on with the Yorkshire S.T Co. and in one year and six month I was clear. It was then turned into a limited Liability Company of £30000 in 3000 ten pound shares. I got my share one hundred and eighty seven shares which was my share in the Cuckoo. The sum of two pound ten shillings been paid up and Mr. C Pickering & H Russel and of course Mr J. McCann being directors. J. McCann were also the manager, we were seven of us what formed the company all shareholders in the “Cuckoo” and the “Lord Charles Beresford” the only two ships what the company had up till then.

He was the Skipper of the Oliver Cromwell from 1900 through to at least 1905.

On 20th December 1890 Thyge married Lois, the service was held at the Holy Trinity Church, Hull. Lois (Louisa) Nicholson, was the daughter of John and Ann Nicholson. John Nicholson was a Shipwright who originated from North Ferriby. It is interesting to speculate that Thyge and John knew each other in some way because of their mutual involvement in shipping. Maybe they had business dealings and through this contact Thyge had met the young Lois (Louisa).

By 1897 Thyge and Lois were living at 33 Marmaduke Street, Hull. By 1901 the family had moved to 328 The Boulevard.

Thyge and Lois were married for a mere 14 years when she tragically died on 25th December, 1904 aged 33 years. The cause of death was septicemia. It would seem that Thyge was anchored off the Humber estuary waiting for the tide to change so that he could land at Hull dock. Lois was pregnant but in readiness for the homecoming of her husband she chose to stand on a box to hang some curtains on the railing, lost her balance and fell. The fall must have led to some complications with the pregnancy and tragically she died. Thyge and Lois had six children; Lois born in 1892, Charles Thyge in 1896, John Michael in 1898 and George Nicholson in 1900. Two children died in infancy before reaching the age of 1, Albert in 1902 and Gladys in 1903. The picture above shows Thyge and Lois with daughter Lois, Charles and baby John Michael.

With the death of Lois one can only assume that with Thyge continuing to be absent from the family home due to his fishing trips which would take him away for several weeks at a time the responsibility for bringing and caring for the young family fell upon the shoulders of the eldest daughter Lois. Lois was then 12 years of age and there must have been members of the Nicholson family, maybe the Grandparents who helped with the raising of the children

Thyge married for a second time in April 1907. His wife was Gertrude Emily Dean. Gertrude who was some 16 years younger than Thyge was born in 1884. They married at the Boulevard Baptist Church and the service was conducted by the Revernd Robert Wood.

Thyge and Gertrude had 8 children, Gertrude, Audrey, Mary, Stuart, Harold, Ivor, Leslie and Leonard (known affectionately as Uncle Tubby).

Thyge Andersen Enevoldsen died in 1933 when his ship ran a ground off the coast of Norway. With him on his fishing trawler, the ‘Lord Deramore’ was his son Harold Dean Enevoldson, then a young man of 19 years.

From witness accounts the Lord Deramore went down in a violent gale and of the 15 man crew, Thyge and four other men perished. Harold along with 9 other men escaped to a lifeboat and after 12 hours of rowing in the dreadful cold and snow they were found by a small motor boat and taken to safety.

Thyge Andersen Enevoldsen caring not for his own safety and thinking only of others refused to leave the sinking ship and as his comrades took to the ships lifeboat Harold heard his Father’s voice for the last time. “Good luck”, he shouted and then within a minute or two he perished within sight of his son.

In the words of Thyge's wife, Gertrude Emily;

“Faithful until death, an example for his children. One of the best"

Hull Daily Mail – March 20th 1933

Survivors from sunken trawler

Pathetic return of men of Lord Deramore

Tragic stories

It was a sad home coming for 10 shipwrecked Hull men who arrived back in port this weekend. A little less than a month ago they and five comrades left the St Andrews Dock for the White Sea fishing grounds aboard one of the smartest and best equipped trawlers in port, the Lord Deramore. The ship’s company were exceedingly happy and nobody could have been prouder of a skipper than were these men. They had in command Mr Thyge Andersen Enevoldsen a man of much nautical experience and of great popularity.

The Lord Deramore went down in a violent gale. Although the trawler heeled over and sank very quickly the skipper stood a chance of rescue. Caring nought for his own safety, however and thinking only of others he refused to leave the ship and as 10 men took to the ships lifeboat his voice was heard for the last time. “Good luck”, shouted the brave skipper, who a minute or two later perished within sight of a son, one of the rescued members of the crew, by whom any attempted rescue would have been a hopeless task.

Of their own harrowing experience they had little to say, but they were full of praise for their beloved skipper and lost comrades.

The skipper's son Harold Dean Enevoldson of 16 Goddard Avenue, Hull acted as third hand.

Harold Dean Enevoldson

Mr F Wardell deckhand told the Mail that when the disaster occurred approximately 300 kits of fish were aboard. Having lost part of the gear they had decided to put into Honningavag for repairs. It was snowing at the time and when off Vardo Mr Wardell was in his bunk. The skipper and his son were on the bridge. Mr Wardell awakened by bumping noise. Then there were two more bumps and the ship had run aground.

The ships lifeboat was immediately launched but the engine room staff were trapped below. Ten of the crew jumped into the lifeboat but only those on deck apart from the skipper were saved. The skipper was standing on the veranda of the trawler when they saw him last.

The men then rowed for 12 hours in their little boat until they were picked up by a Norwegian Government small motorboat and taken to Vardo. The last they saw of the Lord Deramore it was at 90 degrees and it was 1.30 am in the morning.

Extract from the Hull Daily Mail – Wednesday 21st June 1933

Mr Justice Langton in the Probate Court today gave leave to presume Thyge Andersen Enevoldsen dead. Enevoldsen was insured and left estate valued at £18,000. Insurance company did not object.