Just after the second trawler was lost, four local women decided to take action against the poor health and safety regulations and working conditions of the men at the time. It reads: “In recognition of the contributions to the fishing industry by the women of Hessle Road, led by Lillian Bilocca, who successfully campaigned for better safety measures following the loss of three Hull trawlers in 1968.

Their rebellion was in response to a triple tragedy that devastated Hull’s fishing community in three weeks at the start of 1968: in separate incidents, three trawlers were lost at sea and 58 fishermen died. As Lil scuffled with police, three young seamen jumped ship preventing the vessel’s departure and effectively initiating a wildcat strike. What enabled this friendly reception was the power of public feeling, but also, perhaps, the stridently apolitical nature of the women’s campaign. Lilian Bilocca put down her filleting knife, picked up some sheets of paper and stormed into action.It is a vivid and important story which reminds us how far we have come in the workplace in terms of safety but reminding us that it has always been difficult for women to stand up and stand out. Described as an extremist at first by the opposition, they eventually had to listen to her and the 10,000 people behind her. The Kingston Peridot and the Ross Cleveland would soon follow in the disastrous footsteps of the previous tragedy. His work on Hull’s year as 2017 City of Culture was recently published in the Open Library of the Humanities. The Headscarf Revolutionaries thrills with the dangers of the high seas; inspires with the passion of women who changed their world, and reveals the vivid life inside one of history’s most vital communities.

Lavery describes how the British public and media took Lil and the campaign into their hearts, but also how fickle that support was, and how quickly it was removed.

Today, the phrase I coined for my book title, the Headscarf Revolutionaries, has become shorthand for these brave campaigners.

Ten seconds after this radio message in the early hours of 4 February, 1968, the Ross Cleveland disappeared. A Daily Express reporter broke the story, and ‘The Man Who Came Back from the Sea’ took Vietnam off the front page. An interesting recounting of the fisherman's wives fight following the "Hull triple trawler tragedy" that follow the leading women of the movement, their quick and successful campaign and the downfall of their leaders due to media coverage. LIL the Play documented the life of Lillian Billoca that gave visitors an insight into the iconic Hessle Road where Lillian lived. The then Labour prime minister Harold Wilson was in the US but was kept updated with progress of the talks.Lavery describes a very British rebellion, with that curiously British hostility towards political thinking. Organising meetings with trawlermen, their families and local politicians and unions – she started a movement. Bilocca threatened to picket Prime Minister Harold Wilson's private residence if her demands were not met. Sometimes the cause of synchronicity is obvious, as in the World War that preceded uprisings and revolutions from Clydeside to Moscow, or the economic collapse that by 2011 had sparked revolts as diverse as the English riots and the Arab Spring. The local Transport and General Workers’ Union arranged a meeting in London between the women and minister of agriculture Fred Peart and minister of state at the board of trade JPW Mallalieu.