When the future Queen of England received a Hastings winkle

Here, local historian Steve Peak explores the history of the Winkle Club and writes: A group of fishermen formed the club in September 1899 in the Prince Albert pub (now the Mermaid Fish and Chips Restaurant) in Rock-a-Nore Road.

They wanted to raise money to give the poor children of the borough (especially the Old Town) a happy time at Christmas. In those days there was no welfare state and the fishermen could see an increasing number of local families living in near-poverty during the winter as a national recession began to make life harder.

In the Prince Albert it was decided to set up a money-raising club, like the one based in the Royal Oak Hotel in Castle Street (bombed in the Second World War). There the Acorn Club had been formed, and all its members had to carry an acorn, or be fined if they did not, with all money going to charity. But what should be the symbol of the new fishermen’s club?

Legend has it that as the discussion was taking place in the Prince Albert, providence took a hand – somebody appeared in the pub with a pail of winkles collected from the rocks. So the Hastings Winkle Club came into being, with its members calling themselves the ‘Winkleites’ and the ‘Winklers’.

Funds were raised by subscriptions and donations by well-off people in the town, and by one penny fines on any club member caught not carrying their winkle. The club for the next seven decades was to organize two annual events at around the time of the New Year: a supper for the fishermen and a party for poor children, with the party being the priority.

The first supper and party were held in 1900 in a large metal shed, where the fishmarket is today, which had been built by the contractors who had been constructing the harbour arm. On New Years Day 1909 about 750 children were fed there.

Over the years, the parties were held in other venues, including the Drill Hall in Rock-a-Nore Road, the De Luxe Cinema and the White Rock Theatre. I attended one in the White Rock as a youngster in the late 1950s, and the highlights included being given a threepenny bit and an orange, then a rare delight.

The club attracted many famous people as backers, including Prince Edward in 1927, Field-Marshal Lord Montgomery in 1945, Princess Elizabeth in 1951 and Winston Churchill in 1955. Giving these people their winkles, and promoting the club for almost 46 years, was the very popular fisherman Bunk Harffey , who died in 1966.

Today the club is focused on raising funding for a wide variety of worthy local causes in the Hastings area.

The Music Festival fund raiser takes place at The Stade Open Space and gets underway on Friday July 8 from 6.30pm with a Rock Night. It is followed by a Retro Big Band Dance on Saturday from noon and a showcase of bands from Sussex and Kent on Sunday, from noon.

Have you read: View pictures of Hastings Midsummer Fish Festival