Created by Jill Watson and commissioned by The 125 Memorial Association, this latest sculpture commemorates the Eyemouth Widows and Bairns left behind by the great storm of October 14th 1881. Scotland suffered her worst fishing disaster and the Berwickshire ports lost a total of 189 men, many within sight of their loved ones. The Euroclydon left 107 widows and 351 fatherless children in our coastal villages. 73 of these widows and 351 fatherless children were from Eyemouth. Research has uncovered that there were actually many more children, but they were not recorded with the Church of Scotland at the time.

Some of the children were offered places in a Quarrier’s Children’s Home but the local mothers refused, saying “We shall keep our bairns for our future of our ports”. It is because of this tenacity and determination of the womenfolk of the town, that Eyemouth continues to be a thriving community and proud of its heritage.

The severity of the tragedy was such that it gave an additional catalyst for the formation of the Royal National Mission to Deep Sea Fishermen and Queen Victoria was one of the first to place money into a Disaster Memorial Fund, to provide help for the stricken families.