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Peter Aitchison, brought up in Eyemouth, was always fascinated by the stories he was told of the great fishing tragedy of 14th. October 1881. Many of the 129 local men drowned that afternoon were related to him. The lecture will focus not just on the events of that day but will ask the very simple question of why it happened. You cannot change the weather but the reasons why the Eyemouth men sailed when all others around the coast remained in port may stun and surprise. To get to the roots of Britain's worst ever fishing tragedy you must go back many decades, consider the role not just of the men, but of the position of the laird, Kirk, law and state. There's also a bit of spice, some rioting and more than a bit of cloak and dagger!
After completing a degree in history at Aberdeen University Peter Aitchison joined the BBC as a trainee journalist in 1988 and worked there until 2007, editing many of the main news programmes. He spent time on the Today programme in London and was also deputy editor of Reporting Scotland.
In 2001 he published a highly acclaimed book Children of the Sea which has since been reprinted under the title of Black Friday. This was adapted for both radio and television and also inspired a stage version. Other works include The Noblest Work of God which tells the story of Scots migrants to the USA and The Lowland Clearances which offers a fascinating perspective on a little known, but hugely important part of Scotland's history.
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