Sisters Against the Sea

"This is a fascinating story based around the lives of four Devon women. It is also the true account of a man-made environmental disaster that caused the destruction of an entire fishing village on the Devon coast. It tells through the words of family members and personal photographs how these remarkable women, and the community of Hallsands, witnessed the complete destruction of their homes in the face of indifference from local authorities and government. Ultimately it is a compelling saga of bravery, fortitude and determination: the story of Sisters Against the Sea.  Prior to 1897 the fishing village of Hallsands, nestling beneath the cliffs in Start Bay on the South Devon coast, was little known to the wider world. Then the peaceful and idyllic lives of the fishermen and their families were changed overnight when tons of shingle were removed from their foreshore by huge steam-powered dredgers providing concrete for an extension to the Royal Naval Dockyard at Plymouth.  Immediately the fishermen protested that this shortsighted interference with nature would result in the encroachment of the sea, loss of their fishing grounds, and damage to their homes during storms. Alas, their protests went unheeded until it was too late, resulting in the eventual destruction of the village during a fierce easterly gale in 1917. Overnight the villagers became homeless and their plight became headline news.  With the death of her husband, who had fought the authorities to maintain his traditional way of life, Eliza Anne Trout and her four daughters Patience, Ella, Clara and Edith faced a bleak and  uncertain future. Despite great hardship these extraordinary women started rebuilding their lives. This is their story."