George was a Marine Engineer and later an Engineer at Royal Ordinance Factory Barnbow in Leeds.
He is a self-taught Genealogist I holds a class to help people research their family trees and wrote an e-book ‘The Beginners Guide to researching your family Tree’. He started research, at the museum in the mid 1990’s, on his own ancestry discovering the Gales were boatbuilders in Whitby for over 250 years and Christopher Gale built one of the first rowing lifeboats at Whitby in 1822! George was acquiring so much information on his family that he decided to write a book or two – ‘The Gale’s Way: an unusual walk around Whitby’ (cabinet 35 942.747 GAL) and ‘The Gale Boatbuilders of Whitby’ (cabinet 38 623.82).
“I became a transcriber of the Muster roll project which started in 2016 and was completed in 2024. The individual Muster rolls were created by a Whitby ships Master who listed all details of crew names, voyages, times etc. to enable 6d per month to be paid into the Seamans Hospital fund. These records can now be searched on the museum web site:”
“The last muster roll for the Whitby ship ‘Greyhound’ recorded that the ship was wrecked off the west coast of Ireland in 1770. 18 people had drowned but the ship only had a crew of 12, including the Master and 5 other crew who survived.”
“This was a mystery to be solved – to cut a long story short – at very low tides off the coast of County Sligo, the outline remains of a ship could be seen in the sands. Carbon dating of the wood indicated that it was Yorkshire Oak from the 1700’s. Also in the same bay, underneath the sea are three Spanish Armada wrecks. Working with an underwater Archaeologist, from Irelands National Monuments Department, the story of the wreck was unearthed and in 2022 I was invited over to Ireland to attend the Spanish Armada Festival to give a joint talk on the wreck of the Greyhound.”
“The story of the Greyhound was written up as an article for Whitby Literary Philosophical Society annual report and was later turned into a part of a presentation and talk on the Muster Rolls.”
George researched his mother’s side of the family which resulted in another book about Lead Mining in the North Pennines – ‘Proud of Nenthead’. He also wrote another book ‘Tales from the Sea and other Interesting Stories’ recording his time in the Merchant Marines in the 1960’s (a mini autobiography).
“Being a war baby and growing up in Jarrow was an adventure in itself. Nobody had much money food rationing was still in existence, plenty of derelict bomb damaged buildings to investigate and play in and lots of ways to get into trouble and scrapes. I visited Palmers Hospital at Jarrow that often for cuts and bruises my mother said I was probably their best (or possibly worst) customer. My bottom must have looked like a pin cushion from the amount of tetanus jabs it received.”
Exert taken from Gale. E. George (2023) Growing up on Tyneside. Tales from my time at Sea and other Interesting Stories. Page 57. (B.GAL cabinet 21).
Copies of these books are held in the museum library and George gives regular talks all over the Northeast of England to community groups and historical societies. George’s talents also extend to playing the guitar in a skiffle group in the 1950’s and still play and sing in a folk group today. He composes his own songs and ‘I Thought I Heard the Angels Cry’ can be accessed on the digital audio files in the museum library.
If you are interested in exploring George Gale’s books or listening to his song contact [email protected] or visit the library Tuesday to Friday 10am – 4pm.
By Claire Marris
Archive Development Officer
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