Entertainment

Deckhand turned artist: Milford trawlerman’s work exhibited at Torch

Published

1 year ago

April 17, 2025

A DECKHAND on the Milford Haven steam trawler Maretta is the subject of a powerful and moving exhibition opening this May at the Torch Theatre in Milford Haven.

Artist Donald Sinclair Swan FRSA (1918–2004), who once served as a deckhand on the Maretta, had a lifelong connection with the sea. From an early age, he was fascinated by ships—often dreaming of them or sketching their outlines in pencil. His passion for the ocean, especially the rugged beauty of the North Atlantic, is reflected in the collection now on display in the Joanna Field Gallery. Most of the works have never been seen before.

Born in Glasgow, Donald was the son of a Presbyterian minister and a former primary school teacher. He was educated at Glasgow High School but left at sixteen to join the Clan Line shipping company, determined to pursue a life in the Merchant Navy. The move came as little surprise to his father, who himself had spent years under sail before taking up the ministry.

As his daughter Mary explains, a life at sea was never a question for Donald—it was a calling.

“In 1938, with the Second World War looming, Dad transferred to the Royal Navy, serving on HMS Barham as a cadet midshipman,” she said. “By 1939 he was a Sub Lieutenant on HMS Wessex, heading into the Western Approaches. In 1940, he was posted to HMT Northern Sun, a requisitioned trawler, but contracted tuberculosis in 1941 and had to be discharged.”

The illness nearly cost Donald his life. He survived a spontaneous pneumothorax against the odds but was advised never to undertake strenuous work again. During his recovery, he turned to his childhood dream: becoming an artist.

With help from an ex-serviceman’s grant, Donald studied at the Glasgow School of Art and the Patrick Allan Fraser School of Art at Hospitalfield, Arbroath. Influential tutors included Hugh Crawford RSA and James Cowie RSA.

In 1945, he moved to London, living an unsettled life between the capital, Glasgow and eventually Cornwall. A promising spell working with Royal portrait painter Sir James Gunn was interrupted when he had to return north to care for his ailing parents.

By 1948, feeling stronger and eager to return to sea, Donald signed on as mate of the Thames sailing barge Carina. Then, in 1949, he joined the crew of the Maretta as a deckhand—drawn once again to the open sea.

“He joined the fishing fleet at a time when the industry was booming,” said Mary. “After the war, many trawlers had been requisitioned and fish stocks were healthy. Milford Haven had become a thriving fishing port.”

It was during this time that Donald wrote to an old school friend from his lodgings at The Seaman’s Bethel, Charles Street:

“As you’ll have guessed from my address, the old curse has got me and I’m off to sea again… this time for deep sea trawling. Hard work and good money—and I hope to God it lays my ghosts for keeps.”

“From my window I can see a destroyer anchored in the Roads where we lay ten years ago… The ghosts it brings up are quite unbelievable, quite beyond anything I’d expected or prepared for. Still—hard work and Atlantic air may work wonders.”

The experience proved pivotal. Donald sketched prolifically during his time aboard the Maretta, capturing the daily life, physical strain, and quiet dignity of trawlermen. Later, he would turn many of these sketches into finished artworks.

In the 1950s, Donald returned to Cornwall and married fellow artist Elizabeth Lane. The couple raised three children in a cottage near St Ives. He went on to exhibit his work on board the Cutty Sark in 1969, marking the ship’s centenary, and took on major commissions including paintings of the Mayflower, HMS Bounty, HMS Endeavour, and Suhaili, the yacht sailed solo around the world by Sir Robin Knox-Johnston.

In 1972, the family moved back to Scotland, where Donald continued painting maritime scenes—particularly Clyde paddle steamers—and turned his hand to pottery. Alongside Elizabeth, a Leach-trained potter, he established the Castle-an-Dinas Pottery in Cornwall and later the Isle of Cumbrae Pottery in Scotland.

Donald’s ability to sketch quickly and from life also helped him in portraiture—particularly with children. As he once wrote from the Bethel, “At the moment I’m earning my keep very nicely by drawing people…”

His “Time and Family” portrait series, a visual family history spanning 40 years and three generations, was exhibited multiple times in Scotland and Cornwall.

He and Elizabeth returned to Cornwall in 2000. Donald continued to paint until shortly before his death in November 2004. His final portraits, of his nephew’s children, were sent to Canada just weeks before he died. Elizabeth continued to paint into her 80s, passing away in 2021.

“When I found the drawings, I knew Dad would have wanted them shown in Wales,” said Mary. “With his connection to Milford Haven, the Torch Theatre seemed like the perfect place. I hope people who visit will see something of their own lives in his work.”

The exhibition includes watercolours, oils, and impressionistic sketches—some bearing the names of other trawlers and fellow crew members. One haunting piece, Up Trawl, Ballet of Sleeping Deckies, shows the sheer exhaustion of life at sea. The artworks serve not only as pieces of art but as a record of a vanished way of life—and a tribute to those who lived it.

The exhibition runs throughout May at the Torch Theatre’s Joanna Field Gallery, during Box Office opening hours. For more information, visit www.torchtheatre.co.uk or call (01646) 695267.

Entertainment

Harbour Fest to bring music, food and maritime magic to Milford Waterfront

Published

22 hours ago

June 21, 2026

Tom Sinclair

Free family festival will celebrate Milford Haven’s seafaring history and coastal community

MILFORD WATERFRONT will burst into life on Saturday, June 27, as the first Harbour Fest sails into town for a day of music, food, family fun and maritime celebration.

The free event will run from 10:00am to 6:00pm at Mackerel Quay and across the waterfront, bringing together local traders, live entertainment, coastal organisations and independent businesses for a packed day beside the water.

Organisers say the festival will celebrate everything that makes Milford Haven special, from its seafaring history and working harbour to its growing reputation as a destination for food, shopping, culture and family days out.

Visitors will be able to browse stalls from local makers and producers, enjoy street food and live performances, and explore a Marine Zone featuring organisations involved in sea safety, marine conservation and coastal life.

The Marine Zone will include Seagrass Network Cymru / Project Seagrass, Pembrokeshire Coastal Forum, Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service, Dyfed-Powys Police, NCI Wooltack Point, Rudders Marine Training, RNLI Milford Haven and RNLI Angle Lifeboat.

RNLI Angle Lifeboat is expected to be based on the Mackerel Stage, while the Sea Cadets will be giving rope-tying displays at Milford Haven Museum, where craft activities will also be taking place.

Live entertainment will run throughout the day, with performances from Tom & Abz, Will Scott, Ryan Bristow, Milford Haven Town Band, Kyle Kirkhouse and ShantyJacs Sea Shanties.

Businesses across the waterfront are also joining in. All Pets Vet Care will hold a family-friendly open day with a bouncy castle, treasure hunts, quizzes, craft activities and behind-the-scenes tours. Aurora Artisan Crafts will host vocal performances, Biffy’s Bar & Restaurant will feature solo acoustic music from Laurence Lewis, and Martha’s Vineyard will offer seafood street food with live music from Ryan Bristow and Steve Bartram.

At Tŷ Milford Waterfront’s outdoor plaza there will be face painting, children’s activities, pop-up artists and an afternoon DJ set, while Phoenix Bowl and Pirate Pete’s Adventure Play will have inflatables and glitter tattoos outside.

The Waterfront Gallery will host introduction to felt-making workshops with textile artist Carole Fletcher, giving participants the chance to create a woollen felt flower pin brooch or phone/glasses case. The workshops start at 10:30am, 1:00pm and 3:30pm and cost £5 per person.

A wide range of traders will also be attending, including 5th Flock Spirits Co, Cinnamon Grove Distillery, Cwm Deri Wines & Liqueurs, Ferncraft, Get Loaded, J.J. Pottery, Major Nuts, Orange Garden Design, Pembrokeshire Chilli Farm, Pembrokeshire Gold, Pembrokeshire Lottery, Plumstone Welshcakes and SlateArtSJ.

With music drifting across the marina, food stalls lining the waterfront and lifeboats, sea safety teams and coastal groups adding a strong maritime flavour, Harbour Fest is expected to bring a lively summer atmosphere to one of Pembrokeshire’s best-known waterside destinations.

Organisers say the event is suitable for families, friends and visitors of all ages, with plenty to see and do throughout the day.

Photo caption: Harbour Fest will take place at Milford Waterfront on Saturday, June 27 (Pic: Milford Waterfront).

Entertainment

Filming begins on new Welsh BBC comedy starring Ruth Jones and Steve Speirs

Published

22 hours ago

June 21, 2026

Tom Sinclair

A HEARTWARMING new Welsh BBC comedy co-written by Ruth Jones and Steve Speirs has started filming in South Wales.

Better Later, a six-part series for BBC iPlayer, BBC One and BBC One Wales, will explore the unexpected joys of an unlikely friendship.

The comedy stars Jones and Speirs as two people who meet at a knee trauma clinic. Retired teacher Clive, played by Speirs, is 60, widowed and facing a new chapter in life. Shelley Anne, played by Jones, is a 55-year-old environmental health officer going through a bitter divorce.

The series is being filmed in and around South Wales, including the Brecon Beacons, and is set in the fictional village of Brynfach.

Ruth Jones said: “In a funny way this show has been 35 years in the making, which is when I first met Steve. It’s not that we’re slow writers, it’s just that we’ve been up to other things. It’s fantastic to be back in front of the camera with him again.”

Steve Speirs said: “Our first time acting together for quite a long time. Ruth makes me laugh more than anyone and I’m a terrible giggler. This could be a long shoot.”

Better Later has been commissioned by BBC Cymru Wales and BBC Comedy and is being made by Tidy Productions in association with BBC Studios Comedy, with support from Creative Wales.

The series was commissioned by Nick Andrews, Head of Commissioning at BBC Cymru Wales, and Jon Petrie, Director of Comedy at the BBC. The commissioning editors are Emma Lawson and Paul Forde.

Executive producers are Sarah Fraser for Tidy Productions and Josh Cole for BBC Studios Comedy. The producer is Owen Bell and the director is Simon Massey.

Transmission details will be announced in due course.

Entertainment

Saundersfoot film to premiere where it was made

Published

4 days ago

June 17, 2026

Tom Sinclair

A PEMBROKESHIRE-made feature film is to receive its big-screen premiere next month in the very harbour where much of it was shot.

Near and Distant Things, written and directed by Saundersfoot filmmaker Emily Batty, will be shown outdoors at Saundersfoot Harbour on Saturday, July 18, as part of the Torch Theatre’s Sunset Cinema series.

The drama, filmed in summer 2025, tells the story of a grieving fisherman trying to support his daughter after she returns home, while experiencing dreamlike visions of his late wife.

The film makes strong use of the Saundersfoot landscape, with scenes filmed at the harbour, The Royal Oak pub, Monkstone Point and other familiar local locations.

Emily, 22, who grew up in Saundersfoot and recently graduated from the University of Oxford with a geography degree, has described the project as “a love letter to home”.

She said: “Watching a film set in Saundersfoot, with recognisable faces and locations on screen, in the heart of the harbour itself where we filmed many scenes, feels incredibly full-circle.

***The crew pause for a team-photo (Pic: Rachell Lambert Photography)***

“I can’t wait to share that experience with people.”

The film was made with the support of a small team and a largely local cast and crew.

Emily said the production had only been possible because of the “incredible amount of local support” received during filming.

She also praised composer and sound designer Zach Worthington, whose work helped shape the atmosphere of the film.

She said: “The score and soundtrack feel so entangled with the landscape of home.

“It’s a little bit folk, a little bit Celtic, and rather emotional.”

Emily, who has written and directed the film under the name Emily Florence, said some of the ideas behind the film had been with her for several years.

***Saundersfoot Harbour was used as a filming location and will now host the premiere (Pic: Rachell Lambert Photography)***

She said: “Some of the images within the film have been in my head since I was 18.”

She added that Pembrokeshire remains a major source of inspiration for her future work.

“I have a couple of screenplays in the works – I never stop writing – and I’m looking to get agented,” she said.

“I’m excited to continue to tell stories, in whatever capacity that may be.

“I can say that Pembrokeshire is still my muse, and I don’t think I’m done telling stories about home.”

The outdoor screening will take place on the harbour decking, with gates opening at 6:00pm and the film beginning at 7:00pm.

The film is rated PG, but includes themes of bereavement, mental health, domestic abuse and references to suicide which some viewers may find upsetting.

Emily said she hoped the premiere would be a moment of shared pride for the village.

She said: “So many people helped bring this film to life.

“There’s something very special about sharing a story set in Saundersfoot, surrounded by the landscape that inspired it.”

Tickets are available through the Torch Theatre website, with advance booking recommended.