George Leslie (ii)

George was the proprietor of the Sumburgh Hotel around and during WWII. He was also a pioneering fisherman. In 1938 with the herring fishing in the doldrums, and before electronic fish-finding equipment became available, with the help of his brother in law Sam Reid who owned and piloted a small de Havilland DH 85 Leopard Moth plane, G-ACXH, they would fly over potential herring grounds during the summer season, and identify shoals of herring. Then relay their positions to fishing boats by either dropped message, or by phone to those ashore at the time, after landing at Sumburgh Airport. The experiment proved reasonably successful, and would probably have continued for some time had WWII not interrupted during the following year.

He was Skipper of the Betty Leslie (LK497) during the later 1940's and 1950's, which was the largest vessel in the local fleet at the time, and claimed in some quarters to have been the U.K's first purse net vessel. With her, in addition to participating in the summer herring season, and from 1945 - 1955 also the winter herring season off the coast of England, in 1955-57 he undertook voyages to Rockall, off the west coast of Scotland and to Faroe to engage in line fishing for whitefish. Experimental shark fishing was also undertaken by the vessel.