Remembering Stella - Britain's first female harbour 'master'

A series of significant people who lived in Torbay in the 20th century - not regularly recalled - as researched by Ian L Handford (President - Torbay Civic Society)

Stella Gale was born in Paignton in 1908 and grew up watching the craftsmen in her father's boat yard opposite her home. Her father was Louis Gale born at Exminster in 1879 but who moved the family to Paignton in 1902 when starting a boat repair service from a small hut on the East Quay of Paignton Harbour. Eventually, repairing and creating boats and yachts won him a major contract in 1913 from the Admiralty, a most significant step for such a local business. During the First World War his business built gigs and cutters for the Navy and Dartmouth Naval College and whalers all of which now involved ten sheds along the quayside.

The Harbour Company, still in private hands lasted until 1923 when the Council decided to purchase the company. Meanwhile Stella having attended the Marist Convent school on Fisher Street on leaving school immediately joined her father's business as a book-keeper while gaining extensive knowledge on marine engineering and boat construction. Stella was passionate about sailing and loved being at sea where she experienced its many moods, tides and winds ultimately turning her into a seasoned mariner. Popular in yachting circles she later joined her dad's crew on his yacht "Bluebird" and won many contests in Torbay.

By the age of 21 Stella (against all odds) was appointed the first female Harbour Master in Britain and a quote from The Reading Eagle of Saturday January 4, 1930 says it all: "A dark eyed Devon girl with a stormy name has become Great Britain’s first woman harbour master. She is Stella Gale, aged 21, a yachting enthusiast with an unusually broad knowledge of tides, winds and seamanship. For the last four years she has been working for an engineering company here, but much of her spare time was spent aboard her motorboat or on the deck of a racing yacht."

As Harbour Master she was on a miniscule salary of £5 per annum yet retained the post until 1941. During this period she witnessed some amazing ships using her harbour including Sir Roger Casement's vessel The Mayals - known to be a gun running boat during the Irish troubles of the Great War. The vessel had sought shelter after being caught in an Easterly and like all boats it was charged a toll of one shilling an hour for using her harbour. Stella was fortunate to be Harbour Master during the Coronation Regatta of King George V1 and later was awarded her first medal. She then received a second medal when racing her 20ft yacht named "Elaine".

During the evacuation of Dunkirk Stella had her own battle with the Royal Navy after they unloaded (without permission) a large gun on her quay. You can imagine their astonishment being confronted by a female Harbour Master questioning their actions that it was quite unsuitable for her quay. They eventually were forced to remove it although not before the media reported "the Royal Navy took the gun to pastures new". Stella married John Holmes while serving as an air raid warden with the Women’s Voluntary Service (clothing depot) until eventually motherhood called in 1941. Now she resigned as Harbour Master and acting Warden and eventually produced two children.

With the war over Stella re-employed some of her fathers craftsmen and restarted the family business. In 1951 Louis died having been named "uncrowned King of Paignton Harbour" and now Stella ran the company until is finally closed in 1975. The last boat it built was a rowing gig for Paignton Sea Rangers who later sold it to Paignton Sea Scouts.

Mrs Karen Harding (Stella's grand daughter) still resides in the family house overlooking the harbour while in 2015 Torbay Civic Society in partnership with the family unveiled a Blue Plaque honouring Miss Stella Gale on the harbour's inner wall for all to view.

Ian Handford said: "Stella's amazing lifestyle in becoming Britains first female harbour master has largely been forgotten, until now."