THE "WOODCOCK FISHES"

It is not known exactly where or by whom the drawing of the four intertwined fishes originated. What is clear is that it has passed through at least five generations and travelled 140 years to the present day.

The earliest known report of the sketch being linked to the WOODCOCK family is that given by Jane (Jenny) Rich - grand-daughter of Henry WOODCOCK b. 1864. Jane, who knew her grandmother (wife of Henry) well, recounted that Henry was taught to draw the fishes as a child by his father John William.

Henry subsequently continued this tradition by passing the drawing of the fish onto all of his children, including Percy WOODCOCK b. 1891(my grandfather).

The four children of Percy all have memories of there father drawing and re-drawing the strange sketch, but none of them have any idea of it's origins.

Shortly after war broke out in 1939 two of Percy's sons Percival (Perce) & Cyril were both seperately posted to the desserts of North Africa. Neither brother knew or was able to find out where the other was. It was forbiden to disclose a regiments location in letters written between each other. On a brief period of leave in Cairo, Cyril was frequenting a local bar when he noticed some graffiti scratched into the surface of a wooden table, it was the WOODCOCK FISH, he knew it could only be his brother 'Perce' who would have drawn the fish. In his next letter Cyril wrote to 'Perce' he made reference to been able to see triangles.

The cryptic clue was a vain attempt to inform his brother where he was posted. Perce realised that Cyril was position somewhere near the Pyramids and shortly after the brothers (both gunners) where reunited and were allowed to fight side by side in the same battallion. From then on the brother's lorry, used to transport field guns between battlefields, had the WOODCOCK FISHES painted on the front.

It is not known to this day what the significance of the drawing is or where it originates.