Hundreds gather in Newhaven for Robert Morley's funeral

As many as 100 people gathered at Fort Road to pay their respect to the fisherman, who died when his ship sank off the coast of the town last year.

He was one of three crew members aboard the Joanna C. Captain Dave Bickerstaff was saved when he was pulled from the water by lifeboat crews but the body of 26-year-old Adam Harper was recovered by divers days later.

A lone bagpiper played as Robert Morley's body was moved from Fort Road to the site of the crew's memorial just 200 metres away.

The procession was led by a lone bag pipper

The harbour fell still as the procession was led to the site, which had been made for the crew after the initial emergency in November.

Among the procession was Robert's childhood best friend Mark Tait. He told of how the pair were neighbours growing up in Newhaven.

Yellow fisherman boots were placed in the hearse

He said: "We used to be best mates at school because we lived right next to each other.

"We used to get into a few bits of trouble but nothing unusual.

"It is good for the family to get some closure, we've seen on social media how much they have been struggling."

A major sea search was launched in the early hours of November 21, 2020, when Joanna C set off an emergency beacon off the Sussex coast.

The community came together to mourn the fisherman at his funeral

After the rescue mission was called off, hundreds of people gathered in Newhaven for a two-minute silence to send their thoughts to the friends and families affected.

A body brought from the sea at Bexhill in December was formally identified as the missing 38-year-old.

Newhaven Lifeboat crews, who were among the emergency teams involved in the desperate search for the fishermen, joined the tribute from their station.

At the time, Mr Morley's former boss told The Argus that he was planning on quitting his life on the water in favour of a job on land.

Ian Bickerstaff said the loss of the fisherman, who was “like family” to him, had left “a big dent” in his life.

Crowds followed the hearse

The fishmonger last saw the 38-year-old fisherman just a day before he set off on the trip when he was “full of beans”.

Hundreds of people of the fishing town hit hard by the impact of Brexit and the pandemic gathered at the memorial to greet Robert's family.

Flowers and photos of the fisherman covered the memorial site, as the tight-knit community mourned one of their own.

The hearse then left the area and headed to the crematorium in Brighton.