The only man in Plymouth who’s completely fed up with the sailor statue, and desperately wants it gone.
Now meet Martin Oram, whose friends won’t stop telling him he looks like one of Beryl Cook’s famous sailors, and who’s counting down the days until he can finally escape the joke.
For a while now, Martin’s mates have been repeating the comparison at every opportunity. Whether it’s a group chat message, a night out, or a casual meet-up, the joke always comes back around.
“I’ve heard it a thousand times,” Martin laughs. “Every time I see my friends, it’s ‘here comes the sailor’ again. I’m completely fed up with it.”
To see just how close the comparison really was, Martin agreed to have a bit of fun with it. Dressed in a classic sailor outfit, he posed next to Beryl Cook’s well-known sailor statue, while his friends looked on, clearly enjoying the moment far more than he was.
The resemblance? Close enough to keep the joke going, much to Martin’s disappointment. “It’s been so wet and grey lately,” he says, “but at least this gives everyone a laugh on a dull day. Still, I’m fed up with being the sailor!”
For now, though, his friends are showing no signs of letting it go, proving that in Plymouth, a good joke can sail on far longer than expected.
All in good fun, no historical claims are made.
Photographs © Wayne Perry / Plymouth Post