Mo was born on 29 April 1932 and he was among the hundreds of young children who were evacuated to Scotland at the start of the Occupation.
‘He was on the first boat,’ recalls fellow fisherman Peter Lesbirel.
‘His family were going to follow but the Germans arrived so they didn’t have the opportunity.
‘He spoke about how difficult it was for him as he was in Glasgow and couldn’t understand a word they said and they couldn’t understand him – which got him into a few fights.’
Mo returned to the island at the age of 12 in 1945 and soon after he and his brother Ron got involved in fishing.
Eventually, Ron set up a fishmongers stall in the market, so Mo helped supply him with fish.
That was the start of a career in fishing that spanned more than 70 years, over the course of which Mo tried every kind of fishing such as dredging for scallops, drift, netting, potting, trawling and trotting.
Mr Lesbirel recalled that on one occasion Mo had been out to collect his catch of ray but the weather was extremely rough – as bad as Mo had ever seen.
Thinking that the boat was in trouble, a passing Jersey ferry came alongside.
But a call by the ferry to the St Peter Port Signal Station revealed that all was well. ‘It’s OK, it’s only Mo Down pulling trots.’
On returning to St Peter Port with a good catch of ray, Mo rang the ferry company to thank the captain for his concern.
Mo was also a bird lover and had ‘pet’ cormorants which would turn up whenever they saw his car or boat, said Mr Lesbirel.
He kept a separate stash of bait just for them and if he did not have any spare he would get some fish from other fishermen to feed to the birds.
For more than 35 years he supplied sand eels to local boats and anglers, and was always happy to help young angers and other fishermen with bait and his knowledge of fishing marks.
‘Mo, what a great life – rest in peace,’ said Mr Lesbirel.
Richard Keen has fished for more than 60 years and said he always knew Mo and remembered how he was the ‘sand eel man' for the last 30 years or so.
‘He was always as helpful as he could be, giving people credit when they had difficult times.
‘He helped a lot of young fishermen who are old fishermen now.
‘Even when he retired from fishing in his eighties he would be down every morning for a chat.
‘He will be sadly missed by the industry.’
Those who would like to celebrate Mo’s life, tell a fishy tale and possibly raise a glass, are asked to meet at La Villette Hotel at 7pm on Wednesday 19 November.
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