An appeal has gone out to find the five Fishguard sea cadets who defeated two crews of Hollywood actors and stuntmen in a celebrated rowing race in Fishguard Bay 72 years ago.

The race – which took place during the filming of John Huston’s classic 1956 movie Moby Dick – followed a challenge delivered by Fishguard Sea Cadets to the Fishguard Bay Hotel where the Moby Dick cast were staying.

The Elstree Productions crew picked up the gauntlet thinking that a win for the boat coxed by leading man Gregory Peck would be great publicity for the movie.

But stuntmen and actors were left red-faced as the five cadets – stroke Hughie Lewis, Gareth Rees, Gordon Brooks, Gordon Lewis and Ben Masey, coxed by Lt Cmdr Jeff Morgan – powered home first in the 1.5 mile race.

Now attempts are being made to trace the quintet, whose names have been immortalised at TS Skirmisher, headquarters of Fishguard Sea Cadets.

“We would love to find members of the crew if they’re still around,” said Dr Patrick Thomas, chairman of Ar Ymyl y Tir/On Land’s Edge Festival, which will be marking the 70th anniversary of the cinematic release of Moby Dick in September.

“Failing that, it would be great to speak to relatives of the five who may still have mementoes of what was clearly a big story at the time – both locally as well as nationally.

“Come to think of it, the story of how a group of teenage Fishguard rowers took on – and beat – crews of Hollywood stuntmen and actors could make a movie in itself!”

A framed letter at Skirmisher – written soon after the race by stuntman John ‘King’ Kelly – relates how the Hollywood crews had been supremely confident of victory.

“I really got down to training,” he wrote. “My arms ached lifting double brandys, double gins, double whiskies.

“Of course sleep was most important, after playing poker every night and going home at one or two, three and four o'clock in the morning.

“Did not have to get up until six a.m. After all, these were only boys we had to beat.”

Fellow stuntman Joe Powell ruefully recalled the ensuing events in his autobiography The Life and Times of a Fall Guy.

“The race was started and immediately we started to pull away from the rest of the field,” he wrote. “After a while, however, I noticed that our lead over the sea cadets didn’t appear to be increasing.

“At about the halfway mark they started to gain on us slowly, then gradually they drew level.

“Gregory Peck became rather agitated and increased the stroke, but still couldn’t shake the youngsters off.

“The cadets just pulled away from us and easily won the race, to the utter disgust of Peck and the publicity department.

“Later that evening a local shop owner told us how pleased everyone in Fishguard was that we had allowed the cadets to win.

“I replied by saying the cadets really had won – pride comes before a fall!”