Just come across this so I'm somewhat belatedly posting a bit of info if anyone is still interested. There are a number of cased fish around of these huge roach from Hornsea, from the period before 1930s. In fact if you go into the Leeds Anglers Club there is a case of huge roach caught by Bazley. I have another case myself of four huge roach from Hornsea. Everyone who has seen these estimate their size to be upper 2's to 3lb. When I was a lad the cafe was full of cased fish - roach, perch, pike. They've all gone now.
I don't believe the roach fishing was consistently easy. Wilf Cutting was a publican from Hull, who moved to Hornsea to be near the Mere so he could fish it more often. He ran a pub in Hornsea that was full of cased fish caught by himself and his wife. But he had loads of roach blanks - he fished most days. Then he'd locate a shoal and he had a bit of a bonanza. He would tell others like Bazley who would come over from Leeds whilst the shoal remained in that area. Cutting mainly fished lobworms and that way he caught perch or roach. Allegedly, the big roach had a liking for worms although Bazley also caught them on maggot - two hooks. Worm on the bottom and a maggot hook mid-water.
The big roach are still there but not in the numbers they once were. Most big waters go through cycles - Tring for example with its big bream. The Mere was producing 2lb roach as early as the 1870s. I suspect that a number of issues have existed in modern times that suppress the numbers of big roach. I know an odd angler who have had 2lb plus roach in recent years (seen photographs) but location is the problem as ever it was, even for folk who live in Hornsea...
Yes it was Ray Webb he fished with.
