Elder Dempster Linedempster

On my first voyage on the Accra I was asked by the Purser to request the attendance at the Bureau of a certain passenger, who had (alledgedly) a string of titles and decorations. This was of course a wind-up, of the kind where a Cadet was sent to get a tin of tartan paint, or for a long stand. In this case it backfired. Not only did I read out all the titles and decorations, but because I had been to school at a naval college (HMS Worcester) I then went on to say the passenger "should REPORT to the Bureau". The Captain, Bill Lightbody, heard the announcement, and gave the Purser a rocket for a) setting up a youngster, and b) telling passengers, even imaginary, to REPORT to the Bureau.

Speaking of passengers, do you remember the Deck Passengers we used to have? Sometimes dozens of Africans travelling between the various ports, and living under hatch-tents for the few days they were on board. You may not know, however, that it was generally recognized by African ladies that if they were very pregnant a deck passage on an ED ship would guarantee them excellent medical attention if they had the baby whilst on board. This they would try to do, as all ships with more than 12 passengers had to carry a doctor. In gratitude for the attention when the baby was born onboard the mother would frequently name the child after the doctor, or indeed after some piece of shipboard equipment which captured her attention. Hence, and particularly among the Kroo-boys out of Freetown, we later sometimes got sailors called
"Snatchblock", or "No.4.Hatch", or the one I liked best, "Heavy-lift Derrick".

Visit the Apapa Page for photographs of deck passengers on that vessel. Click here....

Elder Dempster & Company / African Steam Ship Company

Elder Dempster & Company, Limited, was formed in 1852 as the African Steam Ship Company, Limited, with a contract to carry mail from London to Madeira, Teneriffe and the West Coast of Africa. In 1856, the home of Elder Dempster was Liverpool.

In 1894, the African Steam Ship Company entered the Canadian trade by taking over the Avonmouth service of the Dominion Line and in 1898 the Beaver Line was purchased together with their Liverpool - Canada service. Elder Dempster Shipping Limited was formed in 1899 and in 1901 the Imperial Direct West India Mail Service Company was set up to operate services to the West Indies. By 1903 their Canadian interests had been sold to Canadian Pacific together with 14 ships.

Elder Dempster & Company, Limited, was formed in 1910 after the sale of the company to Lords Kylsant and Pirrie. After the collapse of this company in 1931, the company was run by a board of trustees until, with government help, the company could be re-organised and refinanced. The ships of both companies then came under the control and colours of the new company the British & Burmese Steam Navigation Company in 1951 After this date, there were many in-group transfers between Elder Dempster, Guinea Gulf, Blue Funnel and the British & Burmese Steam Navigation Company.

In 1965 the ownership of Elder Dempster passed to the Ocean Steamship Company (Blue Funnel Line). The passenger service to West Africa was terminated in 1974 and in 1989 Elder Dempster was sold to French owners and Ocean Shipping was no more.

Routes
Ships of the Line

These officers sailed with the Elder Dempster Line and were on the Titanic's fateful voyage

	Travel to West Africa in the 1960s was almost always by sea. I only traveled by air once in all the years I lived and worked in Ghana. One left Liverpool and stopped on route at Las Palmas, Freetown, Monrovia, Bathurst (on some sailings) and then to Tema (southbound or Takoradi (northbound) and the final destination would be Lagos.
China used by the younger passengers	A telephone in an officer's cabin

A bookshelf in an officer's cabin	A plate used on board the passenger vessels
There were three vessels in the passenger fleet - the flagship the Aureol, The Apapa and the Accra.
The brochures advertising the Line changed throught the history of the company some of them can be viewed here......

From an Officers Point of View - A Purser's Life on the Elder Dempster Line	John Dempster's Site Memories of The Elder Dempster Line
The Fourah Bay - Elder Dempster Cadet Ship	A passenger list
Ships UK - an interesting site on shipping	Elder Dempster Page
A story from West Africa	The Lind Pages