Last modified: 2008-07-26 by rob raeside
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image located by Jan Mertens, 11 February 2006
A British house flag on a Kennedy, Hunter & Co. (BE) list of agencies - although
I don’t know the exact year. The company is listed as Walford Lines Ltd.
(London), also called Leopold Walford Shipping Ltd (or even Entente Steamship
Ltd). This firm seems to have been active between about 1914 (then called
Walford & Co.) and some time after WWII – I’ve found traces of them in 1918-20,
1930-31, and 1945, not counting a Danzig episode you’ll find further (where
it is said that the firm was established in 1919). In any case Walford ran a
coastal and river shipping business, operating – for instance – a route between
London and Dordrecht in the Netherlands. There was also an Agence Maritime
Walford in Antwerp (founded in 1902, according to one source, and dissolved in
1919) which was involved in the foundation of the Compagnie Maritime Belge. A
short Danzig episode however is well documented. In October 1921 the Norwegian
company Bergenske cooperated with Walford Baltic Transports Ltd (1920-1922,
founded by Leopold Walford) in establishing the Bergenske & Walford Baltic
Transports Ltd, active in shipping wood. The firm’s warehouse was called
Bergford, a name derived from the two parent companies and retained when Walford
withdrew after only one year of involvement.
Sources (text concerning Danzig, in German, put first):
http://miless.uni-duisburg-essen.de
http://64.233.179.104/search?q=cache:2xBDuPKJY5wJ:users.skynet.be
http://64.233.179.104/search?q=cache:YyJzNrmsqqsJ:users.skynet.be
The above account is not very consistent due to lack of facts; the house flag is
rather bewildering as well. It is blue and bears what seems to be a red ground
sloping away to the right. On this slope is placed a large red saltire, near the
hoist and touching the flag’s upper edge; in the fly above the slope appear red
initials W and L.
Jan Mertens, 11 February 2006
images by Eugene Ipavec, 19 March 2008
The flag shown shown above has "WL" in the fly, but a
button provided by Tim Burt,
and identified as that of Leopold Walton Shipping Ltd. has an "LW".
It is uncertain which is correct (or both). The red ground sloping away to the
right (shown on the button as a
semicircle) is probably the curvature of the Earth.
Eugene Ipavec, 7
February 2008
In the 1928 German Flaggenbuch we can see in part II, II. Gruppe: Britisches
Reich (i.e. Group II: British Empire), nos. 407 and 408, both
versions of
this flag together. LW stands for Leopold Walford Ltd, London whereas LW
represents Walford Lines, London.
Jan Mertens, 18 March 2008
image by Jarig Bakker, 15 January 2006
Warbler Shipping Ltd., Lowestoft - horizontal orange - blue - orange flag, in
center black "W".
Source: Loughran (1995)
Jarig Bakker, 15 January 2006
image by Ivan Sache, 4 April 2008
Lloyds Book of House Flags and Funnels (1912)
shows the house flag of "George Warren & Co. (Liverpool), Ltd." (#174, p. 44), a
company based in Liverpool, as red with a white diamond."
The house flag
of the company says it all, according to its history reported on the "TheShipsList"
website:
"Successor to the White Diamond Line of sailing packets which failed
in 1857, they bought up many of their ships and continued the Liverpool - Boston
trade as George Warren's Line of Liverpool and Boston Packets. The company
started passenger steamship sailings in 1865 as George Warren & Company. They
became the White Diamond SS Company in 1898. In 1912, Furness Withy & Company
acquired a controlling interest in the company and a new company - George Warren
& Company (Liverpool) Limited was formed. In 1922 the name became Warren Line
(Liverpool) Limited and in 1934 they took over the Johnston Line and Neptune
Steam Navigation Company to form the Johnston-Warren Line. They became known as
the Furness-Warren Line in 1947. They sailed mostly Liverpool to Boston, but
also made calls at Halifax and Philadelphia."
http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/lines/warren.html
Ivan Sache,
4 April 2008
image by Rob Raeside, 16 January 2008
A poster entitled "Signals Made at Fort George, Halifax", which displays about
60 flags seen in the Port of Halifax, but without a date. Since it contains the
modern Nova Scotia flag, which dates from 1929, it must
be later than that. On the bottom row is the red-white-blue diagonal tricolour,
with an upside-down red star in the white band - attributed to J.M. Watson and
Co.
Rob Raeside, 16 January 2008
from Stewart and Styring's Flags, Funnels and Hull Colors 1963
image by Ivan Sache, 2 April 2008
Lloyds Book of House Flags and Funnels (1912)
shows the house flag of "Watson Brothers" (#145, p. 43), a company based in
Glasgow
(Scotland), as divided red-white by an ascending diagonal.
Phil Marris gives some details on the Watson Brothers, active in 1860-1928,
seemingly named Thomas and Henry J. They originally operated the "Ben Line" but
abandoned its title to the "Ben Line Steamer Co Ltd", through amicable
settlement, in the early 1900s. A number of their ships sailed regularly to
Australia and New Zealand.
http://archiver.rootsweb.com/th/read/GENANZ/1996-12/0851628515
Ivan Sache,
2 April 2008
from Stewart and Styring's Flags, Funnels and Hull Colors 1963
Watts, Watts & Co. Ltd. Originated as Watts, Ward & Co. with flag shown under
this name by LJC 1885 and Griffin 1895. It changed its name in 1896 but in
1894/5 they had formed Britain Steamship Co. Ltd. and it is through them that
the fleet was registered. Bibby Line are noted as taking over Britain Steamship
in 1967 but it is not clear whether this also involved Watts, Watts & Co. Ltd.
as these latter two are still being shown in association by Lloyds Shipowners in
1970.
Neale Rosanoski, 16 February 2004
Britain S.S. Co. (Watts Watts Co. Ltd.), London: Larousse Commercial Illustré (1930)
shows a white flag, a blue letter `W' (without serifs) in the centre. Sandy Hook
(illustrator for Larousse) draws a somewhat wider `W', taking up about one third
of the flag's length.
Jan Mertens, 4 June 2004
image by Ivan Sache, 9 April 2008
Lloyds Book of House Flags and Funnels (1912)
shows the house flag of "Weardale Steam Shipping Co., Ltd." (#217, p. 47), a
company based in Sunderland, as white with two red rings surrounding a blue
cross.
Weardale is a valley located in County Durham, once famous for
lead mining. The Weardale Lead Mining Company existed until 1931. Whether it was
linked to the Weardale Steam Shipping Co. is unknown to me.
Ivan Sache, 9 April 2008
Source: Brown's Flags and Funnels [Wedge 1926]
J.H. Welsford & Company, Limited, Liverpool - white flag - red Maltese Cross.
Jarig Bakker, 31 January 2005
by Jarig Bakker, based on the website of the National Maritime Museum.
From the website of the National
Maritime Museum, the house flag of the Westcott and Lawrence Line Ltd.,
London. A blue rectangular flag with the yellow initials 'W & L' (Westcott and
Lawrence) and a blue pennant above bearing the white initials 'JRE' (Ellerman
lines). The pennant and flag are made of a wool and synthetic fibre bunting.
They have cotton hoists and are machine sewn. The Ellerman's initials are
printed. The pennant and flag are on a single rope with a toggle attached."
Jarig Bakker, 3 September 2004
by Jarig Bakker, based on the website of the National Maritime Museum.
From the website of the National
Maritime Museum, the house flag of Western Ferries (Clyde) Ltd., Glasgow. A
blue rectangular flag with a white disc in the centre. The disc bears a red logo
on two arrows pointing in opposite directions attached to a circle. The flag is
made of a wool and synthetic fibre bunting. It has a cotton hoist and is machine
sewn. The central motif is made of polyester cotton fabric. A rope and toggle is
attached."
Jarig Bakker, 3 September 2004
White with a whide blue border all around and a
red lozenge centered. Very maritime-looking.
Jorge Candeias, 01 Apr 1999
The red lozenge represents the Isle of Wight, which is diamond shaped.
In fact the lozenge has a small “nick” out of it to represent the
estuary of the River Medina. The whole flag is an adaptation of the
"W" flag from the International Code of Signals, and the former livery
of Wightlink ferries had the name "WIGHTLINK" spelled out in painted
signal flags but with the house flag substituted for the "W" flag.
Roy Stilling, 01 Apr 1999
image by Jarig Bakker, 28 November 2005
C.M. Willie & Co. (Shipping) Ltd., Cardiff - horizontal white over green; on
white red dragon.
Source: Loughran (1995)
Jarig Bakker, 28 November 2005
image by Ivan Sache, 12 March 2008
Lloyds Book of House Flags and Funnels (1912)
shows the house flag of "D.H. Willey" (#117, p. 42), a company based in
Southampton, as blue with a white "W" in the middle.
Ivan Sache, 12 March 2008
Source: Brown's Flags and Funnels [Wedge 1926]
Witherington & Everett, Newcastle-on-Tyne - red flag, white
"W&E".
Jarig Bakker, 5 February 2005
image by Jarig Bakker, 20 September 2005
John H. Whitaker (Tankers), Ltd., Hull - vertical red-green burgee; on red
black disk, white "W".
Source:
Loughran (1995)
Jarig Bakker, 20 September 2005
Source: Brown's Flags and Funnels [Wedge 1926]
Woods, Tylor & Brown, London - white flag, red knotted rope.
Jarig Bakker, 31 January 2005
White with a blue and white logo
centered. The logo is a disc with a
very fat "W" "sailing" on wavy lines.
Jorge Candeias, 22 Mar 1999
by Jarig Bakker, based on the website of the National Maritime Museum.
From the website of the National
Maritime Museum, the house flag of Wyre Trawlers, Fleetwood. A white
rectangular flag with a red 'W' in the centre. The flag is made of a wool and
synthetic fibre bunting. It has a cotton hoist and is machine sewn. A rope and
toggle is attached."
Fleetwood is a port in Lancashire (England).
Jarig Bakker, 4 September 2004
Wyre Trawlers. Appear to have originated as Wyre Steam Trawling Co. Ltd.
operated by John N. Ward & Son and using a red flag with a white diamond
throughout bearing a blue "W" being shown by Lloyds
1912. Ward appears to have disappeared from the scene post WW2 and in the latter
1950s the company became Wyre Trawlers Ltd. lasting until around the beginning
of the 1980s.
Neale Rosanoski, 7 February 2005
image by Ivan Sache, 30 March 2008
Lloyds Book of House Flags and Funnels (1912)
shows the house flag of "F. Yeoman" (#136, p. 43), a company based in West
Hartlepool, as
white with a blue saltire and a red rectangle in the middle.
The next flag (#137) in Lloyd's is similar, but with a red saltire and a blue
rectangle, as the house flag of "Joseph E. Murrell & Son",
also registered in West Hartlepool. There is indeed a "Murrell and Yeoman"
company mentioned in West Hartlepool.
Ivan Sache, 30 March 2008
The National Maritime Museum in London keeps an enamelled badge (http://www.nmm.ac.uk/Collections/collectionsDetail.cfm?ID=JEW0300),
acquired on a cruise to the Canaries in 1928, decorated with the house flag of
the Yeoward Line. It is the badge of SS Avoceta, built in 1923 and sunk by a
submarine in 1941. The flag is horizontally divided red-yellow-red, with the
letters Y.B. in gold.
The company still exists today as Yeoward (Shipping) Ltd, a member of the
Yeoward group in Liverpool, and is registered as ship agents and forwarding
agents. There is also a Yeoward Boatyards in Salcombe, South Devon, specialized
in supply, maintenance, repair and dry storage of motor boats. On the company
website, a flag similar to the one pictured on the badge is shown, but with
black letters. It is highly probable that the original house flag also had black
letters, which were enamelled in gold for aesthetical purpose. The original name
of the company seems to have been Yeoward Bros and Bonny, which may explain the
Y and B letters on the flag.
A book was dedicated to the history of the Yeoward Line: Theodore W.S. Barry.
Sunward by Yeoward. Granta Editions, 1994.
Ivan Sache, 26 February 2004
Yeoward Line originated in 1898 as Yeoward Brothers then in 1920 they
formed Yeoward Line Ltd. for their ship owning which ceased around the
mid 1950s. All sources agree that the yellow band was wider than the
red ones whilst Talbot-Booth states that there were actual
variations as to whether the letters had dots after them, no dots at
all or a hyphen between them.
Neale Rosanoski, 7 February 2005
There seems to be no agreement as to how the letters are written:
www.mysticseaport.org shows the flag with dots, no hyphen. On
their
timetable, the company shows "hovering dots".
Merseyside
Views shows no dots. The funnel on the
Ships List
shows just a letter Y.
Jan Mertens, 7 February 2005
by Jarig Bakker, based on the website of the National Maritime Museum.
From the website of the National
Maritime Museum, the house flag of Zillah Shipping Co. Ltd, Liverpool. A
blue, white blue tricolour with a red 'Z' in the centre. The flag is made of a
wool and synthetic fibre bunting. It has a cotton hoist and is machine sewn. A
rope and toggle is attached.
The company originally comprised the fleet of William A. Savage & Co. Ltd of
Liverpool. After being bought by Coast lines in 1949, a new company was set up
under the name of Zillah Shipping Co. Ltd and Savage's 15 steam coasters were
transferred to it. The steamers were replaced by motorships between 1954 and
1958. The company was sold outright to Coast Lines
in 1967 and its fleet was sold or absorbed."
Jarig Bakker, 4 September 2004
Brown (1951) has for Zillah Shipping & Carrying Co., Ltd., Liverpool a
houseflag with a white field charged with letters ZLTD in varying sizes and dots
under the T and D.
Jarig Bakker, 4 September 2004
I may be wrong about some of the details as it is many years since I read the
original article from which I now quote, but William A Savage, the original
founder of the Zillah Line, came from a very prominent Nonconformist (i e, not
affiliated with the Church of England) family in the Liverpool area; I can no
longer recall to which denomination they belonged - Baptist, Methodist, Quaker,
Congregationalist, etc. Most of the members of this denomination tended not only
to intermarry with one another but also to give their children Biblical
forenames, usually drawn from the Old Testament. William's parents were unusual
in that they named him after the reigning sovereign (William IV), although his
middle name was Biblical. Zillah was William's mother's name.
Ron Lahav, 5 September 2004