Harrison's Calendars

Towards the end of almost every year of his retirement my father received a calendar from Thomas & James Harrison, the shipping line in which my grandfather Ernest was a captain and which my father served for many years as a ships' agent in East Africa with such dedication that, upon his retirement, the Harrisons' board presented him with a silver salver.

Each calendar featured a painting one of Harrison's many ships, some dating back to the company's origins when its ships were under sail - the one shown here is the Charles Souchay, seen entering the Mersey. Other calendars....

....illustrated the evolution of cargo shipping through those which had coal-fired engines which couldn't quite be trusted to....

....those that saw this country through two wars. This one, Contractor, is a typical 1930s boat and....

....this a Second World War 'Liberty' ship built in America - the picture shows the Successor passing the white cliffs of Dover.

Almost all Harrison's ships were named for a trade or profession, though Grandfather Haylett's last ship, Defender, was a little different. Harrisons' ships were good-looking but this one, Administrator, is, in my view, of a particularly elegant design. Another reason for this calendar being my favourite was that she is pictured in Dar-es-Salaam harbour, its name meaning 'Haven of Peace'.

As the world of shipping changed from mixed-cargo boats to container ships and bulk carriers, Harrisons couldn't compete alone so went into partnership with other lines, building ships like Astronomer which my father thought incredibly ugly.

Then, one year, the calendars stopped.