I enjoyed seeing the Waterline pictures of passengers on various ships over the years, including
Kungsholm,
Gripsholm and
Oriana for example, and in various ports. When I worked as a Purserette on Union-Castle Line mailships I particularly enjoyed meeting many new and interesting people, who travelled for so many different reasons.
[[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_large","fid":"219554","attributes":{"class":"media-image","typeof":"foaf:Image","style":"","width":"498","height":"500","alt":"A group of passengers with lifejackets aboard "}}]]A group of passengers with lifejackets aboard 'Kungsholm', undergoing life boat drill (P88247)
Not many people are aware though that our Mailships also carried enormous amounts of cargo, bringing great financial benefit to the company. Union Steam Ship was started in 1856 with little colliers bringing coal from Wales to Southampton, before sailing off to the Crimea under Government orders to deliver wooden sheds; Castle Packets began in 1876 with passengers, and both lines grew successfully, with their amalgamation in 1900 ensuring a steadily growing business as Union-Castle Line. They carried the Royal Mail under contract and because of the regularity of their service they could carry a great deal of cargo in the ships' holds.
The celebrated English poet
John Masefield is loved by many for his famous poem 'Cargoes', talking about a quinquireme of Nineveh rowing home to haven, and he lists a sumptuous cargo. He also describes a stately Spanish galleon and then a dirty British coaster, but each with vital cargoes, and the rhythm of the words of each of the three verses is so appropriate.
I am reminded of this poem when I think of the list of cargo that the Mailships carried. This varied from gold, diamonds, wool, vehicles, machinery, wine, and steam locomotives, to aircraft, exotic animals, steel and iron goods, fruit, copper, tea and cloves and so many other things.
Our ships regularly carried the gold mined in the South African goldfields, to the UK, before it was sent to its next destination. I was once allowed to go and see the gold (I thought it was worth being cheeky and asking) and have never forgotten the sight of all those boxes in the Bullion Room. They had to be inspected daily by the ship's Captain, Purser, and Master-at-Arms. A long time afterwards I discovered that the quantity I saw in December 1966 was valued at £9,700,000. Cargo was valuable for so many reasons!