Photographs and ship publicity files

• Reference:GB 248 UGC 199/3/10
• Dates of Creation:c1876-c1980s
• Physical Description:
  100 files and 2 items.

• Scope and Content

  • Photographs - ships, c1876-1980s;
  • Photographs - ships managed for the British Government, 1918-1946;
  • Photographs - various ships, personnel, places and cargoes, 1930-1977;
  • Ship publicity files, 1945-1987.

• Administrative / Biographical History

  Photographs of most of the Ben Line fleet have been kept since the 1870s. Only 1 photograph of a ship managed for the British Government by the company during the First World War, War Roach, has been kept in this collection. There are photographs of 3 ships managed during the Second World War - Empire Protector, Fort Louisbourg and Empire Macalpine. After the Second World War, and especially during the time after A. M. Peill started working as the company's publicity manager from 1966, publicity files were kept containing predominantly photographs of ships being built, launched and at sea but also of ship interiors and other design features. These files also contain documentation surrounding the building, launching and promotion of ships, as well as material generated for the launches such as launch invites and press packs. They also include correspondence relating to these matters. Other files of photographs, including of various ships, were kept with general publicity content also including personnel, cargo and places called at by Ben ships. This material likely was used for general public relations purposes and also drawn upon for issues of the company's newspaper, the Ben Bulletin.

• Arrangement

  Arranged in 4 series arranged chronologically within record subfonds.