The Early Years:

Sir John Reeves Ellerman, 1st Baronet, CH (1862–1933) was an English shipowner and investor. He was one of the most successful entrepreneurs in British history.

In 1892 Ellerman made his first move into shipping by leading a consortium which purchased the interests of the late Frederick Richards Leyland, one of the largest shipowners in Britain. In 1901 Ellerman sold this business to J.P. Morgan for £1.2 million, which was immediately folded into the International Mercantile Marine Co.. John Ellerman, however, immediately began to buy other shipping lines. These are described below:

Shipping Lines:

Ellerman & Papayanni Line

A shipping company formed by the Papayanni Brothers in 1855 was acquired by J. R. Ellerman & Co. in 1901and became Ellerman & Papayanni Line.

Ellerman & Papayanni Lines Ltd was established in Liverpool, England, in 1832, by the Greek Papayanni brothers as Papayanni & Co, shipowners. The company operated between Liverpool, Malta, Egypt, the Levant and Black Sea. The company built its first steamer, the Arcadian, in 1854, and the results achieved by this vessel led to their fleet of schooners being replaced by steamers of a similar type.

When the American Civil War stopped grain imports from the United States, the company supplied the deficiency by building up a big business in grain from south-eastern Europe. Although their ships were small, they were as big as the Danube and Black Sea ports could accommodate and each carried 30-40 passengers. Between the grain seasons they brought cotton from Egypt, and maintained two regular services.

The firm was incorporated as Papayanni Steamship Co Ltd in 1897 with the original family still in control. However, the new company had not the capital to modernise their fleet and accepted Sir John Ellerman’s offer to purchase the business. Ellerman was chairman of London, Liverpool & Ocean Shipping Company Ltd, from 1902 known as Ellerman Lines Ltd. Ellerman Lines also acquired many of the Papayanni Lines rival companies, such as City Line Ltd and Hall Line Ltd. The Papayanni Steamship Co Ltd had enjoyed a privileged position amongst merchants owing to their directors’ personal connections in the Mediterranean and the new management thereby acquired an influential position in the Mediterranean trade. In 1906, Papayanni Steamship Co Ltd became Ellerman & Papayanni Lines Ltd.

These companies all came together under the Ellerman flag and adopted the Ellerman funnel colours of buff with a white band and black top. Rather than being in competition, the companies now worked together. The older City Line passenger vessels were transferred to the Mediterranean services and remained popular with tourists until they were replaced by modern vessels built for the Ellerman & Papayanni Line Ltd. The Papayanni Line at this time offered a two-month Mediterranean cruise for GBP 33 or a six-month ticket for GBP 50 that allowed the holder to use any of the Ellerman group of companies ships during that time.

The outbreak of the 1914-1918 World War saw the government requisition a large number of the Ellerman fleet for use as troop carriers, munitions carriers, or for conversion into war ships. The Ellerman group of companies continued to operate a skeletal service with the ships it had left. After the war, the immediate aim of the Ellerman group was to secure sufficient tonnage to restore a level of service comparable to the group’s old standards which lead to the purchase of several German liners as well as new tonnage being ordered. The passenger services to Egypt, India, Sri Lanka, South Africa and the Far East were soon re-established and the network of cargo services restored.

By 1939, the Ellerman group of companies owned 105 ships capable of carrying a combined 920,000 tons making Ellerman’s one of the biggest fleets in the world. They had 4 classes of ship: cargo ships with space for a considerable number of passengers, cargo ships with limited passenger accommodation; pure cargo ships, and short sea traders for the Mediterranean and Iberian services.

Prior to the 1939, the Papayanni Line was operating services from Liverpool, Portugal and various Mediterranean ports.

The 1939-1945 World War saw many Ellerman ships requisitioned for Government service while a number of ships were retained to continue as cargo vessels bringing supplies to the United Kingdom and government departments. Forty-one ships were sunk by submarines, 7 by air attacks, 3 by mines and 1 by surface raider. In total, 60 ships were lost from the Ellerman group fleet out of 105.

Following the war, a new building programme was undertaken, with the City of Bristol being the first new ship. A new policy of building fast steam cargo liners that held no more than 12 passengers who were to travel in style and comfort with similar standards for crew accommodation was implemented. The company concentrated on re-establishing their world wide trade routes and purchased from the Government 12 cargo ships which the company had managed during the war.

By 1952, Ellerman group of companies had 25 of these new style 12-passenger ships and had restored the bulk of their pre-war services with a total of 45 new vessels and a further 14 for the Portuguese trade and Mediterranean services. By 1953, the fleet had a total of 94 ships with a carry capacity of 900,000 tons.

In 1993, Ellerman & Papayanni Lines Ltd became Papayanni Lines Ltd and was dissolved in 1996.

Westcott & Laurence Line

Another shipping company was Westcott & Laurence. This had started in 1867 as Westcott & Houseden. In 1871 Robert Houseden died and the company became Westcott & Laurence. 1901 the fleet was sold to J. R. Ellerman & Co.

In the late 1850s an infrequent service between London and the Levant was maintained by the Greek & Oriental Shipping Co, shipowners, London, England. This company was ruined by a bank crash and in 1864, Captain W G Westcott, previously of the Greek & Oriental Shipping Co, along with a former member of the office staff set up a shipbrokers and, in 1867, despatched their first steamer, Harriet Agnes, on her first voyage.

This partnership was known as Westcott & Houseden, changing its name to Westcott & Laurence in 1871. The company established trade lines to the Mediterranean with routes to Malta; Alexandria, Egypt; and Odessa; Ukraine; and also to Malta; Piraeus, Greece; Syria, Istanbul, Turkey; the Black Sea and ports on the river Danube.

Ellerman Lines Ltd, shipowners, Glasgow, Scotland, acquired Westcott & Laurence in 1901, establishing Ellerman Lines Ltd in the port of London. The line already owned the City Line Ltd, Hall Line Ltd and Bucknall Steamship Lines Ltd and had a dominating position in the Mediterranean and Near East.

The companies all came together under the Ellerman flag and adopted the Ellerman funnel colour of buff with a white band and black top. Rather than being in competition, the companies now worked together. The older City Line passenger vessels were transferred to the Mediterranean services and remained popular with tourists until they were replaced by modern vessels built for the Ellerman & Papayanni Line Ltd.

The outbreak of the 1914-1918 World War saw the government requisition a large number of the Ellerman fleet for use as troop carriers, munitions carriers, or for conversion into war ships. The Ellerman group of companies continued to operate a skeletal service with the ships it had left. After the war, the immediate aim of the Ellerman group was to secure sufficient tonnage to restore a level of service comparable to the group’s old standards which lead to the purchase of several German liners as well as new tonnage being ordered. The passenger services to Egypt, India, Sri Lanka, South Africa and the Far East were soon re-established and the network of cargo services restored.

Westcott & Laurence Line Ltd was incorporated in 1924.

By 1939, the Ellerman group of companies owned 105 ships capable of carrying a combined 920,000 tons making Ellerman’s one of the biggest fleets in the world. They had 4 classes of ship: cargo ships with space for a considerable number of passengers, cargo ships with limited passenger accommodation; pure cargo ships, and short sea traders for the Mediterranean and Iberian services.

During the 1939-1945 World War many ships were requisitioned for Government service while a number of ships were retained to continue as cargo vessels bringing supplies to the United Kingdom and government departments. Forty-one ships were sunk by submarines, 7 by air attacks, 3 by mines and 1 by surface raider. In total, 60 ships were lost from a fleet of 105.

Following the war, a new building programme was undertaken, with the City of Bristol being the first new ship. A new policy of building fast steam cargo liners was implemented that held no more than 12 passengers who were to travel in style and comfort with similar standards for crew accommodation. The group concentrated on re-establishing their world wide trade routes and purchased from the Government 12 cargo ships which the company had managed during the war.

By 1952, the company had 25 of these new style 12-passenger ships and had restored the bulk of their pre-war services with a total of 45 new vessels and a further 14 for the Portuguese trade and Mediterranean services. By 1953, the fleet had a total of 94 ships with a carry capacity of 900,000 tons.

Westcott & Laurence Line Ltd was dissolved in 1994.

Montgomerie & Workman

Montgomery & Greenhorne started in 1855. In 1877 with the death of Alexander Greenhorne, the company became Montgomerie & Workman. In 1901 the company was taken over by J. R. Ellerman & Co.

The partnership of Montgomerie & Workman, shipbrokers and insurance brokers, London, England, was established in 1849. The firm was incorporated in 1913 as Montgomerie & Workman Ltd, its name changing to Montgomerie & Workman (1920) Ltd in 1920. The company acted as the London agents of the Ellerman group of companies which included Ellerman City Line Ltd, Ellerman Lines Ltd, Ellerman & Bucknall (Steamships) Co Ltd, Ellerman & Papayanni Lines Ltd and Hall Line Ltd.

In 2002, Montgomerie & Workman Ltd existed in London as a non-trading company.

Ellerman City Line

George Smith & Sons (City Line) ommenced shipowning in 1840 and traded to India with sailing vessels. By 1852 voyages were being made to Valparaiso and the West Indies, Australia and New Zealand and later between India, New York and the UK. In 1901 the company was sold to J. R. Ellerman and became Ellerman's City Line.

George Smith & Sons, merchants of Glasgow, Scotland, purchased their first vessel, the Constellation, from New Brunswick, Canada, in 1839. The barque was used in the company’s trade with Calcutta, India, and also carried missionaries. It was sold shortly afterwards and the Oriental purchased, making her maiden voyage from the river Clyde, Glasgow, to Calcutta, India.

The company realised that in order to succeed they would need to have vessels built to their own specification and their next two ships, the Majestic and Asia were designed especially for them and built in Clyde ship yards. At this time, London was the centre of the tea trade although merchants were eager to have tea and other commodities exported straight to Scotland from India.

Smith soon established a sound reputation for successful handling these commodities, gaining a virtual monopoly of the tea trade to Scotland. By the outbreak of the 1914-1918 World War, the City Line, as the firm had become known, was carrying 500,000 chests of tea per year from India and Sri Lanka to London.

In 1848, the launch of the City of Glasgow, built by Robert Barclay & Curle, shipbuilders, Kelvinhaugh, Glasgow, introduced the system of nomenclature from the which the City Line later derived its name. By the early 1860s, George Smith & Sons had separated their merchant business from their shipowning activities and possessed a fleet of ships able to outsail any ships afloat.

The completion of the Suez Canal saw the company’s first steamer, the City of Oxford, passing through the canal in December 1870 shortly after its opening bound for Bombay and Calcutta. Around this time, the company started to develop its steamer fleet, although sailing ships continued to be built until 1882, by which time the company had 52 sailing ships.

As there was not always sufficient trade to India to keep both the steam and sailing ship fleets employed, sailing ships were often diverted to other parts of the world, carrying emigrants to Australia and New Zealand. The steamers also carried passengers, and by the 1890s were operating separate passenger and cargo fleets.

In 1892, City Line Ltd was incorporated to acquire the business of George Smith & Sons and remained under the control of the fourth generation of Smiths. At this time, the City Line Ltd was maintaining a fortnightly cargo and passenger service to Calcutta from Liverpool and Glasgow, and a monthly cargo and passenger service to Bombay and Karachi.

In 1901, the London, Liverpool & Ocean Shipping Company Ltd (later Ellerman Lines Ltd) acquired the company and its name was changed to Ellerman City Line Ltd. Ellerman’s soon acquired many of the City Line’s competitors, such as the Hall Line Ltd and Bucknall Steamship Lines Ltd.

The companies all came together under the Ellerman flag and adopted the Ellerman funnel colour of buff with a white band and black top. Rather than being in competition, the companies now worked together. The older City Line passenger vessels were transferred to the Mediterranean services and remained popular with tourists until they were replaced by modern vessels built for Ellerman & Papayanni Lines Ltd.

The outbreak of the 1914-1918 World War saw the government requisition a large number of the Ellerman fleet for use as troop carriers, munitions carriers, or for conversion into war ships. The Ellerman group of companies continued to operate a skeletal service with the ships it had left. After the war, the immediate aim of the Ellerman group was to secure sufficient tonnage to restore a level of service comparable to the group's old standards which lead to the purchase of several German liners as well as new tonnage being ordered. The passenger services to Egypt, India, Sri Lanka, South Africa and the Far East were soon re-established and the network of cargo services restored.

In 1936, the City of Benares was launched and was regarded as the ideal passenger and cargo ship. She accommodated 219 first-class passengers and was specially designed for the Bombay service but in 1940 she was sunk in the Atlantic. Just prior to the 1939-1945 World War, the City Line was providing a regular service from Glasgow and Birkenhead to the Kathiawar ports and Bombay.

By 1939, the Ellerman group of companies owned 105 ships capable of carrying a combined 920,000 tons making Ellerman’s one of the biggest fleets in the world. They had four classes of ship: cargo ships with space for a considerable number of passengers; cargo ships with limited passenger accommodation; pure cargo ships, and short sea traders for the Mediterranean and Iberian services.

During the 1939-1945 World War many ships were requisitioned for Government service while a number of ships were retained to continue as cargo vessels bringing supplies to the United Kingdom and government departments. Forty-one ships were sunk by submarines, seven by air attacks, three by mines and one by surface raider. In total, 60 ships were lost from a fleet of 105.

Following the war, a new building programme was undertaken, with the City of Bristol being the first new ship. A new policy was implemented of building fast steam cargo liners that held no more than 12 passengers who travelled in style and comfort with similar standards for crew accommodation. The company concentrated on re-establishing their world wide trade routes and purchased from the Government 12 cargo ships which they had managed during the war. By 1952, the company had 25 of these new 12-passenger style ships and had restored the bulk of their pre-war services with a total of 45 new vessels and a further 14 for the Portuguese trade and Mediterranean services. By 1953, the fleet had a total of 94 ships with a carry capacity of 900,000 tons.

Ellerman City Line Ltd appears to have ceased trading in the late 1970s and no longer existed in 2002.

Ellerman Hall Line

Robert Alexander started shipowning in the 1850s and in 1868 founded the Sun Shipping Co., Liverpool which operated cargo and passenger services. The ships were named _____HALL, the company became known as the Hall Line, and in 1899 the name was officially changed to Hall Line Ltd. The company was purchased in 1901 by John Ellerman and continued operating as part of the Ellerman Group as Ellerman's Hall Line.

The Hall Line Ltd was founded as Robert & Young, shipmanagers, in Liverpool, England, in 1864. The first sailing ships, the Bayard and Vernon, made their maiden voyages in 1864, one being despatched to India and the other to Australia. In 1868, this partnership was dissolved when Robert Alexander started his own fleet of sailing ships in Liverpool named after historic English country houses and halls and trading under the name Robert Alexander & Co. The next three vessels were named the Haddon Hall, Locksley Hall and Eaton Hall, built in 1868, 1869, and 1870 respectively, and it was from the adoption of this distinctive nomenclature that the Line subsequently derived its name.

At that time, the firm’s ships principally traded to India, Australia and the west coast of America, although the firm were already tending to concentrate their interests in the Indian trade in competition with George Smith & Sons, shipowners, Glasgow, Scotland. A typical voyage of the period was from Liverpool to Australia with passengers and general cargo, then on to San Francisco, USA, and home with wheat, or from Australia to Burma and then home with rice. With the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869 it soon became evident that traffic through the Canal would adversely affect the employment of sailing ships to India, and the firm accordingly determined to establish a regular service of steamers to India with Bombay as their terminal port.

The steamer service was inaugurated in 1873 with the City of Baltimore. Three new steamers entered into service over the next two years, the Branksome Hall, Merton Hall, and Werneth Hall. They were exceptionally large for their time, with superior passenger accommodation, and carrying about 6,000 tons dead weight of cargo. Additional steamers were built to meet the growing demand of trade, their last sailing ship being disposed of in 1881.

In 1874, Robert Alexander formed the Sun Shipping Co Ltd and this was the official title of the Hall Line for many years. In the late 1870s, the firm of Alexander & Radcliffe was formed in Liverpool to manage the Sun Shipping Co Ltd and it also took over some of the ships personally owned by Robert Alexander. The fleets of the companies were divided in 1883 between the Sun Shipping Co Ltd, Robert Alexander & Co and Alexander & Radcliffe but the three companies worked closely together. The Alexander & Radcliffe company was dissolved in 1885 and Robert Alexander & Co became the sole managers of the Sun Shipping Co Ltd.

For a number of years the Hall Line maintained a regular and successful passenger service to Karachi, Pakistan; and Bombay, India. The carriage of cargo, however, was their major interest and in 1898 they relinquished their passenger interests and sold their passenger vessels to the P & O Co. In 1899, the Sun Shipping Co Ltd was liquidated and the company re-established as Hall Line Ltd with Robert Alexander as chairman.

The Hall Line Ltd then restricted its activities to the transport of cargo and it was not until after the Ellerman group of companies acquired them in 1901 that they re-entered the passenger trade in association with the Ellerman City Line Ltd, Glasgow, Scotland.

The absorption of the City and Hall Lines into the Ellerman Group in 1901 rendered possible a close integration of their respective organisations and a wider development of their Eastern services, which now embraced all the principle ports in India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka (then Ceylon). In addition, the Hall Line operated services to and from South and East Africa. The tradition “Hall” nomenclature was allowed to die out and the Ellerman trademark “City” designation took over.

The outbreak of the 1914-1918 World War saw the government requisition a large number of the Ellerman fleet for use as troop carriers, munitions carriers, or for conversion into war ships. The Ellerman group of companies continued to operate a skeletal service with the ships it had left. After the war, the immediate aim of the Ellerman group was to secure sufficient tonnage to restore a level of service comparable to the group’s old standards which lead to the purchase of several German liners as well as new tonnage being ordered. The passenger services to Egypt, India, Sri Lanka, South Africa and the Far East were soon re-established and the network of cargo services restored.

By 1939, the Ellerman group of companies owned 105 ships capable of carrying a combined 920,000 tons making Ellerman’s one of the biggest fleets in the world. They had 4 classes of ship: cargo ships with space for a considerable number of passengers; cargo ships with limited passenger accommodation; pure cargo ships; and short sea traders for the Mediterranean and Iberian services. Prior to the war, the Hall Line was providing a regular service that loaded in south Wales, Manchester and Birkenhead for the Middle East, Kathiawar ports, Bombay and Karachi; and in south Wales, Glasgow, Birkenhead, Dunkirk, Middlesbourough and Hull for Marmagoa and the Malabar coast.

During the 1939-1945 World War many ships were requisitioned for Government service while a number of ships were retained to continue as cargo vessels bringing supplies to the United Kingdom and government departments. Forty-one ships were sunk by submarines, seven by air attacks, three by mines and one by surface raider. In total, 60 ships were lost from a fleet of 105.

Following the war, a new building programme was undertaken, with the City of Bristol being the first new ship. A new policy was implemented of building fast steam cargo liners that held no more than 12 passengers who were to travel in style and comfort with similar standards for crew accommodation. The company concentrated on re-establishing their world wide trade routes and purchased from the Government 12 cargo ships which the company had managed during the war. By 1952, the company had 25 of these new style 12-passenger ships and had restored the bulk of their pre-war services with a total of 45 new vessels and a further 14 for the Portuguese trade and Mediterranean services. By 1953, the fleet had a total of 94 ships with a carry capacity of 900,000 tons.

Hall Line Ltd appears to have ceased trading in the late 1970s and was dissolved in 1994.

Ellerman & Bucknall

Henry Bucknall & Son was formed in London in 1742 as cork merchants and used chartered ships. They started shipowning in 1851 and in 1891 formed the British & Colonial Steam Navigation Co. In 1893 Edward Lloyd of Bucknall Bros. together with Union Line formed the American & African Line to operate passenger and cargo services between New York, Cape Town and Calcutta. 1895 Bucentaur SS Co. was formed to cater for trade to Canada, USA, Australia and New Zealand. Due to financial problems, John Ellerman was sold a controlling interest in the company in 1908 and in 1914 the company was renamed Ellerman & Bucknall Steamship Co.

Ellerman & Bucknall (Steamships) Co Ltd began in 1740 as Henry Bucknall & Sons, shipowners, London, England, who traded in cork from Portugal. During the 1850s, the company decided to purchase a fleet of sailing ships with the primary objective of transporting their own merchandise. In 1868, the firm began to replace their sailing ships with steamers but still restricted their activities to trading between the United Kingdom and Portugal. In 1888, the firm of Bucknall Brothers, shipbrokers, was established and in 1890 Bucknall Nephews was established to take over the ships of the parent firm, Henry Bucknall & Co.

The development of gold and diamond mining in South Africa led the company, along with a contract with the Netherlands South African Railway, to inaugurate a regular service to South Africa in 1892. To undertake this service, the British & Colonial Steam Navigation Co was formed by Bucknall Nephews in 1891 with a fleet of 9 steamers and a passenger service being added in 1895. Various contracts to transport livestock and goods to South Africa were secured although goods for the return journey were scarce. As a result, the ships would often cross from South Africa to Burma to carry rice or undertake charter services to Australia.

Sometimes the ships would call at the Canary Islands to collect ballast of fruit, potatoes and tomatoes. In 1893, a service carrying mules from New York, USA, to Cape Town, South Africa, for the Cape Town Tramway system was started and later extended to India with a full service being inaugurated in 1898, loading for Canada as well on the return journey.

In 1900, Bucknall Steamship Lines Ltd was incorporated to acquire the business of the British & Colonial Steam Navigation Co with a share and debenture capital of GBP 1,985,000. The company struggled in its early days due to the price it had to pay for the assets it acquired and also due to a slump in business following the Transvaal War in South Africa. It gradually recovered and services were developed to the Malay Straights, China, the Philippines and Japan; from Australia to England; also between North America and South and East Africa; the Mediterranean, Persian Gulf, India, Java, Malaya, the Far East, Australia and New Zealand.

In 1908, the Bucknall Steamship Lines Ltd found themselves in difficulty again though overbuilding and it was arranged that the company should be acquired by Ellerman Lines Ltd, shipowners, London, Scotland. Ellerman Lines Ltd already owned and operated the Ellerman City Line Ltd, Hall Line Ltd, and Ellerman & Papayanni Lines Ltd. In the early days of the company the ships bore names distinctly redolent of South Africa and China, but with the construction of new tonnage these names lapsed and the “City” system of nomenclature used by the Ellerman group of companies including the City, Hall and Bucknall fleets was adopted. In 1912, the company’s passenger services were taken over by the Hall and City Lines and in 1914, the company was renamed Ellerman & Bucknall (Steamships) Co Ltd.

The outbreak of the 1914-1918 World War saw the government requisition a large number of the Ellerman fleet for use as troop carriers, munitions carriers, or for conversion into war ships. The Ellerman group of companies continued to operate a skeletal service with the ships it had left. After the war, the immediate aim of the Ellerman group was to secure sufficient tonnage to restore a level of service comparable to the group's previous standards which lead to the purchase of several German liners as well as new tonnage being ordered. The passenger services to Egypt, India, Sri Lanka, South Africa and the Far East were soon re-established and the network of cargo services restored.

By 1939, the Ellerman group of companies owned 105 ships capable of carrying a combined 920,000 tons making Ellerman’s one of the biggest fleets in the world. They had 4 classes of ship: cargo ships with space for a considerable number of passengers; cargo ships with limited passenger accommodation; pure cargo ships; and short sea traders for the Mediterranean and Iberian services.

Prior to the war, the main Ellerman & Bucknall (Steamships) Co Ltd services were Middlesborough, England; Antwerp, Netherlands; Rotterdam, Netherlands; Hamburg, Germany; and London to South African ports, Lourenco Marques, Beira, Mozambique; and Mauritius. Services were also provided from the United Kingdom and Europe to the Far East. They also ran various cross-trades from Canada and USA to the Persian Gulf, South and East Africa, the Indian Ocean, the Far East and Australia returning to the USA or Britain.

During the 1939-1945 World War, many ships were requisitioned for Government service while a number of ships were retained to continue as cargo vessels bringing supplies to the United Kingdom and government departments. Forty-one ships were sunk by submarines, seven by air attacks, three by mines and one by surface raider. In total, 60 ships were lost out of the fleet of 105.

Following the war, the Ellerman group undertook a new building programme, with the City of Bristol being the first new ship. A new policy of building fast steam cargo liners that held no more than 12 passengers who travelled in style and comfort with similar standards for crew accommodation. The group concentrated on re-establishing their world wide trade routes and purchased 12 cargo ships from the Government which the company had managed during the war. By 1952, the company had 25 of these new style 12-passenger ships and had restored the bulk of their pre-war services with a total of 45 new vessels and a further 14 for the Portuguese trade and Mediterranean services. By 1953, the fleet had a total of 94 ships with a carry capacity of 900,000 tons.

The company appears to have ceased trading in the 1970s and was dissolved in 1999.

Ellerman Wilson Line

Wilson Line was founded in 1822 in Hull as Beckinton, Wilson & Co to import iron ore from Sweden with a fleet of sailing ships. In 1835 irregular sailing ship passenger services were introduced between Hull, Hamburg and Rotterdam, and a steamship service between Hull and Dunkirk was started the same year.

After the death of Beckinton, the company became Wilson, Hudson & Co in 1831 and in May 1840 a regular steamship service was instituted between Hull, Christiania (Oslo) and Gothenburg. John and Thomas Hudson withdrew from the partnership in 1841 and the company then became Thos.Wilson, Sons & Co. They rapidly expanded services to Scandinavian, Baltic and European ports and to other UK ports and in 1870 commenced trading to the Adriatic, Black Sea and Mediterranean. A short lived service to India was attempted in 1871 but was soon abandoned and didn't resume until the 1880s. Sailings to New York started in 1875.

In 1878 the firm of Brownlow, Marsdin & Co, Hull was purchased together with their fleet of seven ships and in 1903 the fleet of 23 vessels and the business of Bailey & Leetham of Hull was taken over. In the same year, agreement was reached with DFDS, Copenhagen to run a joint London - Baltic service. By the early 1900s, the Wilson Line was the largest private shipowning company in the world.

For example in 1916 he paid £4.1 million for Thomas Wilson Sons & Co. of Hull, which had once been the largest privately owned shipping line in the world. The Wilsons & North Eastern Railway Shipping Co. was formed in 1906 to operate services from Humber ports to Hamburg, Antwerp, Ghent and Dunkirk.

In 1916 Wilson Line was bought by Ellerman and became Ellerman's Wilson Line Ltd in 1917. After 1973 all constituent Ellerman companies were combined into Ellerman City Liners. However the North Sea services of Wilson Line were retained separately as Ellerman Wilson Line. Eventually in 1978 competition caused Ellerman Wilson Line to discontinue its North Sea services and it was discontinued.

Ellerman Lines

In 1892 John Reeves Ellerman, Christopher Furness and Henry O’Hagan incorporated Frederick Leyland & Co Ltd, shipowners, Liverpool, England, with a capital of GBP 800,000 to buy a fleet of 22 vessels from the executors of Frederick Leyland, formerly head of Frederick Leyland & Co. Initially, John Reeves Ellerman was the managing director and Christopher Furness was the chairman of the new company, but by 1893 John Reeves Ellerman had taken over the position of chairman.

In 1900, the company acquired a further 20 ships from the West India & Pacific SS Co Ltd and was reorganised as Frederick Leyland (1900) Ltd with a capital of GBP 2,800,000. A year later, however, J Pierpoint Morgan of the International Marine Mercantile Company, USA, purchased the company, although John Reeves Ellerman remained the chairman. At the time of this deal, John Reeves Ellerman also retained ownership of around 20 ships and acquired the Papayanni Steamship Co Ltd, shipowners, Liverpool, England, along with 8 of their ships.

Ellerman then formed the London, Liverpool & Ocean Shipping Company Ltd. This company’s head office was located in Moorgate, London, and its directors were John Reeves Ellerman (chairman), M W Mattinson and Val Prinsep.

In 1901, the London, Liverpool & Ocean Shipping Company Ltd acquired 50 percent of George Smith & Sons’ City Line Ltd, Glasgow, and 50 percent of the Hall Line Ltd and increased its capital, changing its name to Ellerman Lines Ltd at the beginning of 1902 with head offices in Liverpool and Glasgow and another office in London.

In 1908, the company acquired Bucknall Steamship Lines Ltd who operated services between the United Kingdom, South Africa, the near East and North America. The acquisitions of these companies gave the Ellerman group of companies a dominating position in the Mediterranean and Near East. By 1914, the Ellerman group consisted of the following companies: Ellerman City Line Ltd, Ellerman & Bucknall (Steamships) Co Ltd, Ellerman & Papayanni Lines Ltd, and Hall Line Ltd.

The outbreak of the 1914-1918 World War saw the Government requisition a large number of the Ellerman fleet for use as troop carriers, munitions carriers, or for conversion into war ships. The Ellerman group of companies continued to operate a skeletal service with the ships it had left. After the war, the immediate aim of the company was to secure sufficient tonnage to restore a level of service comparable to the company’s old standards which lead to the purchase of several German liners as well as new tonnage being ordered. The passenger services to Egypt, India, Sri Lanka, South Africa and the Far East were soon re-established and the network of cargo services restored.

By 1939, the Ellerman group of companies owned 105 ships capable of carrying a combined 920,000 tons making Ellerman’s one of the biggest fleets in the world. They had 4 classes of ship: cargo ships with space for a considerable number of passengers; cargo ships with limited passenger accommodation; pure cargo ships; and short sea traders for the Mediterranean and Iberian services.

Again, many ships were requisitioned for Government service during the 1939-1945 World War while a number of ships were retained to continue as cargo vessels bringing supplies to the United Kingdom and government departments. Forty-one ships were sunk by submarines, seven by air attacks, three by mines and one by surface raider. In total, 60 ships of the Ellerman Group were lost out of its fleet of 105.

Following the war, a new building programme was undertaken, with the City of Bristol being the first new ship. A new policy was implemented of building fast steam cargo liners that held no more than 12 passengers who travelled in style and comfort with similar standards for crew accommodation. The company concentrated on re-establishing their world wide trade routes and purchased from the Government 12 cargo ships which they had managed during the war. By 1952, the company had 25 of these new style 12-passenger ships and had restored the bulk of their pre-war services with a total of 45 new vessels and a further 14 for the Portuguese trade and Mediterranean services. By 1953, the fleet had a total of 94 ships with a carry capacity of 900,000 tons.

In 2002, Ellerman Lines Ltd was a dormant company.

The Ellerman Group

Thus by 1902 he combined his shipping interests including Ellerman & Papayanni Line, Westcott & Laurence, Montgomerie & Workman, City Line, Hall Line, Ellerman & Bucknall Steamship Co. into the Ellerman Group. He continued to expand the business, making inroads into the South African, Atlantic and Indian routes while buying rival lines on a regular basis.

By 1917 Ellerman owned 1.5 million tons of shipping, equivalent to the entire French merchant navy. There is no obvious secret to success in shipping; there were other talented men in the shipping business, but Ellerman far surpassed them. He wasn't an innovator, but assets flourished under his management and he made many good decisions and exceptionally few bad ones.

In 1968 Ellerman Group became a partner in setting up Associated Container Transportation (ACT) with Blue Star Line, Ben Line, Harrison Lines and Cunard (Port Line). Ellerman Group as well as forming part of the ACT Consortium, also in 1970 formed a partnership with Ben Line to form Ben Line Containers Ltd. In 1973 the group, which by now, had many other interests beyond shipping, including hotels, brewing and printing, merged all its shipping companies into one division. 

After 1973 all constituent Ellerman companies were combined into Ellerman City Liners. However the North Sea services of Wilson Line were retained separately as Ellerman Wilson Line. Eventually in 1978 competition caused Ellerman Wilson Line to discontinue its North Sea services and it was discontinued.

In 1983, the Ellerman Group was sold to the Barclay brothers after making heavy losses. In 1985 the Ellerman Group's shipping division "Ellerman Lines" was sold to its management and then in 1987 was taken over by Cunard (Trafalgar House) to become Cunard-Ellerman. Cunard later sold their Ellerman interests along with Cunard-Brocklebank Ltd to Andrew Weir (Bank Line) Ltd of Glasgow in 1991. However the non shipping part of Ellerman Group was retained by the Barclay Brothers as Ellerman Investments Ltd and it became one of their investment vehicles and a holding company for their hotel and property interests in the UK and Europe. Ellerman Investments Ltd is controlled by Sir David and Sir Frederick Barclay. Its main activities are the operation of hotels and property investment in the UK and Europe.  It holds a major stake in the InterContinental Hotels Group and owns the Ritz Hotel in London (acquired from Trafalgar House in 1995) for example. Thus Ellerman Investments Ltd, a legacy of the Ellerman Group shipping company, continues to be the main investment vehicle of the Barclay Brothers today. 

In 1991 P&O purchased the Cunard-Ellerman container business which became part of P&O Containers. In 1996 P&O Containers merged with Nedlloyd to form P&O Nedlloyd. In 2004 P&O's container operations became Royal P&O Nedlloyd and since have been taken over in 2005 by the A.P.Moller-Maersk Group and became Maersk Line.

In 2003 Hamburg Sud Group acquired the Ellerman services to the Mediterranean and to India/Pakistan from Andrew Weir Shipping. These were previously Cunard-Ellerman. In 2005 the Ellerman brand is replaced by the well-known and globally important Hamburg Süd brand and disappears.

Thus the Ellerman Group, one of Britain's great shipping groups, disappeared due to mergers and consolidation in the shipping industry and globalisation. It is truly the end of a glorious era.

Other Interests:

Ellerman House & Villa, Bantry Bay, Cape Town

The stately residence of Sir John Ellerman and Lady Ellerman in the Bantry Bay suburb of Cape Town in South Africa is now the Ellerman House hotel.

www.ellerman-house.com

The John Ellerman Foundation

The John Ellerman Foundation in 1971 after the death of the second Sir John Ellerman (son of the founder of Ellerman Group, Sir John R. Ellerman). Sir John and his wife Esther had no children but through their lives they developed a growing and profound interest in philanthropy. He had created The Moorgate Fund in 1970 and The New Moorgate Fund in 1971; he transferred to them some 79% of the shares in Ellerman Lines Ltd. In 1983 the Trustees, facing the need to diversify the investments to obtain a greater return, sold the shares in Ellerman Lines and invested the proceeds on the Stock Exchange. In 1992, the Trustees amalgamated the two Moorgate Funds and changed the name to The John Ellerman Foundation – thereby honouring both the man who had made this gift to charity and his father who created the wealth from which the gift came. The aims and values of the Foundation derive from its founder and benefactor, the second Sir John Ellerman; over time they have been developed to reflect both his interests and the changing needs of the charitable world.

www.ellerman.org.uk