Last modified: 2021-05-29 by rob raeside
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From the website of the National
Maritime Museum, the house flag of R. & J. H. Rea, Liverpool. A red flag
with a white-bordered black diamond in the centre bearing a white 'R'. The flag
is made of a wool and synthetic fibre bunting. It has a cotton hoist and is
machine sewn. The design is printed.
Jarig Bakker, 24 August 2004
The Cory towage business, as opposed to their interests in River Thames
lighterage, can trace its origins back to the Rea family of coal merchants
established in Liverpool in 1872. However their fist step in tug owning was at
Southampton where they established a coal bunkering service with a tug called
CUMBRIA, built in 1895 to tow their various coal bunker barges. At this stage
they used the name R & JH Rea.
Tyne Tugs
http://www.tynetugs.co.uk/Owner-Cory.html
Lloyd's Book of House
Flags and Funnels (1912) shows the same flag (#1724, p. 119), but swallow-tailed
and with a much smaller emblem.
https://research.mysticseaport.org/item/l011061/l011061-c008/#84
Ivan Sache, 4 May 2021
image by Ivan Sache, 25 April 2021
My contribution has to be corrected as follows:
Lloyd's Book of House
Flags and Funnels (1912) shows the house flag of
G.T. Readhead & Co.
(#607, p. 65), a Newcastle-based company, as blue with a white lozenge
inscribing a red "R".
https://research.mysticseaport.org/item/l011061/l011061-c008/30/
Ivan Sache, 25 April 2021
image by Ivan Sache, 3 May 2021
Lougher, Sir Lewis (1871-1955), industrialist and politician. [...] He was
educated in Cardiff Secondary School and Cardiff Technical College , and was
apprenticed to corn merchants. But Lewis soon entered the shipping business, and
succeeded spectacularly as Cardiff developed into the world's chief port for
exporting coal, until in 1910 he established the shipping company Lewis Lougher
and Co., Ltd. having a fleet of ships in Bute docks, and he grew into a figure
typifying Cardiff at the zenith of the city's mercantile power. He became
chairman of a large number of shipping companies in Cardiff , Penarth and Barry,
chairman of the federation of Bristol Channel shipowners in 1919, chairman of
the Cardiff Chamber of Trade when the Chamber was particularly powerful, and an
expert on the problems of exporting and handling coal as a member of the
National Trimming Board
He was a member of Glamorgan County Council from 1922
to 1949, a member and chairman of Cardiff Rural Council, and M.P. (C) for
Cardiff East, 1922-23, and for Cardiff Central, 1924-29. His parliamentary
career was notable in that he succeeded in getting an act of parliament on the
statute book, namely the Road Transport Lighting Act, which he presented as a
private member's bill in February 1927, and which to the present day requires
that every vehicle shall have a white light at the front and red light at the
rear. [...]
Welsh Biography ònline
http://wbo.llgc.org.uk/en/s2-LOUG-LEW-1871.html
Lloyd's Book of
House Flags and Funnels (1912) shows the house flag of Redcroft Steam Navigation
Co., Ltd. (Lewis Lougher) (#1682, p. 117), a Cardiff-based shipping company,
with the lozenge placed horizontally instead of vertically, without reaching the
edges of the flag.
https://research.mysticseaport.org/item/l011061/l011061-c008/#82
Ivan
Sache, 3 May 2021
Quartered per saltire in white, green, red and blue.
Jorge Candeias, 23 Feb 1999
The Southampton Isle of Wight and South of England
Royal Mail Steam Packet Public Limited Company.
Universally known as Red Funnel for short.
Roy Stilling
The Southampton and Isle of Wight RMSP Co Ltd used a diagonally
divided flag that was - clockwise from the top - white, green, red
and blue.
James Dignan
The funnel livery has changed through time, see here:
http://www.redfunnel.co.uk/redfunnel.
This page of the same website gives the origin of the flag colours: "The
Company's famous house flag was derived from the names of four steamers that
were in the newly merged fleet in 1861- Sapphire, Emerald, Ruby and Pearl.
Blue to mast, green to fly, red on deck, white on high."
Jan Mertens, 28 January 2007
The postcard collection: 10.2.1: Red Funnel
Line
Postcard #11, 1st flag of the
collection reads " reads "Red Funnel
Steamers Ltd. (Southampton, Isle of Wight & Royal Mail Steam Packet Public Co.
Ltd.)" (i.e., not the exactly same name).
António Martins-Tuválkin, 5 May 2010
Lloyd's Book of House Flags and Funnels (1912) shows the same house flag
(#1204, p. 94).
https://research.mysticseaport.org/item/l011061/l011061-c008/#59
Ivan Sache, 29 April 2021
From the website of the National Maritime Museum, the house flag of Red 'R' Steamship Co. Ltd. A white rectangular flag with a red 'R' in the centre. The flag is made of a wool and synthetic fibre bunting. It has a cotton hoist and is machine sewn."
[The only match I found was in Brown (1951) for Stephens Sutton Ltd.,
Newcastle-on-Tyne (GB)]
Jarig Bakker, 24 August 2004
Red "R" Steamship Co. Ltd. - Jarig is correct with his matching with Stephens,
Sutton Ltd. as the latter was the parent company and this is a case of the flag
producing the company rather than vice versa. The origins go back to Daniel
Stephens who left the sea in 1871 and the following year founded Stephens &
Kendrick in Newcastle. In 1873 this became Stephens, Kendrick & Mawson who
acquired their first steamship in 1874. In 1878 it became Stephens & Mawson with
a separate company of Stephens, Mawson & Goss being started in Newport.
Neale Rosanoski, 5 December 2010
Lloyd's Book of House Flags and Funnels (1912) shows the same house flag (#1065,
p. 87).
https://research.mysticseaport.org/item/l011061/l011061-c008/52/
Ivan
Sache, 28 April 2021
image by Eugene Ipavec, 8 December 2010
Two flags are given for Stephens & Mawson by Lloyds 1882 with the first also being given under the name of the Red Cross Line, being white with a red saltire. This is also shown, without the alternative name, by Griffin 1893 and 1895 and Reed 1891.
The second flag was white with a red
"R" i.e. as shown by Jarig and predating the formation of the Red "R"
Steamship Co. Ltd. which was formed as a subsidiary but not until 1887. The
"R" possibly comes from the practice of the ships names beginning with that
letter. The first allocation found of the flag to the subsidiary is by Reed
1901 which does not mention the parent company. The subsidiary lasted until
1917 when it went into voluntary liquidation but in 1929 the name was
re-activated but it is not clear whether the company was likewise brought
back to life. Whichever applies, it does not appear to have survived WW2.
The parent company in the meantime changed name in 1901 to Stephens,
Sutton & Stephens and the white flag with red "R" is shown under this name by
Lloyds 1912 and Reed 1912, both as well giving the Red "R" name and the
latter indeed giving them both an entry. Then in 1919 the parent company
changed again to Stephens, Sutton Ltd. which went into liquidation in 1967.
The flag of white with a red "R" is shown under this name by all the main
sources subsequent to this date though Brown 1926 shows a yellow flag instead
of white which is presumably a printing error.
Neale Rosanoski, 5
December 2010
image by Eugene Ipavec, 8 December 2010
There were other flags
involved. The firm of Stephens, Mawson & Goss is shown as having a white flag
with a red diamond bearing a white "C" by Griffin
1895 and Reed 1901. Why a "C" is not clear but as "R" seems to have come from
ship names perhaps "C" comes from 2 [out of 3] ships given for the company
which started with this letter. The company acquired its first steamer in
1880 but was wound up in 1895 and reformed as Stephens, Mawson & Co.
Neale Rosanoski,
5 December 2010
images by Eugene Ipavec, 8 December 2010
In 1901
Arthur Mawson took over the company and moved to Cardiff where he traded under
his own name until retiring in 1915 when his fleet was sold. Two flags have been
shown. Lloyds 1912 shows a blue flag with a white border, except at the hoist,
and bearing a white "M" whilst Reed
1912 shows it as white with a very broad horizontal blue band bearing a white
"M" both as Arthur Mawson & Co. and as the Mawson
Shipping Co.
Neale Rosanoski, 5 December 2010
images by Eugene Ipavec, 8 December 2010
And Daniel Stephens of Newcastle, presumed to be the man
himself, appears in Reed 1901 with a white flag bearing a red star and
crescent with a version being given in Lloyds
1904 for Stephens, Sutton & Stephens. This flag
is mentioned by Talbot-Booth in his "Merchant Ships" 1942 and 1944 books
under the Red "R" Steamship Co. Ltd. as having been used by tank steamers
previously owned by that subsidiary.
Neale Rosanoski, 5 December 2010
image by Ivan Sache, 29 April 2021
Lloyd's Book of House Flags and Funnels (1912) shows the house flag of Stephens,
Sutton & Stephens (#1095, p. 89) as white with a red star above a red crescent.
https://research.mysticseaport.org/item/l011061/l011061-c008/#54
Ivan Sache, 29 April 2021
image by Eugene Ipavec, 23 June 2010
The Red Rose Navigation Co. Ltd. flag is seen at
http://www.allatsea.cx/images/memorabilia/Peter_Murphy_House_Flags2.jpg
(second row, central image). This firm is briefly mentioned here:
http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/lines/holt.htm:
“In 1965 the
Guinea Gulf Line with a subsidiary of Holt, the Red Rose Navigation Co. Ltd at
Bermuda, was acquired by Elder Dempster Line Ltd...”
Elsewhere we learn that
this company was established at Liverpool – just enter “bocna” under “Name” and
click “SEARCH” (later click “VIEW”):
http://www.hartlepoolbuilt.co.uk/form.html. I suppose Red Rose Navigation (‘Bocna’
was first named ‘Rose of Lancaster’ – also look at the funnel) moved to Bermuda
for fiscal reasons. Certainly active 1958-1965 but no other ship found yet.
The house flag appears to have been square: dark blue field, large white disk
bearing a red rose seeded and barbed green.
Jan Mertens, 21 June 2010
From the website of the National
Maritime Museum, the house flag of the Regent Petroleum Tankship Co. Ltd.,
London. A white flag, in the centre with a disc divided into red over blue and a
blue-edged white border. The name 'REGENT' is in blue letters on a white
background across the centre. The flag is made of a wool and synthetic fibre
bunting. It has a cotton hoist and is machine sewn. The design is printed. A
rope and two Inglefield clips is attached. The company ships were absorbed into
the Texaco fleet by 1968 and their own livery was abandoned."
Jarig Bakker, 25 August 2004
Brown's Flags and Funnels (1951) lists for Regents Line (Grand Union (Shipping)
Ltd.), London, a yellow flag with over all a blue Y; in top a white disk with
three blue horizontal stripes; at the hoist a black capital R; at the fly a
black capital L.
Jarig Bakker, 25 August 2004
image by Ivan Sache, 25 April 2021
Lloyd's Book of House Flags and Funnels (1912) shows the house flag of
Renwick, Wilton & Co., Ltd. (#610, p. 66), a Dartmouth-based company, as white
with a red border and the red letters "RW".
https://research.mysticseaport.org/item/l011061/l011061-c008/31/
Ivan
Sache, 25 April 2021