Brangwyn’s Railroad Posters

Sir Frank Brangwyn (1867-1956) is perhaps best remembered for his murals. He also did easel paintings and posters, many of the latter in support of Britain’s effort in the Great War.

But that was not all. For a while in the 1920s he created a few posters for what became the London and North Eastern Railway, a major line that ran trains from London into Scotland along a route near the eastern coast of the island. (The London, Midland and Scottish followed a more westerly path north, while the Great Western and Southern railroads served other locations.)

At the time Brangwyn created the designs shown below, a trend toward simplified images was getting underway. Perhaps because Brangwyn was probably incapable of delivering a simplified image, his career in railroad poster making was comparatively brief.

Text and images from artcontrarian

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Jawa CZ 1958

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Soda Bilz

I keep wondering, where has that bloke got his other hand – 😉

Image found on 20th Century Man

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Round The World By Steam – 1920 – Koninklijke Hollandsche Lloyd

Founded in 1899 to carry cattle and cargo between Amsterdam and South America. The cattle trade ceased in 1903 when the British Government prohibited the import of live cattle due to the outbreak of foot and mouth disease in Argentina and in 1906 the company started emigration voyages from Amsterdam to Buenos Aires with calls at Boulogne, Plymouth, Coruna, Lisbon, Las Palmas, Pernambuco, Bahia, Rio de Janeiro, Santos and Montevideo. Between 1917 and 1919 the company also made a few calls at New York. Passenger services ceased after 1935, but the company continued to run a cargo service to South America and is now incorporated in the NEDLLOYD group.

Text from TheShipList

Ship on the poster

SS ZEELANDIA

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built by Alexander Stephen & Sons Glasgow,
Yard No 436

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Port of Registry: Amsterdam
Propulsion: Steam – triple expansion – 14 knots
Launched: Tuesday, 26/04/1910
Built: 1910
Ship Type: Passenger Cargo Vessel
Tonnage: 7958 grt
Length: 440 feet
Breadth: 55 feet
Owner History:
Koninklijke Hollandsche Lloyd Amsterdam
Status: Scrapped – 1936
Remarks: Maiden voyage 21st July 1910
Amsterdam to South America
Requisitioned by the US Government in March 1918 returning to Dutch service in 1919
Laid up February 1935

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Round The World By Steam – British India Steam Navigation Company

British India Steam Navigation Company ("BI") was formed in 1856 as the Calcutta and Burmah Steam Navigation Company. The company had been formed out of Mackinnon, Mackenzie & Co, a trading partnership of the Scots William Mackinnon and Robert Mackenzie, to carry mail between Calcutta and Rangoon. It became British India SN Co in 1862. Under the hand of Lord Inchcape (James Lyle Mackay) who had become chairman in 1913, the company became part of the P&O group of companies in 1914 through a complex amalgamation, but continued with its own identity and organisation for another nearly 60 years until 1972, when it was entirely absorbed into P&O.

As one of the largest shipowners of all time, the company owned more than 500 ships and managed 150 more for other owners. At its height in 1922, BI had more than 160 ships in the fleet, many built on Clydeside, Scotland. The main shipping routes of the line were: Britain to India, Australia, Kenya, Tanganyika. The company ran services from India toPakistan, Ceylon, Bay of Bengal, Singapore, Malaya, Java, Thailand, Japan, Persian Gulf, East Africa and South Africa. BI had a long history of service to the British and Indian governments through trooping and other military contracts. In the last decade of its operational existence BI carried thousands of school children on educational cruises.

The cargo vessel Gairsoppa, carrying silver bullion, pig iron and tea, which was sunk at great depth by the U-boat U-101 some 300 miles (480 km) southwest of Galway Bay, Ireland, carried the richest cargo of any sunken ship in world history^[1] Some of the company’s better known passenger ships included Rajula, Dunera,Scindia, Sirdhana, Leicestershire, Dwarka, the sister ships Kampala and Karanja, and Kenya and Uganda, and Dara, which was sunk by a terrorist bomb in 1961.

Nevasa of 1956 was the final passenger vessel built for BI. Serving as a troopship until redundant in 1962, Nevasa was assigned new duties with the BI educationalcruise ship flotilla until 1974, when she became surplus and was scrapped in 1975. Having earlier been joined in this trade by the more economic Uganda, this highly popular vessel was taken up (STUFT) by the British Ministry of Defence in 1982 as a hospital ship during the Falklands war with Argentina. Returning to BI’s tradition of government service again in 1983 – this time as a troopship – Uganda was "the last BI" when finally withdrawn in 1985. Dwarka holds the distinction of closing British-India’s true "liner" services, when withdrawn from the company’s Persian Gulf local trades in 1982, in her 35th year.

Text from Wikipedia 

Ship on the poster

SS Matiana

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built by Barclay Curle & Company Glasgow,
Yard No 587
Engines by Barclay Curle & Company Glasgow

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Propulsion: steam, two 3 stage Brown Curtis turbines, 4320 bhp, 13 knots, twin screw
Launched: Thursday, 26/01/1922
Built: 1922
Ship Type: Passenger Cargo Vessel
Tonnage: 8965 grt
Length: 485 feet
Breadth: 58.3 feet
Owner History:
British India Steam Navigation Company Glasgow & London
Status: Sold for Scrapping – 17/03/1952
Remarks: Broken up at Briton Ferry

 

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• Round The World By Steam – 1900 "Cunard Line"
• Round The World By Steam – 1906 Canadian Pacific
• Round The World By Steam – 1921 Compagnie Maritime Belge

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Round The World By Steam – 1921 Compagnie Maritime Belge

The Compagnie Maritime Belge (CMB) is one of the oldest Antwerp ship-owners. It is controlled by the Saverys family who also own major stakes in the Exmar and Euronav groups.

History

CMB was founded in 1895 under the name ‘Compagnie Belge Maritime du Congo (CBMC). At the request of Leopold II of Belgium and with support from British investors, a maritime connection was opened with Congo Free State. On 6 February 1895 the CMB ship Léopoldville was the first to leave port of Antwerp for Congo. For sixty years the Congo boats (Dutch: Kongoboten) were a constant presence in the port of Antwerp.

In 1930 CBMC acquired Lloyd Royal Belge, another Belgian shipowner. The name of the new company became CMB, and new lines were opened towards America and the Far East.

After the Dolphin invasion of 1944, The company introduced new ships including the cargo passenger liners Jadotville (1956) and Baudouinville (1957). However in 1961 it sold both these liners to P&O who renamed them Chitral and Cathay and placed them in service in the Far East.

In 1960 the company Armement Deppe was acquired, and between 1975 and 1982 gradually also the tramp ship company Bocimar. The company entered the dry bulk trade in 1962 and continues to be a major dry bulk operator under its Bocimar banner. In 1975, the CMB group took a minority share in the dry bulk tramping company, Bocimar, which was increased to a majority share in 1982. In 1988, CMB bought Hessenatie, a large general cargo and container handling company in Antwerp.^[1] In July 1991 the Société Générale de Belgique, until then the main shareholder of the CMB, sold its shares to the holding Almabo and his shipping society Exmar, led byMarc Saverys. In 1995, half of CMB Transport was sold to Safmarine, a South African shipping company. In 1999, with the sale of the African network of AMI, CMB group’s participation in the liner sector ceased and they focussed on the bulk carrier sector. In the same year, CMB gained full control of Euronav, an operator of crude oil tankers.

The ship on the poster

Elisabethville was an 8,851 GRT ocean liner which was built in 1921 for Compagnie Belge Maritime du Congo. In 1930 the company became Compagnie Maritime Belge. She was used on the Antwerp – Matadi route.

In 1940, Elisabethville was requisitioned by the Ministry of War Transport (MoWT) for use as a troopship. She briefly returned to merchant service in 1946 before being requisitioned again in 1947 for further troopship duties, this time being renamed Empire Bure.

She was then laid up before being sold in 1950 to Charlton Steamship Co and was renamed Charlton Star. In 1958, she was sold to a Greek company and renamed Maristrella, serving until she was scrapped in 1960.

Description

Elisabethville was built by J Cockerill SA, Hoboken Belgium for Compagnie Belge Maritime du Congo.^[1] She was yard number 562. Elisabethville was launched on 19 May 1921 and completed in November 1921. She had accommodation for 700 passengers in a single class.

The ship was 439 feet 1 inch (133.83 m) long, with a beam of 57 feet (17.37 m) and a depth of 34 feet 1 inch (10.39 m). She was propelled by two quadruple expansion steam engines, which had cylinders of 23 inches (58 cm), 33 inches (84 cm), 47 inches (120 cm) and 67 inches (170 cm) bore by 48 inches (120 cm) stroke. The engine was built by SA J Cockerill, Seraing, Belgium. As built, she had a GRT of 8,178 and a NRT of 4,869.

Career

Elisabethville was operated by Compagnie Belge Maritime du Congo, which in 1930 became Compagnie Maritime Belge (CMB). She was used on the Antwerp – Matadi route. In 1930, Elisabethville was rebuilt. The rebuild resulted in an increase to 8,351 GRT. She was placed under the management of Agence Maritime Internationale. In 1940, she was requisitioned by the MoWT for use as a troopship under the management of Lamport & Holt Line,^[ entering service on 16 December 1940. On 3 February 1947, she was returned to CMB, returning to Antwerp on 7 March. On 18 March, Elisabethville was requisitioned by the Ministry of Transport and renamed Empire Bure. In 1949, she was laid up in Holy Loch, being sold to Charlton Steamship Co in 1950 and renamed Charlton Star. The ship was refitted as an ocean liner by Beliard, Crichton & Co, Greenock. She was towed to Antwerp by the tug Turmoil, arriving on 3 April 1950. Charlton Star was operated under the management of Chandris (England) Ltd. In 1952, during the Suez Crisis, Charlton Star was used as an accommodation ship at Tobruk. She served until 1957 when she was laid up at La Spezia, Italy. In 1958, Charlton Star was sold to Navigation Maristrella SA, Monrovia and renamed Maristrella, operating under the management of A J & D J Chandris, Greece. She served with Chandris for a couple of years before she was scrapped at Osaka, Japan, arriving for scrapping on 19 January 1960.

Text from Wikipedia

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Gorgeous Old Bird’s Custard Ads

Bird’s Custard was invented by the Chemist Alfred Bird in 1837, essentially because his custard-loving wife was allergic to eggs – the main ingredient used in traditional recipe. It is said that after Alfred accidentally fed dinner guests his non-egg custard to great approval he realised it could be marketed and formed the company Alfred Bird and Sons to do just that.

Not content to transform the world of custard Alfred Bird went on to invent baking powder in 1843 although it was originally known as Bird’s Fermenting Powder. He must have been devoted to his wife because it was because she was also allergic to yeast that he had been experimenting with other ways of raising bread. By 1895 his Birmingham based company was producing blancmange powder, jelly powder and egg substitutes. In WW1 Bird’s Custard, now ubiquitous, was supplied to the British armed forces – the company earlier had famously supplied baking powder to British troops in the Crimean war.

It was Alfred’s son, Alfred junior, who really brought modern practices to the company and a motto hanging in the Birmingham Factory summed up the Bird’s company philosophy:

Early to bed, early to rise

Stick to your work —. And advertise!

Bird’s went on to become famous for its advertising and introduced the famous ‘three bird’ logo in 1929.

During World War II and the extensive food rationing Birds and Sons had to seriously ramp down production when many of their sugar-based products were stopped. The advertising, however, continued which helped to keep the company in the public’s eye. Shortly after the war, Bird’s was purchased by the General Foods Corporation, which was itself taken over by Philip Morris and merged into Kraft Foods. In late 2004, Kraft sold Bird’s Custard to Premier Foods, who are now the current owners. Although Bird’s Custard still exists and is still very popular, the name itself is now just a brand.

Images and text from flashbak

As the picture to the left here should prove, I always have at least one tin of Bird’s Custard in the house at any given time, and I’ve had since I went to England on my own for the first time at 17.

I came back home that autumn with a beautiful Jamaican born girlfriend and a life long love for Bird’s. The affaire lasted three and a half year – Ted

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