Interviews and memoirs – Elder Dempster
As part of the Homeward Bound project we’ve collected 25 oral testimonies from Elder Dempster Line’s seafaring and office staff. Listen to the interviews.
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About the Elder Dempster project
The Homeward Bound: A Liverpool-West Africa Heritage Project documents the lives and memories of Elder Dempster’s seafaring and office staff. As part of the project, we recorded 25 oral testimonies.
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New finds and related archives – Elder Dempster
Read more about new finds for the Elder Dempster Lines - the largest UK shipping group between Western Europe and West Africa from the late-nineteenth century to the 1980s.
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John Martin
John Martin was a catering officer with Elder Dempster Lines. Read his account of his experiences with the shipping company.
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Jim Forsey interview
Jim was a Purser at Elder Dempster Lines. Listen to Jim's interview.
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Derek Bailey interview – Elder Dempster
Derek Bailey joined Elder Dempster Lines in 1957. In his interview, Derek recalls what it was like living on a ship with a wife and children at home. Derek also speaks about Elder Dempster Lines’ latter years.
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Barry Groombridge interview – Elder Dempster
Barry Groombridge joined Elder Dempster Lines aged 16. Barry’s first voyage was from London to the United States, via West Africa. The voyage lasted nine months. Listen to Barry’s interview to hear about the Christmas he spent with nuns in Madeira and what life was like as a purser at Elder Dempster Lines.
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Alfred William Thomas interview – Elder Dempster
Alfred William Thomas was an engineering with Elder Dempster in the early part of the twentieth century, read the account of his experiences with the company.
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Olu Olaseinde
Olu Olaseinde was a passenger on the Elder Dempster lines. Read his story.
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John Edge
In his interview John Edge talks about his responsibilities as a Purser, as well as the pay and conditions he experienced when working at Elder Dempster Lines. Listen to John's interview.