Elder Dempster Lines was one of the UK’s largest shipping companies. As part of the Homeward Bound project, we’ve spoken to a number of Elder Dempster’s former employees and passengers, recording their ‘real’ stories and experiences. You can listen to their Elder Dempster stories here.
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.
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.
Read more about the history of Elder Dempster Lines - the largest UK shipping group between Western Europe and West Africa from the late-nineteenth century to the 1980s.
Jim was a Purser at Elder Dempster Lines. Listen to Jim's interview.
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.
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.
Harry Madden was a Junior Engineer for Elder Dempster Lines. Listen to Harry Madden's interview.
As a Printer for Elder Dempster Lines, Graham Austin sometimes worked 18-hours a day and was responsible for printing the menus, programme of events and stationery for the ship’s various departments. Listen to Graham's interview.
Brian McManus joined Elder Dempster Lines as a second officer and made his way up the ranks to master. Find out more about Brian's experiences onboard the ships by listening to his interview.