The history of Elder Dempster Lines
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.
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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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Barry Fowler interview – Elder Dempster
Barry Fowler joined King Edward the Seventh Nautical College, London in May 1952. Barry spent four years as an apprentice and eventually rose to the position of captain at Elder Dempster Lines.
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Timeline – Elder Dempster
Browse through the dates on the Elder Dempster timeline to learn more about the history of the Elder Dempster Lines shipping company.
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Jean Jones interview – Elder Dempster
Jean was a Secretary for Elder Dempster Lines. Listen to Jean's interview.
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Ian Wroot
Member of the Board of Governors
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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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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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Denis Kelly interview – Elder Dempster
Denis Kelly worked in the marketing department for Elder Dempster Lines. Find out more about Denis's experiences by listening to his interview.