‘Wish you were here’ -

Sailing on the SS Anversville

By Andrew Wilson-Clay

Without the technological advances achieved during the second half of the nineteenth century, such as the advent of steam power and the adoption of steal hulls, Harrison's expeditions would have taken longer, been less safe, and probably more expensive.

From his diaries and photographs we can determine some of ships Harrison sailed on and this provides an insight into how the shipping companies operated who provided the logistical means to enable big game hunting to take place on an ambitious scale.

In 1904 Harrison sailed on the SS Anversville, a small liner with a single tall buff funnel, two masts, and twin screws.

The Anversville was built by Sir Raylton Dixon & Co[1] in Middlesbrough and was launched in December 1899. Confusingly, the Anversville was sold in 1906 and a larger steamer was commissioned of the same name in 1912. The Anversville was British built and operated by a Belgian shipping company setup by the British. An example of commercial partners working together to support the colonial expansion of two imperial powers.

In 1895 the same shipyard built the aptly named SS Leopoldville which was presumably named after King Leopold II (reigned 1865 to 1909) the founder of the state now known as the Democratic Republic of Congo. Curiously, she was sold in 1897 and Sir Raylton Dixon & Co were commissioned to build a second liner of the same name in 1901 and then a third in 1904. This steamer was subsequently sold in 1908 and the shipping company then looked to Harland and Wolff [2] to build a fourth liner bearing the same name. In total, six liners were built with name Leopoldville, the last in 1948. This pattern of building larger ships, in relatively quick succession, suggests that trade was growing exponentially, certainly before the 1st World War.

Although much smaller than contemporary transatlantic liners, ships such as the Anversville and Leopoldville offered Edwardian travellers a level of luxury and comfort unimageable to previous generations.

For those who could afford it, travel by now had become an almost pleasurable experience, rather than a precarious means of getting from A to B [3] . In first class for example, a passenger could expect a well-appointed stateroom, a dining room where fine food was served, a charming drawing room for ladies and of course a smoking room for gentlemen[4]. In addition, shipping companies went to great lengths to design the interiors of their ships to resemble English country houses and London clubs. This was a clever ploy which offered reassurance to passengers but also contributed to the illusion that imperial power was omnipresent.

The Anversville was commissioned by the Compagnie Belge Maritime du Congo (CBMC). A company that remains in operation today as the Compagnie Maritime Belge (CMB). In a similar way that the British owned Union Castle Line provided a direct passenger service to South Africa, the CBMC operated a regular service between Antwerp and the Belgian Free State. According to the company's official website the first major investor was the Elder Dempster Group[5], a British company established in the mid 19th century which had itself emerged from a shipping line called the African Steam Ship Company[6].

Transport was a profitable business and the CBMC understood, like most shipping companies at the time, that effective marketing was crucial to success.

Glamorous, travel posters were commissioned to encourage passengers to book with them, rather than their rivals. Artists, such an L Noroy[7], conjured up a series of enticing images showing CBMC ships in gorgeously stylised settings.

Postcards [8] were also a means of promoting the shipping company. They are fascinating, and in contrast to Harrison's photographs which are often shocking in that they hint at the dark side of colonialisation, the postcards show a glorified view of colonial life with happy ‘natives’ going about their business under the watchful eye of officials in white uniforms complete with ubiquitous pith helmets.

Remarkably, one postcard, purchased recently for the Scarborough Collection on eBay, shows a hunting expedition in progress. An elephant has been shot dead and as the guides, complete with spears (!), gather round to inspect the kill, to the right, a white huntsman looks on from the safety of the bush.

One can image a similar postcard dropping onto the doormat at Brandsburton Hall (Harrison’s home in East Yorkshire), perhaps with the inscription "Wish you were here"...

References

1. Sir Raylton Dixon & Co were one of the most productive shipbuilding companies on the River Tees. Before 1901 the company had built more than 500 ships (www. http://ctlhs.co.uk/golden-jubilee/fifty-interesting-people/raylton-dixon/)

2. The Harland family were originally from Scarborough. They relocated to Belfast and were subsequently responsible for designing and building the Titanic.

3. The Cunard Line famously adopted a strap line - getting there is half the fun - which perfectly captured the idea that life at sea was an experience in itself.

4. In those days, public rooms aboard ship reflected the strict social segregation between the sexes that was also observed on land.

5. Elder Dempster Lines timeline

6. The African Steam Ship Company commenced sailings from Liverpool in 1856

7. First name and dates unknown

8. Scarborough Museums and Galleries have bought a selection of these postcards for the charity's archive and to provide additional context for the From Local to Global project.