![[Whimster & Co. houseflag]](../images/g/gb~hfwhi.gif)
image by Ivan
Sache, 4 May 2021 
Last modified: 2021-05-29 by rob raeside
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image by Ivan
Sache, 4 May 2021
Lloyd's Book of House Flags and Funnels (1912) shows the house flag of
Whimster & Co. (#1736, p. 119), a Glasgow-based shipping company, as vertically
divided red-blue, charged in canton with a white star and in the center with a
yellow square diamond inscribing a red "W".
https://research.mysticseaport.org/item/l011061/l011061-c008/#84
Ivan
Sache, 4 May 2021
![[John H. Whitaker (Tankers), Ltd. houseflag]](../images/g/gb~jhwt.gif)
image
by Jarig Bakker, 20 September 2005
John H. Whitaker (Tankers), Ltd., Hull - vertical red-green burgee; on red
black disk, white "W".
Source:
Loughran (1995)
Jarig Bakker, 20 September 2005
![[S.T. White & Co. houseflag]](../images/g/gb~hfstw.gif)
image by Ivan
Sache, 25 April 2021
Lloyd's Book of House Flags and Funnels (1912) shows the house flag of
S.T. White & Co. (#552, p. 63), a Hull-based company, as square, red with a blue
square diamond inscribing a white cross patty.
https://research.mysticseaport.org/item/l011061/l011061-c008/28/
Ivan
Sache, 25 April 2021
![[White & Willowshouseflag]](../images/g/gb~hfwwi.gif)
image by Ivan
Sache, 4 May 2021
White & Willows, owned by George W. White and John W. Willows, was a
Grimsby-based fishing company.
Lloyd's Book of House Flags and Funnels
(1912) shows the house flag of White & Willows (#1889, p. 126) as blue with, in
the center, a blue triangle bordered white inscribing a red disk.
https://research.mysticseaport.org/item/l011061/l011061-c008/#91
Ivan Sache, 4 May 2021
![[Whiteway & Ball houseflag]](../images/g/gb~hfwba.gif)
image by Ivan
Sache, 28 April 2021
Lloyd's Book of House Flags and Funnels (1912) shows the house flag of
Whiteway & Ball (#875, p. 78), a Torquay-based company, as quartered red and
white.
https://research.mysticseaport.org/item/l011061/l011061-c008/43/
Ivan
Sache, 28 April 2021
![[Wight Link houseflag]](../images/g/gb~wight.gif)
by Jorge Candeias and Roy Stilling, 02 Apr 1999
White with a white blue border all around and a
red lozenge centered. Very maritime-looking.
Jorge Candeias, 01 Apr 1999
The red lozenge represents the Isle of Wight, which is diamond shaped.
In fact the lozenge has a small “nick” out of it to represent the
estuary of the River Medina. The whole flag is an adaptation of the
"W" flag from the International Code of Signals, and the former livery
of Wightlink ferries had the name "WIGHTLINK" spelled out in painted
signal flags but with the house flag substituted for the "W" flag.
Roy Stilling, 01 Apr 1999
![[Williams & Mordey houseflag]](../images/g/gb~hfw&m.gif)
image by Ivan
Sache, 30 April 2021
Lloyd's Book of House Flags and Funnels (1912) shows the house flag of Williams
& Mordey (#1244, p. 96), a Cardiff-based company, as blue with a white saltire
charged in the center with a white lozenge inscribing a seven-pointed blue star.
https://research.mysticseaport.org/item/l011061/l011061-c008/#61
Ivan Sache, 30 April 2021
![[R. Williamson & Son houseflag]](../images/g/gb~hfrwi.gif)
image by Ivan
Sache, 28 April 2021
Lloyd's Book of House Flags and Funnels (1912) shows the house flag of R.
Williamson & Son (#1041, p. 86), a Workington-based company, as horizontally
divided blue-red-blue, charged in the center with a white diamond inscribing a
red "W".
https://research.mysticseaport.org/item/l011061/l011061-c008/51/
Ivan
Sache, 28 April 2021
![[Williamson Buchanan houseflag]](../images/g/gb~wibu.gif)
image by António Martins-Tuválkin,
17 May 2010
From a postcard collection: 12.4.2: Williamson
Buchanan
Postcard #12, 4th row, 2nd flag of the collection reads "Williamson Buchanan"
and shows blue triangular pennant with a very large yellow crescent and star
emblem on it.
António Martins-Tuválkin, 17 May 2010
Trading in 1901 as the Turbine Steamer Syndicate before incorporation the
following year, Turbine Steamers Ltd was set up to operate TS King Edward, the
world's first commercial turbine steamer. The operating partner was Captain John
Williamson, the independent steamboat owner, with risk shared with Charles
Parsons & Co, the Newcastle engineering firm which pioneered the marine turbine.
Turbine steamers operated alongside the Williamson fleet and obtained titular
ownership of a number of older paddlers as well as three other new turbines.
King Edward was transferred to Williamson-Buchanan Steamers for the 1927 season
onwards. Turbine Steamers Ltd and Williamson-Buchanan Steamers Ltd thus were
very closely associated.
In 1935 a partnership of the LMS and David MacBrayne
Ltd decided to take over Williamson-Buchanan Steamers Ltd and Turbine Steamers
Ltd. As a result after the 1935 season, the Williamson-Buchanan Steamers
operation passed to the LMS and was absorbed by the Caledonian Steam Packet
Company (CSP) as a subsidiary. After the Second World War, Williamson-Buchanan
Steamers was fully merged with CSP and so ceased to exist as an independent
identity. As a result the King Edward and the Queen Mary transferred to LMS
control. But the Turbine Steamers Ltd operation passed to David MacBrayne Ltd
and the two remaining vessels registered with Turbine Steamers (King George V
and Queen Alexandra) thus passed to David MacBrayne Ltd.
Clyde Steamers
http://www.clydesteamers.co.uk/Turbine%20Steamers%20Ltd.html
Captain
William Buchanan, followed by his sons William, John and James, developed the
largest private fleet of vessels on the Clyde. As a limited company from 1905,
and after amalgamation with the fleet of captain John Williamson in 1919, the
Buchanan name remained on the Clyde until the Second World War. Captains
Buchanan and Williamson (Alex, senior) were the two main owners of PS Eagle from
1853 until 1862 when Captain Williamson established his own fleet. The Buchanan
fleet expanded rapidly through the purchase of second hand vessels from other,
often faltering, private owners. In later years vessels were purchased from the
railway-owned steamer companies. New build was comparatively infrequent. The
independent operators were not backed to the often excessive levels afforded to
the railway steamers and their vessels were generally older and more spartan
than their competitors. Nevertheless, these vessels could provide a cheap day
out for the Glasgow day-tripper sailing directly from the Broomielaw in the city
centre "all the way" to the Clyde resorts.
John Williamson entered into
private steamboat ownership in competition with his elder brothers James and
Alex who managed the CSP and GSWR railway fleets respectively. Williamson was a
partner in the Turbine Steamers Syndicate formed in 1901 to manage the
revolutionary TS King Edward and remained as manager when the syndicate was
incorporated as a limited company in 1902. In 1919 the fleet was merged with the
Buchanan fleet to form Williamson-Buchanan Steamers Ltd, which ran in close
coordination with Turbine Steamers Ltd.
Clyde Steamers
http://www.clydesteamers.co.uk/Williamson%20Buchanan%20Steamers.html
Lloyd's Book of House Flags and Funnels (1912) shows the house flag of
Turbine Steamers Ltd. (John Williamson) (#1811, p. 123) as triangular, blue with
a yellow crescent and star.
https://research.mysticseaport.org/item/l011061/l011061-c008/#88
Ivan Sache, 4 May 2021
![[C.M. Willie & Co. (Shipping) Ltd. houseflag]](../images/g/gb~cmw.gif)
image by Jarig
Bakker, 28 November 2005
C.M. Willie & Co. (Shipping) Ltd., Cardiff - horizontal white over green; on
white red dragon.
SSource: Loughran (1995)
Jarig Bakker, 28 November 2005
![[D. H. Willey houseflag]](../images/g/gb~hfwil.gif)
image by Ivan
Sache, 12 March 2008
Lloyds Book of House Flags and Funnels (1912)
shows the house flag of "D.H. Willey" (#117, p. 42), a company based in
Southampton, as blue with a white "W" in the middle.
Ivan Sache,, 12 March 2008
![[G.H. Wills & Co. houseflag]](../images/g/gb~hfghw.gif)
image by Ivan
Sache, 28 April 2021
As a ship owner, August Tellefsen came to Cardiff where he was keen to start
a business. He formed Tellefsen, Wills & Co with George Wills, a noted ship
owner, acting as a shipping agency which exported coal. They dissolved their
partnership in 1890 and formed two separate companies: Tellefsen & Co and G.H.
Wills & Co..
http://www.shivaun.co.uk/Tellefsen/JohanAugustTellefsen.html
Tellefsen
Family
Lloyd's Book of House Flags and Funnels (1912) shows the house
flag of G.H. Wills & Co. (#881, p. 78) as blue with two red and white chevrons
and the white letters "G.H.W.&Co." in base.
https://research.mysticseaport.org/item/l011061/l011061-c008/43/
Ivan
Sache, 28 April 2021
![[Wilson & Finlayson houseflag]](../images/g/gb~hfwfi.gif)
image by Ivan
Sache, 4 May 2021
Lloyd's Book of House Flags and Funnels (1912) shows the house flag of Wilson
& Finlayson (#1737, p. 119), a Glasgow-based shipping company, as divided per
bend red over blue by a white diagonal stripe charged with three blue stars.
https://research.mysticseaport.org/item/l011061/l011061-c008/#84
Ivan
Sache, 4 May 2021
![[Wilsons & Furness-Leyland Line, Ltd. houseflag]](../images/g/gb~hfwfl.gif)
image by Ivan
Sache, 1 May 2021
Frederick Leyland was a partner in the firm of Bibby Bros and started up his own
company in 1873 when 21 of Bibby Bros ships were transferred to the new company.
Services to Boston started in 1876. With the death of Frederick Leyland in 1892,
a new company Frederick Leyland & Co Ltd was formed and began a close
association between Leyland and Furness Lines. Passenger services began in 1895,
and in 1896 the founding of Wilson's & Furness-Leyland Line took place to run
North Atlantic services.
The Wilsons & Furness-Leyland Line with their London
- New York service was sold in 1901 to the International Mercantile Marine Co.
The ShipsList
http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/lines/leyland.html
1896 The
company was registered on 4 September, to take over the London and New York
business of Thomas Wilson, Sons and Co of Hull, and the London and Boston
businesses of Frederick Leyland and Co of Liverpool, and Furness, Withy and Co
of London, with steamers and leasehold properties.
Stock Exchange
Yearbook 1908
http://www.gracesguide.co.uk/Wilsons_and_Furness-Leyland_Line
Lloyd's Book of House Flags and Funnels (1912) shows the house flag of Wilsons &
Furness-Leyland Line, Ltd. (#1616, p. 113), a London-based shipping company, as
red with a blue border, in the center the white letters "W&FL".
https://research.mysticseaport.org/item/l011061/l011061-c008/#78
Ivan Sache, 1 May 2021
![[Wilsons and North Eastern Railway Shipping houseflag]](../images/g/gb~wners.gif)
image by António Martins-Tuválkin,
11 May 2010
From a postcard collection: 11.4.3: Wilsons
and North Eastern Railway Shipping
Postcard #11, 4th row, 3rd flag of the
collection reads "Wilsons and North
Eastern Railway Shipping" and shows a ~2:3 white flag with three white bells(?)
set 1+2 on a large red disk centered on the flag.
António Martins-Tuválkin, 11 May 2010
Founded in 1822 in Hull as Beckinton, Wilson & Co to import iron ore from Sweden
with a fleet of sailing ships. In 1835 irregular sailing ship passenger services
were introduced between Hull, Hamburg and Rotterdam, and a steamship service
between Hull and Dunkirk was started the same year.
After the death of
Beckinton, the company became Wilson, Hudson & Co in 1831 and in May 1840 a
regular steamship service was instituted between Hull, Christiania (Oslo) and
Gothenburg. John and Thomas Hudson withdrew from the partnership in 1841 and the
company then became Thos.Wilson, Sons & Co. They rapidly expanded services to
Scandinavian, Baltic and European ports and to other UK ports and in 1870
commenced trading to the Adriatic, Black Sea and Mediterranean. A short lived
service to India was attempted in 1871 but was soon abandoned and didn't resume
until the 1880s. Sailings to New York started in 1875.
In 1878 the firm of
Brownlow, Marsdin & Co, Hull was purchased together with their fleet of seven
ships and in 1903 the fleet of 23 vessels and the business of Bailey & Leetham
of Hull was taken over. In the same year, agreement was reached with DFDS,
Copenhagen to run a joint London - Baltic service. By the early 1900s, the
Wilson Line was the largest private shipowning company in the world.
The
Wilsons and North Eastern Railway Shipping Co was formed in 1906 to operate
services from Humber ports to Hamburg, Antwerp, Ghent and Dunkirk. In 1916
Wilson Line was bought by Ellerman and became Ellerman's Wilson Line Ltd in
1917. In 1973 all Wilson Line services except North Sea services were submerged
into Ellerman City Liners and by 1978 competition and decreased trade caused
Wilson Line to sell their remaining ships.
The Ships List
http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/lines/wilson.html
See also:
Ellerman & Wilson Line
![[Wilsons & Furness-Leyland Line, Ltd. houseflag]](../images/g/gb~wner1.gif)
image by Ivan
Sache, 3 May 2021
Lloyd's Book
of House Flags and Funnels (1912) shows a quite similar flag (#1711, p. 118) for
Wilson's & North Eastern Railway Shipping Co., Ltd., a Hull-based shipping
company. Here the bells are arranged differently, forming a "Y" placed upside
down.
https://research.mysticseaport.org/item/l011061/l011061-c008/#83
Ivan
Sache, 3 May 2021
![[Morris & Fisher houseflag]](../images/g/gb~hfjfw.gif)
image by Ivan
Sache, 25 April 2021
J.F. Wilson (1853-1914) formed his own company when his partnership with
Robert Hardy was dissolved on June 30th, 1894, and the company of Hardy, Wilson
& Co., ceased trading.
From 1894 J.F. Wilson & Co., owned 15 ships until the
company ceased trading in 1919.
In 1904 the company became Wilson Shipping
Co. Ltd.
https://www.hhtandn.org/venues/4732/wilson-shipping-company-ltd
Hartlepool History Then and Now
Lloyd's Book of House Flags and Funnels
(1912) shows the house flag of
Wilson Shipping Co., Ltd. (Joseph F. Wilson &
Co.) (#622, p. 66), as swallow-tailed, white with a blue triangle at each corner
and the blue letter "W" in the center.
https://research.mysticseaport.org/item/l011061/l011061-c008/31/
Ivan
Sache, 25 April 2021
![[Wilton Steam Shipping Co., Ltd. houseflag]](../images/g/gb~hfwss.gif)
image by Ivan
Sache, 25 April 2021
Lloyd's Book of House Flags and Funnels (1912) shows the house flag of Wilton
Steam Shipping Co., Ltd. (#620, p. 66), a Dartmouth-based company, as white with
a red border and the red letter "W" in the center.
https://research.mysticseaport.org/item/l011061/l011061-c008/31/
Ivan
Sache, 25 April 2021
![[Windermere Lake Cruises]](../images/g/gb~wlc.gif)
image by
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 30 October 2010
The company is located in Bowness upon Windermere and exists since 1848
running a service of tourist ships.
The flag is white with a golden brownish
inscription “WINDERMERE” and a blue inscription “LAKE CRUISES” below and a light
blue wavy line below both inscriptions. It’s remarkable that the flag only is
used ashore. Afloat the ships are using the red ensign
(stern) and the pilot jack (prow).
Source: I spotted this flag in Bowness upon Windermere on 3
October 2010
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 30 October 2010
![[Wing Steamship Co., Ltd. houseflag]](../images/g/gb~hfwis.gif)
image by Ivan Sache,
28 April 2021
"Norman Hallett (1875-1973) left home at an early age as the result of his
father's brutality - and made his own way in the world, becoming a successful
shipowner himself - owning the Wings Line ("Bronze Wings", "Silver Wings" etc),
tramp ships trading mostly with South America. From home in Pyrford he went
daily to his office in St. Mary Axe or to the Baltic Exchange. He was a very
successful yachtsman in his youth and won many caps for racing. He joined the
Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve in the First World War, and was appointed to the
Naval Control of Shipping in 1916. He was one of the oldest members of the Royal
Thames Yacht Club."
https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Hallett-1310
Wiki Tree
Lloyd's Book
of House Flags and Funnels (1912) shows the house flag of Wing Steamship Co.,
Ltd. (Norman Hallett & Co.) (#961, p. 82), a London-based company, as blue with
a pair of white wings.
https://research.mysticseaport.org/item/l011061/l011061-c008/47/
Ivan
Sache, 28 April 2021
![[Witherington & Everett houseflag]](../images/g/gb~with.gif)
image
by Ivan Sache, 24 April 2021
Source: Brown's Flags and Funnels [Wedge 1926]
Witherington & Everett, Newcastle-on-Tyne - red flag, white
"W&E".
Jarig Bakker, 5 February 2005
The firm of Witherington & Everett was established in 1898 by Harry Poore
Everett (1862-1955) and John William Witherington (1862-1933). In 1903 they took
on management of the JG Hill Steam Shipping Co., and adopted a number of ideas
from this firm, including ship names and colours.
The firm survived the First
World War, although all but two of their ships were either interned in Germany
or requisitioned by the Admiralty, and the Depression when 17 of their 18 ships
were laid up. By the 1930s, with the founders' sons mostly running the business,
Witherington and Everett had also taken on the Granta Steamship Company.
In the early years coal formed the majority of the company's cargoes. During the
1950s an attempt was made to diversify into general cargo and the Mediterranean
trade: the Gracechurch Shipping Line Ltd. was formed to specialise in this
aspect of the business.
The company's vessels were known as "Tombstone" ships
as they had thick white vertical bands on a black funnel.
https://www.benjidog.co.uk/allen/Granta%20Steamship%20Company.html
Benjidog Historical Research Resources: The Allen Collection
Lloyd's Book
of House Flags and Funnels (1912) shows the same house flag for Witherington &
Everett, also John George Hill S.S. Co., Ltd. (#430, p. 57).
https://research.mysticseaport.org/item/l011061/l011061-c008/#22
