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Preface

THE BRITISH MERCHANT NAVY was supreme from the close of the Napoleonic Wars until the era of cheaper operating costs that emerged under selected foreign flags some 150 years later. Scottish engineering, shipowning and operating, as well as business and entrepreneurial skills, all played a big part in the success of the Merchant Navy. Scottish emigrants took skills with them to the ends of Empire that promoted trade and wealth creation both overseas and at home. In terms of engineering, ‘Clyde-built’, was the one time ‘Kitemark’ for the shipbuilding industry the world over. Scottish shipowners included household names such as Allan, Anchor, Donaldson and Henderson, while Scotsmen were also instrumental in founding, and for much of the time managing, Cunard, British India, P&O, Orient, Glen and many other well known ‘English’ companies.

The story is traced from a variety of angles, even from the role of people such as David Livingstone in developing trade. The school of the ‘Honest Scot’ working in the City of London includes the iconic tale of the takeover ‘merger’ of P&O by British India.

This book aims to stir the memory and rekindle interest in this fascinating part of the history of the British Merchant Navy. The author is grateful to a number of people who have supported this endeavour; valuable discussion with Donald Meek helped to formulate the project, Ian Ramsay kindly provided detailed critical review of the text, while Iain Hope provided detail regarding a number of incidents including the sinking of Athenia. As always, the publisher, Julian Mannering, has provided valuable guidance during the preparation of the book.

Dr Nick Robins

Crowmarsh, Oxon