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Image Not Available for Material relating to the E&A and P&O shipping lines
Material relating to the E&A and P&O shipping lines
Image Not Available for Material relating to the E&A and P&O shipping lines

Material relating to the E&A and P&O shipping lines

Date1938 - 1984
Object numberANMS0027
NameArchive series
MediumPaper
ClassificationsEphemera
Credit LineANMM Collection Gift from P&OSNCo
DescriptionThis archive series consists of newspaper clippings, deck plans, menus, information sheets, correspondence, promotional pamphlets, passenger lists and a photograph. The material relates to the vessels ARADINA, ARAFURA, ARAMAC, CATHAY, CATTERHUN, CHARLOTTE, CHITRAL, NANKIN, NELLORE and TANDA. In 1918 the Eastern & Australian Steamship Company (E&A Line) was bought by Lord Inchcape and operated as a subsidiary of the British India Line within the P&O group. In 1970 the E&A Line was established as a P&O subsidiary to operate the CATHAY, CHITRAL and COMORIN.SignificanceIn 1987, on its 150th anniversary, P&O donated a large collection of archival documents, pamphlets and photographs, originally housed in their Sydney office, to the Australian National Maritime Museum.

P&O ships have been coming to Australia since 1852. The collection spans a period of more than a century, and ranges from early passenger lists to latter-day posters; from annual reports to menu covers. Information booklets intended to promote the superior functioning of P&O vessels include instructions to commanders, guides to career opportunities and such gems as 'Asian Crew: an officer's guide'.

No less valuable than the 'official' material is the vast amount of ephemera, which for many researchers evokes the special quality of tourism. To the credit of the company, it preserved items such as brochures, flyers, press releases, publicity images, postcards and crossing the line certificates, which are now in the museum's collection. Subsidiary collections of documents relating to companies with which P&O has been associated, including the Orient Line and the British India Steam Navigation Company, provide further perspective and historical context.