Whitebait at Greenwich leaf souvenir
Datec 1970
Object number00048032
NameSouvenir leaf
MediumDried leaf and blue white and red paint
DimensionsOverall: 121 x 58 mm
ClassificationsCommemorative artefacts
Credit LineANMM Collection Gift from the Estate of Roderick Glassford
DescriptionThis token is handmade from two dried leaves that have been affixed together and then hand painted. The title painted on the token, Whitebait at Greenwich, most likely refers to a dinner held at Greenwich, England, where the signature dish is whitebait. The token lists individual names, probably of the attendees, and is decorated with ship flags.HistoryGreenwich was famous for serving the whitebait that was caught seasonally in the Thames. It is maintained as the signature dish, though now the whitebait is not caught in the Thames and is available all year around. The Ship and Trafalgar were known to specialise in whitebait and were competing hotels in Greenwich in the 19th Century along the Thames. Vessels were able to pull up at the piers outside the hotels and go inside for a meal or for accommodation. The Ship was located where the CUTTY SARK is now located on land at Greenwich Pier.
Mr Glassford was employed in shipping, an enthusiastic sailor, and was an active historian and collector of ship ephemera. He began his employment with Macdonald Hamilton & Co, agents for P&O (Peninsular & Oriental Steam & Navigation Company) in the 1930s. This was interrupted by WWII when he served in the Coast Artillery at South Head, achieving the rank of Captain. He returned to work with Macdonald Hamilton and became a Passenger Superintendent with P&O. He was also associated with the Royal Australian Historical Society, being a councillor over the period 1954-1957, and with the decline in passenger ships from the 1970s, he managed the Art Gallery society and was involved in early efforts to form the first Sydney Maritime Museum. Glassford also contributed to the publication of 'The Story of the EDWIN FOX' (Edwin Fox Restoration Society Inc., 1987).SignificanceThis token is part of the collection donated to the National Maritime Museum by Roderick Winchcombe Glassford (1920-1995).This collection is an extensive pictorial and information resource of and relating to sail and steam ships, particularly focused on shipping in Sydney Harbour over the 19th and into the 20th centuries. The collection therefore documents a huge change in international cargo and passenger shipping to the dominance of steam powered vessels, as well as the evolution of the Sydney Harbour water front. The photographs taken and items collected personally by Mr Glassford reflect the voyages he took as an employee of P & O and also reflect the experiences he had as part of this lifestyle.
