House flag, Glen Line Ltd

The house flag of Glen Line Ltd, London. A blue pennant with a white cross in the centre above a red and white flag bearing a union jack in the centre. The pennant and flag are made of a wool and synthetic fibre bunting. They have cotton hoists and are machine sewn. A rope and two Inglefield clips is attached.

Glen Line Ltd was formed in 1910. The name 'Glen line' had been previously informally associated with the long-established firm of McGregor, Gow & Co, all of whose ships had names with the prefix 'Glen'. Elder, Dempster & Co acquired all the shares in the company the following year but McGregor, Gow & Co remained as managers. Throughout most of the twentieth century, it ran cargo services between London and the Far East via the Mediterranean. In 1917 Charles Holland became managing director of the handling agents now known as McGregor, Gow & Holland Ltd. The company was one of the first to order motor ships, the first being 'Genartney' of 1915, torpedoed in the Atlantic in 1917. 1920 saw an amalgamation of the Glen and Shire lines. Although all their ships sailed under the Glen livery, they retained their original owners. In 1931 the group became bankrupt and Glen & Shire was sold to Alfred Holt & Co in 1935.

The newly replaced Glen vessels were taken over for national service in the Second World War. The fleet was replaced after the war - the Blue Funnel ships of the Holt group operating from Liverpool and the West Coast, Glen Line from London and the East Coast. The company profitability was hit by the closure of the Suez Canal and the impact of containerisation.

By 1978 Glen Line Ltd, by then operated by Ben Ocean Services was no longer involved in ship owning. The name and corporate assets were bought by Curnow Shipping Ltd in 1990 but currently remains unused.

Object Details

ID: AAA0238
Collection: Textiles; Flags
Type: House flag
Display location: Not on display
Creator: Unknown
Date made: circa 1951
People: Glen Line Ltd; Pope, Charles Meredyth McGregor, Gow & Co
Credit: National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London, Pope Collection. We regret that Museum enquiries have not been able to identify the copyright owner of the flag's emblem and would welcome any information that would help us update our records. Please contact the Picture Library.
Measurements: pennant: 685.8 x 1371.6 mm; flag: 838.2 x 1346.2 mm
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