The Union-Castle Pioneer

by Janet Traill

In these days of mobiles and e-mail it is difficult to imagine a time when the only means of communicating any distance was by letter, and the transportation of mail was paramount for people to receive news and do business. For those pioneers who went to South Africa two hundred years ago, mail from home could take months to arrive. By the middle of the nineteenth century, the number of British settlers was growing and a regular mail service was needed.

In 1857, the Union Line won the new government mail contract, which stipulated a regular monthly voyage that should take no longer than 42 days. It was to be 20 years before this monopoly was challenged. Meanwhile, Donald Currie had set out on the career that was to make him one of the foremost names in shipping.

Currie was born in 1825, one of ten children of a Greenock barber. He attended school in Belfast for a time and left at 14, when he was employed in his uncle’s sugar refining business back in Greenock. His dream, however, was to work in the fast-expanding world of shipping. In 1844 his wish was granted when he joined the newly formed Cunard Company in Liverpool. Within five years, the ambitious 25-year-old was appointed Cunard’s agent at Le Havre, responsible for business in Paris, Bremen and Antwerp.

In 1862, at the age of 37, Donald set out on his own. He saw the booming trade with India as the way ahead and the following year saw him take delivery of his first four sailing ships, all named after castles. The fleet grew and was dubbed ‘Currie’s Calcutta Castles,’ entrenching the Castle name forever in maritime history. In 1864, Currie moved his growing business to London.

The first diamond was discovered in South Africa in 1867 and by 1871 a huge influx of miners and speculators was arriving. Currie saw a good opportunity and the first Castle Line steamship, the Walmer Castle, sailed into Table Bay in 1872.

Apart from freight and passengers, the Castle ships carried ‘private mails’ for businesses. The Cape route proved prosperous and four years later the Castle Mail Packets Company came into being. In 1873 the Windsor Castle, the first ship of three with that name, set a new record, arriving in just 23 days. The Castle ships regularly completed the voyage in less time than the Union’s liners and began seriously to challenge them for the mail contract.

When this came up for renewal in 1876, it was awarded jointly to the two companies. Voyages were to take no longer than 26 days, arriving on a weekly basis, with Union and Castle lines taking alternate sailings. To promote competition and efficiency, the two were prohibited from amalgamating. Generous bonuses were offered for speedy voyages, and the rivalry was intense.

The settlers in South Africa were pushing back the frontiers and inevitably coming to blows with the warlike indigenous tribes. In 1879 there was as yet no telegraph cable and news of the annihilation of the 24th regiment by the Zulus at Isandhlwana arrived in London thanks to one of the Castle ships.

This was diverted to the island of St Vincent where the news was telegraphed to Currie’s London office and thence to the government. Instructions were telegraphed back to the island and picked up by mail boat for onward delivery at the Cape, thus saving many days and lives.

Currie had a knack for catching the public’s eye with flamboyant gestures, and an instinct for cultivating friends in the right places. One of these was the Prime Minister, Gladstone, and, at the latter’s suggestion, he launched his own political career, becoming Liberal MP for West Perthshire in 1880. He suggested that, in times of war, passenger liners should be used not only as troopships, but also as armed merchant cruisers. The new Kinfauns Castle had been specially designed with this in mind and was the first Castle liner to be built of steel. The suggestion was accepted and put into operation in subsequent wars.

For his company’s service during the Zulu Wars, Currie was knighted in 1881, and the same year saw the Castle Mail Packets Company launched on the stock exchange. To match his new status, in 1885 Sir Donald bought the glen Lyon estate in Perthshire, including the village of Fortingall and his own home, Garth House.

When gold was discovered in the Transvaal in 1886, hopefuls from around the world flocked to South Africa and, once again, the Castle Line took full advantage of the demand.

The following year Sir Donald decided to visit South Africa for the first time. He created maximum publicity for the Castle Line by travelling on the Norham Castle, the largest of the mail ships, and inviting the Transvaal Consulgeneral to join him as his guest.

His social and political connections gave him introductions in the Colony and he travelled widely. He met Cecil Rhodes, the colonialist, mining magnate and founder of Rhodesia (now Zambia and Zimbabwe), and the following year Sir Donald became one of the first directors of Rhodes’ company, De Beers Consolidated Mines. Now, profits from gold and diamond investments were added to that of shipping, and Sir Donald’s wealth grew. Donald Currie had come a long way. He was a generous supporter of the arts and gave substantial donations to churches and educational establishments, including his own school, Belfast royal academy, where he endowed a scholarship. He had a passion for the works of Turner and collected a number of his paintings for his private collection.

In 1890, the new Dunnottar Castle, the first two-funnelled ship of the line, created quite a sensation. She was by far the largest ship on the Cape route being 5,600 gross tons and, with her accommodation for over 500 passengers and her top speed of 17.5 knots, she surpassed all the Union Line vessels. She would also inaugurate the new service from Southampton.

During his tour of South Africa, Sir Donald had taken note of the passion for sport and had an idea to have his name remembered. The British rugby team were passengers on the maiden voyage and, prior to sailing, Sir Donald held a banquet on board in their honour. He presented them with a handsome, gold cup to give to the best South African provincial team they played. Over 120 years later, the Currie Cup is still the prestigious inter-provincial competition.

On her maiden voyage, the Dunnottar Castle broke the southbound record by accomplishing the voyage in under 18 days. She also broke the northbound record on her homeward trip, and the following year she reduced these times by almost a day in each direction.

Sir Donald kept at the forefront of the public eye with his hard-hitting advertising ideas and flamboyant personality. He was now extremely wealthy and in 1897 was created a Knight of the grand Cross, St Michael and St George (G.C.M.G.). He also received an honorary law degree from Edinburgh University.

Sir Donald had bought the Mount Nelson estate in Cape Town with the intention of building a luxury hotel for his passengers. The Mount Nelson Hotel opened on 6th March 1899, being hailed as the last word in luxury. This was just months before the start of the Boer War and, instead of welcoming well-heeled tourists, the Mount Nelson became the unofficial headquarters of the British army, who arrived on the requisitioned ships of the Union and Castle Lines. The hotel quickly acquired the affectionate nickname ‘The Nellie’ and became the centre of social life at the Cape. And she is still the Grande Dame of Cape Town hotels.

The new mail contract was due in 1900 and this time was to be awarded to only one company. Union and Castle lines were unwilling to bid against each other and so the Cape government awarded the contract jointly as before, but with a significant difference. They omitted the clause which prohibited the contenders from amalgamating, and this seemed the logical way forward.

On the initiative of Sir Donald Currie, the companies agreed terms and, on 8th March 1900, Union-Castle was registered. The ships were to have lavender-coloured hulls and red funnels, topped with black, the insignia of the Castle Line.

The rivalry, and much of the excitement, disappeared, but the benefits of the merger were great. Instead of trying to outdo each other, the mail service could now adhere to a strict schedule, beneficial to both shippers and passengers. From the start, the Union- Castle line provided an ocean mail service without parallel in the world.

Sir Donald’s health began to fail in 1908. Although he was determined to keep working, his family at last persuaded him to retire for a rest to Sidmouth in Devon and here he died on 13th April 1909, aged 83. His body was taken north and buried at his beloved Fortingall.

Union-Castle had lost the man at the helm and would henceforth experience takeovers and amalgamations. But that is another story.