A great place to work

Despite the devastation of two world wars, and all the changes now happening in the industry, the company was known as a great employer. The offices were modest but a happy place, with a social club providing dances, outings and sports and a pension scheme, good...

Expansion into Haulage

In the 1950s we made our first ventures into Haulage – acquiring a small fleet of lorries to serve shipments at the port of Hull. Like tourism in the early 1900s, this early investment in haulage was to become a very successful wing of the business in the...

Expansion to the South

Until now the company had operated from Hull and the north, but a new agency contract for Argo Line enabled a new office to open in London. Also, the dock labour union’s power over operations were making ports like London and Hull less competitive, so in 1959 a joint...

War devastates the family business

Just one year after the company employed its fourth-generation family members, war broke out and all sailings were cancelled. The company survived on work for the Ministry of Supply, but the High Street premises were completely destroyed as Hull became the most bombed...

The first ever IATA accreditation

An IATA accreditation allows a company to issue and administrate airline tickets. Our company was one of the first to receive the accreditation and still holds it today. The travel department expanded as airline and coach holidays became popular throughout the...