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1. About the Elder Dempster project

   The Homeward Bound: A Liverpool-West Africa Heritage Project documents the lives and memories of Elder Dempster’s seafaring and office staff. As part of the project, we recorded 25 oral testimonies.

2. Harry Madden interview – Elder Dempster

   Harry Madden was a Junior Engineer for Elder Dempster Lines. Listen to Harry Madden's interview.

3. New finds and related archives – Elder Dempster

   Read more about new finds for the Elder Dempster Lines - the largest UK shipping group between Western Europe and West Africa from the late-nineteenth century to the 1980s.

4. Jim Forsey interview

   Jim was a Purser at Elder Dempster Lines. Listen to Jim's interview.

5. Denis Kelly interview – Elder Dempster

   Denis Kelly worked in the marketing department for Elder Dempster Lines. Find out more about Denis's experiences by listening to his interview.

6. Alan Wigelsworth interview – Elder Dempster

   Alan Wigelsworth began working for Elder Dempster Lines aged 15. Alan joined the company as office boy. Listen to Alan's interview.

7. Harcourt Doyle (1913 – 2001)

   Harcourt was a student at the Liverpool City School of Art and Crafts, a historic predecessor to the current Liverpool School of Art and Design. He became a highly respected stained glass window artist and thanks to diligent record keeping from his family, many of his original window designs, alongside prints and personal letters from his time at the School of Art now tell both his personal story and the institutional history of the university that we know today. The records are held within LJMU’s Special Collections and Archives.

8. Derek Bailey interview – Elder Dempster

   Derek Bailey joined Elder Dempster Lines in 1957. In his interview, Derek recalls what it was like living on a ship with a wife and children at home. Derek also speaks about Elder Dempster Lines’ latter years.

9. Brian McManus interview – Elder Dempster

   Brian McManus joined Elder Dempster Lines as a second officer and made his way up the ranks to master. Find out more about Brian's experiences onboard the ships by listening to his interview.

10. Interviews and memoirs – Elder Dempster

    As part of the Homeward Bound project we’ve collected 25 oral testimonies from Elder Dempster Line’s seafaring and office staff. Listen to the interviews.