The Beginnings of P&O Cruises
P&O Cruises’ long history had its origins in 1815 when Brodie McGhie Wilcox opened a ship-broking firm in Lime Street, London. As his Clerk he employed a Shetlander named Arthur Anderson. Details of Wilcox’s early life are scarce except that he was born in Ostend of Scottish and English extraction but it was a different story with Anderson who, from his birth in 1792 and like his fellow Shetlanders was destined for a life connected with the sea.
At the age of 11 he was employed as a fish curer and later joined the Royal Navy rising to the position of ship’s clerk. After the defeat of Napoleon and his exile to St Helena many thousands of men were discharged from the Royal Navy, amongst them was Arthur Anderson who because of his impecunious state was forced to walk from Portsmouth to London. In London he eventually met and was employed as a clerk by Brodie Wilcox, who in 1822 made Anderson a partner in the business now named Wilcox and Anderson.
Trading with a small fleet of sailing ships between England and the Iberian Peninsular countries of Spain and Portugal, the firm of Wilcox and Anderson prospered but to ensure their survival had to work hard to secure return cargoes. Portugal and Spain allowed the small firm to combine their colours which found the blue and white of Portugal quartered with the red and yellow of Spain, to form the company flag which soon became synonymous with the development of passenger shipping services and cruises from England to the East and Australia.
Following the return to peace and with encouragement from Spain and Portugal the partners set about improving the trade between the Iberian Peninsular and England. Their ambition had long been to run a regular steamship service, a risky prospect considering the marine steam engine was far from efficient and expensive to maintain and operate.
In 1833 they chartered two steamships from The Dublin and London Steam Packet Company, which through its founder Captain Richard Bourne was to have such a crucial role in the success of the partners venture. The two chartered ships, the first in an unbroken line of 170-years of P&O history, were the 206-ton, 60 horse power WILLIAM FAWCETT and the 308-ton, 260 horse power ROYAL TAR.
In the following year, 1834, Wilcox and Anderson issued a prospectus for their steam ship company titled the Peninsular Steam Navigation Company. A company which by 1837 had a fleet of seven ships operating on the Peninsular route. Anxious to improve the business the partners began formulating proposals to submit a plan to the Government for carrying the Royal Mails to the Peninsular.
