House flag, Eastern and Australian Steam Ship Co. Ltd

The house flag of the Eastern and Australian Steam Ship Co. Ltd, London. A rectangular green flag, on a very broad red bend and a crest of a gold lion rampant holding a black foul anchor. The flag is made of a wool and synthetic fibre bunting. It has a cotton hoist and is machine sewn. A rope is attached.

The Eastern and Australian Steam Ship Company was founded in 1873 by the Bright Brothers of Melbourne, James Guthrie of Singapore, and McTaggart, Tidman and Company. The company operated a steamer service between Australia and Asia via the Torres Strait. The route through the Torres Strait was difficult due to the Great Barrier Reef, and the company had to hire experienced reef pilots during these voyages. Throughout the next few decades the company operated steamships from ports in Eastern Australia to Japan, China, the Philippines, and the East Indies. The cargoes included wool, scrap metal, frozen meat, timber, and other general cargo. The company lost its mail contract in 1881 and in 1919 came under the control of British India Steam Navigation Co. In 1946 the company became part of the P &O group under the management of Macdonald, Hamilton and Company, based in Sydney. Further mergers followed, and in 1960 Macdonald, Hamilton and Company and their holdings were acquired (along with the Orient Line) by P & O, and renamed P & O Lines of Australia.