The Elder Dempster Captain Morgan project ran between March 2022 and May 2023. Through the project we gained a wide variety of skills and experiences related to the museum and heritage sector. It was a great learning opportunity to see the transformation of many boxes and folders of donated artefacts into a physical and digital catalogued collection, a website, and a physical exhibition.
In the first phase of the project, we learnt how to handle and best store the artefacts, and during this process divided the collection into several categories. These categories then informed the structure of the collection during the digital cataloguing stage. Items were then digitised, either through scanning or through photographing, both of which required learning how to use applications such as Adobe Bridge and Photoshop.
During the second stage of the project, the collection was brought to life as we prepared to launch the Finding Captain Morgan exhibition. This process involved curating the items for four exhibition cases and creating descriptions for the items, designing four posters to correlate to the exhibition cases, setting up a digital catalogue for the collection using CALM, creating a website to act as a digital version of the exhibition, and making leaflets for the official launch of the exhibition.
Captain Morgan began his career as a young cadet in 1961, progressing through the ranks to become captain. He collected many items throughout his naval career, which provide a wealth of shipping history. He had a dedication to service and a desire to help others which can be seen throughout his life. James Morgan went on to become a paramedic and Leading Ambulance Officer for the Sussex Ambulance Service, and an active member of St. John’s Ambulance. He advanced to Commissioner of the Sussex Central Area and provided extensive training. His long, meticulous service was recognised and he was invested as an Officer of the Order of St. John.
This sense of duty extended to the local community with the development of a medical equipment loan service, the National Coast Watch, and his commitment to the catholic church. James wished for others to benefit from his experiences, and it asked that his collection be duly donated to the LJMU Archives and Special Collections by his widow, Mrs Joyce Morgan. The artefacts reflect his naval career, with particular attention to Elder Dempster Lines and associated shipping companies. The ‘Elder Dempster Captain Morgan’, EDCM, collection can now be preserved and used for future reference. The collection is a legacy to his remarkable life.
The archiving process of this collection meant a great deal to so many people, we decided to produce an event as both a documentation and celebration of the collection, resulting in the Finding Captain Morgan exhibition. Launched on Tuesday the 17th May 2023, over a year after the first project meeting, it was a very proud moment to see the organisation and planning of the previous months come together. The title is Finding Captain Morgan, not due to the fact that Captain Morgan was ever ‘lost’ as such, but rather that the collection was such a good find and a positive addition to the archives.
With over 1,750 objects that had been donated (see the full collection here), one of the most difficult tasks was to condense the collection into just four cases. In order to make this selection process easier, we gave a theme to each case and filtered through the collection, seeing which objects epitomise the thematic and functional requirements of their respective case. As an introduction to the exhibition, the first case focused on Captain Morgan. This was in homage to the origins of the collection, as well as providing context to the collection’s background and era in which the majority of objects originate. The second case is occupied by Elder Dempster Lines memorabilia, which is the main focus of the collection as a whole. Though there is lots of overlap with Paddy Henderson, and other shipping companies, Elder Dempster is featured in the majority of the EDCM collection. In order to reflect life onboard the ships more vividly, the third case is a mock-up dinner service, including cutlery, napkin ring and menus. We also felt it important to take advantage of the beautiful silverware and crockery, all containing some reference to Elder Dempster Lines, even on the children’s service. The final case of the exhibition highlights Elder Dempster and Captain Morgan’s links to Liverpool. Since the LJMU Special Collections and Archives now holds the collection, it was important to acknowledge the locational relevance of Liverpool.
The launch event was, personally, very special as it marked the finish of archiving and curating of this particular collection. We were lucky to hear from Professor Nick White, who has been dedicated for years throughout this project and the Homeward Bound project, and Dr Edmund Chilaka from the University of Lagos, who shared his hybrid paper ‘Ocean Shipping before the Age of Flight: The Case of Elder Dempster’s M. V. Aureol’. We hope to make this available online soon. Thanks to everyone who contributed to the project, including the Special Collections and Archives staff members, Professor Nick White, the fellow interns and the attendees who came and supported the exhibition launch.
Julie Cain, Rosie Nock, Kate Hudson, Jen Cooper
LJMU Special Collections & Archives 