The Red Funnel Line of Singapore

[Beckenham1]

This shipping line operated out of Singapore during the late twenties and thirties at least.

I have found two possible references for it:

One, that the M. S. AMNUPUTTY in 1958 was purchased by Heap Eng Moh SS Co., Ltd., Singapore; and renamed the Giang Bee. [Heap Eng Moh was associated with Soon Bee SS Co. Ltd. Both operated as the Red Funnel Line.]

Two, that the Southampton Isle of Wight and South of England Royal Mail Steam Packet Company is universally known for short as the Red Funnel line. Is there a connection (perhaps a subsidiary) for this line with Singapore?

Is there yet another Red Funnel line around?

Does anyone know anything about The Red Funnel Line of Singapore?

[Currie]

Hello Beckenham1,

I didn’t have any luck with the Red Funnel Line and didn’t find anything that that links the Southampton Company to Singapore unless there was some hidden financial connection somewhere. I’ve rounded up a collection of odds and ends that you may have already seen. Bits and pieces may provide clues as to Singapore companies and ownership patterns etc

http://www.merchantnavyofficers.com/indexframe.html
Click on the History link at the top and about halfway down the red page on the link to “The History of Straits Steamship Company”. There’s a bit of stuff there from the book you were looking for.

Page 98 of this PDF refers to the Semarang SS Navigation Co taken over by Heap Eng Mo in 1912 headquartered at Singapore, 6 steamers, British Officers, Chinese Crew, Java-Rangoon-Singapore-China route and a bit about the owner Oei Tiong Ham.
http://www.h-net.org/~business/bhcweb/p ... -p0102.pdf

“The Heap Eng Moh Line was owned by Oei Tiong Ham, a Chinese sugar merchant whose firm, Kian Gwan had multiple interests throughout the region and operated five ships. When this line was reorganised in 1931 after Oei Tiong Ham's death, Giang Ann came partly under the control of the Netherlands Trading Company linked to Koninklyke Paketvaart Maatschappy (Royal Packet Navigation Company) or better known as K.P.M.”
http://members.dodo.net.au/~mervynw/Gia ... Darvel.htm

There’s a bit more in pages 331/332 of this Google book.
http://books.google.com.au/books?id=q8Z ... C&pg=PA332

Hope there’s something useful there.
Alan

[joette]

Sorry I can't help but there would have been a man who could have.
My beloved Uncle Tommy was Superintendent of the dockyard there for over twenty-five years. He would have loved to reminicise about the lives & times of the place.
He had an enclypodediac knowledge of the place was fluent in Malay & could get by in most Chinese dialects too.

[Beckenham1]

For future researchers...

The Southampton Isle of Wight and South of England Royal Mail Steam Packet Company universally known for short as the Red Funnel line has NO connection with this line operating out of Singapore?

Is there anyone out there that is in Singapore that can get me a death certificate on their next visit to the records Office?

Regards, Jim

[Currie]

Hello Jim,

You can apply online for a Singapore Death Extract. Records are available only since 1872. Fee is 30 Singapore Dollars plus similar amounts for searches if a registration number is not supplied. SGD 30 = GBP 14 apx. http://www.ica.gov.sg/page.aspx?pageid=147&secid=143

The situation appears to be the same if applying in person or on someone’s behalf. There’s more detail on the site. Public access to BMD records at a registry office, such as is available in Scotland, is relatively uncommon.

Perhaps there was something in the newspapers about the shipping line and/or the death. There are a number of Singapore newspapers available free online at the National Library of Singapore site. See this thread. viewtopic.php?f=2&t=15008

Hope that’s useful,
Alan

[Beckenham1]

Alan, Two great websites. I found one newspaper article almost immediately.

The Straits Times, 21 June 1955, Page 2

Captain buried
Capt. Alexander Henderson Boyd, one of the best known skippers on the Malayan coast, who died on on Saturday, was buried at Bidadari Cemetery yesterday.

Many thanks, Jim