The house flag of Ellerman's Hall Line Ltd, Liverpool. A rectangular flag quartered diagonally into white quarters at the top and bottom, blue quarters at the sides and 'HALL LINE' in blue letters on the white quarters. Ellerman Lines's blue pennant is hoisted above and bears the white letters 'JRE'. The flag and pennant are made of a wool and synthetic fibre bunting. They have cotton hoists and are machine sewn. The letters on the items are printed. The pennant and flag are on a single rope with a toggle attached.
Robert Alexander of Liverpool was the son of a successful Belfast merchant with shipping interests. The Alexander family had originally owned sailing vessels, some built in North America. One was named ‘Annie Hall’. By 1850 their larger vessels were engaged in taking troops and supplies to the Crimea, while others were plying routes to India, China and the USA until the Civil War brought a halt to the cotton trade. In 1868, Robert Alexander founded the Sun Shipping Company using his new company Robert Alexander and Company as managers. Sun Shipping became a limited liability company in 1874 by which time it operated some forty ships, mostly steamers, of which the Haddon Hall was the first. Routes expanded world wide with outward cargoes of manufactured goods and bunkering coal. Return cargoes comprised cotton, jute and spices from India and grain from Australia.
In 1889 the Sun Shipping Company Limited went into liquidation, emerging as the Hall Line, before becoming part of Ellerman Lines Limited in 1901. Some early Ellerman vessels were laid down as Hall Liners but completed as City Liners, while some City Liners were subsequently renamed after another city. The last was built in 1960.
After 1901 Ellerman’s Hall Line owned or operated upwards of one hundred and fifty vessels retaining its India trade as well as developing South and East African services. All Ellerman shipping companies were merged into one division of the group.