A pennant system for signalling the mails was approved by the Resident in May 1866 and used experimentally from November that year, pending approval from the Postmaster General in Bombay, which was forthcoming in January 1867.
The harbourmaster was responsible for announcing the sighting of a mail Packet as it approached Aden harbour and when the service to the Cape via Zanzibar was introduced in December 1872 he issued a notice that the signal to be hoisted at the various signal stations would be the letter F in the commercial code (a white ball on a red pennant) together with the usual time signal indicating at what time the Zanzibar mail would close. He helpfully added that a booklet on signal codes could be bought from his office for six Annas each.
Only three days later the code letter was changed to the letter G, a yellow and blue flag. The nautically-minded reader will have realised that these code letters were different from those in the 1931 International Code of Signals, Visual, in use today.
The first International (Commercial) Code of Signals was introduced in 1857, being updated on 1st January 1901. The 1857 Code consisted of only 18 flags, compared to 26 in 1901 and the 40 in the 1931 Code which came into effect on 1st January 1934.
The harbourmaster was responsible for announcing the sighting of a mail Packet as it approached Aden harbour and when the service to the Cape via Zanzibar was introduced in December 1872 he issued a notice that the signal to be hoisted at the various signal stations would be the letter F in the commercial code (a white ball on a red pennant) together with the usual time signal indicating at what time the Zanzibar mail would close. He helpfully added that a booklet on signal codes could be bought from his office for six Annas each.
Only three days later the code letter was changed to the letter G, a yellow and blue flag. The nautically-minded reader will have realised that these code letters were different from those in the 1931 International Code of Signals, Visual, in use today.
The first International (Commercial) Code of Signals was introduced in 1857, being updated on 1st January 1901. The 1857 Code consisted of only 18 flags, compared to 26 in 1901 and the 40 in the 1931 Code which came into effect on 1st January 1934.
At night signal guns were fired to announce the sighting of the more important mail packets. In some instances coloured lights were also shown. A Notice advised the community that from 1st December 1879 the following signals would be made at night:
For the P & O mail to and from Bombay: At the lightship 3 guns in quick succession, repeated at Marshag and Sham Shum by 2 guns in quick succession.
For the Messageries Maritimes mail to and from Suez: At the lightship 2 guns, repeated by one gun at Marshag and Sham Shum.
The P & O mail steamer to and from Calcutta would be signalled as before viz: At the lightship one gun would be fired and one blue and one white light shown at the ensign staff. This signal was not to be repeated at any of the other stations.
Two of the most important routine events of the week at Aden were the arrival of the weekly P&O mail steamers, one from Bombay and the other from Europe via Suez. Once Perim had been connected to Aden by cable, and bearing in mind that it then took the packet another six hours to reach Aden, it meant that advance warning could be given of the estimated time of arrival at Aden of the mail steamer for Bombay.
For the P & O mail to and from Bombay: At the lightship 3 guns in quick succession, repeated at Marshag and Sham Shum by 2 guns in quick succession.
For the Messageries Maritimes mail to and from Suez: At the lightship 2 guns, repeated by one gun at Marshag and Sham Shum.
The P & O mail steamer to and from Calcutta would be signalled as before viz: At the lightship one gun would be fired and one blue and one white light shown at the ensign staff. This signal was not to be repeated at any of the other stations.
Two of the most important routine events of the week at Aden were the arrival of the weekly P&O mail steamers, one from Bombay and the other from Europe via Suez. Once Perim had been connected to Aden by cable, and bearing in mind that it then took the packet another six hours to reach Aden, it meant that advance warning could be given of the estimated time of arrival at Aden of the mail steamer for Bombay.
From the number of letters on the subject and the periodic rockets given to the Assistant Resident at Perim for the all-important cable not being sent, or being sent late, it would seem that there was an element of paranoia on the subject, but not for the reasons one might imagine. Notice was needed not so that letters from ‘home’ could be collected as soon as possible, but so that official and business letters could be timed to catch the outgoing mail, bearing in mind that Aden was administratively under Bombay. This warning system dates from July 1886 when the Resident sent a telegram to the Assistant at Perim ordering him in future to cable the time the steamer with mail for India passed Perim.
It took time for the system to work efficiently. Some mail steamers were not being recognised as they passed Perim and in September that year the P&O ordered captains of outward mail steamers to hoist the English Mail pennant during daylight at the foremast and at night to show two vertical lights, the same as mail steamers were doing when entering Aden Harbour. On other occasions the Eastern Telegraph Company (ETC) failed to pass the cable immediately; this brought the order from Aden that a Register be kept by the ETC as correct and timely signalling of the mail was of public importance.
In December 1886 the P&O had to clarify their orders to captains that the Directors’ instructions must be strictly carried out and the English Mail pennant (red with three white crosses) was to be flown and that the Royal Mail bargee was not to be flown at the same time. This was necessary as other mail steamers, for example those carrying the Australia Mail, also passed Perim.
On receipt of the cable from Perim giving the time the steamer passed, the P & O flew a number of flags from their masthead at Steamer Point. In January 1899 a notice was issued to better define the time the steamer had passed Perim if it had done so in daylight. As well as the Royal Mail flag, a flag to indicate the hour would also be hoisted, plus a pennant to denote a.m. or p.m.; the a.m. pennant was alternate red and white stripes (three red and two white) and the p.m. pennant a white circle on a blue background. The a.m. pennant flown without an hour pennant would signify that the mail steamer had passed Perim at noon.
It took time for the system to work efficiently. Some mail steamers were not being recognised as they passed Perim and in September that year the P&O ordered captains of outward mail steamers to hoist the English Mail pennant during daylight at the foremast and at night to show two vertical lights, the same as mail steamers were doing when entering Aden Harbour. On other occasions the Eastern Telegraph Company (ETC) failed to pass the cable immediately; this brought the order from Aden that a Register be kept by the ETC as correct and timely signalling of the mail was of public importance.
In December 1886 the P&O had to clarify their orders to captains that the Directors’ instructions must be strictly carried out and the English Mail pennant (red with three white crosses) was to be flown and that the Royal Mail bargee was not to be flown at the same time. This was necessary as other mail steamers, for example those carrying the Australia Mail, also passed Perim.
On receipt of the cable from Perim giving the time the steamer passed, the P & O flew a number of flags from their masthead at Steamer Point. In January 1899 a notice was issued to better define the time the steamer had passed Perim if it had done so in daylight. As well as the Royal Mail flag, a flag to indicate the hour would also be hoisted, plus a pennant to denote a.m. or p.m.; the a.m. pennant was alternate red and white stripes (three red and two white) and the p.m. pennant a white circle on a blue background. The a.m. pennant flown without an hour pennant would signify that the mail steamer had passed Perim at noon.
Two footnotes were added to the notice: in black heavy type that the mail steamer could be expected at Aden six hours after passing Perim and another in red that these signals had nothing whatsoever to do with the hour the mail would close at the Post Office.
In addition to the notification by P&O of the hour a mail steamer passed Perim there was also the official government system of advising the Aden community that the mail steamer had been sighted, that based on the firing of saluting guns, mentioned above. On 12th July 1886 one of the signals was changed: in future four guns would be fired at the lightship when the Bombay Mail was sighted. Following representations from those working and living in Crater that this signal was of no earthly use to them, a relay system was introduced whereby the lookouts on top of Sham Shum and at Marshag would each fire three guns.
It is noted that in 1892 the warning signal for when the mail steamer from Bombay arrived at night was still three guns fired at the light vessel and two each at Marshag and Sham Shum [Shamsan]. The Port Officer also complained that mail steamers were often not hoisting the ‘Mail’ flag until well within the harbour limits.
This was important as the mail bag for India closed in the post office in Camp half an hour after the signal guns had been fired and at the main post office in Steamer Point one and a half hours after. This was because the mail contract only allowed for a four-hour stay in Aden. [Hence the booklet for passengers ‘Three Hours in Aden’ mentioned in the article ‘Aden 1906’]
In addition to the notification by P&O of the hour a mail steamer passed Perim there was also the official government system of advising the Aden community that the mail steamer had been sighted, that based on the firing of saluting guns, mentioned above. On 12th July 1886 one of the signals was changed: in future four guns would be fired at the lightship when the Bombay Mail was sighted. Following representations from those working and living in Crater that this signal was of no earthly use to them, a relay system was introduced whereby the lookouts on top of Sham Shum and at Marshag would each fire three guns.
It is noted that in 1892 the warning signal for when the mail steamer from Bombay arrived at night was still three guns fired at the light vessel and two each at Marshag and Sham Shum [Shamsan]. The Port Officer also complained that mail steamers were often not hoisting the ‘Mail’ flag until well within the harbour limits.
This was important as the mail bag for India closed in the post office in Camp half an hour after the signal guns had been fired and at the main post office in Steamer Point one and a half hours after. This was because the mail contract only allowed for a four-hour stay in Aden. [Hence the booklet for passengers ‘Three Hours in Aden’ mentioned in the article ‘Aden 1906’]
By the 1930s a method of signalling the impending arrival of a mail steamer at Aden was still needed, but since that in force in 1899 the system had been made somewhat more complicated. Those looking out for a flag hoist would have needed this chart to hand!
In case the reader is unable to read the wording, I will describe how the system worked. Looking at the lower table of Post Office Signals, which were to be hoisted on the P & O flagstaff with the distinguishing Mail Flag (i.e. one of those in the upper table) uppermost, one can work out how using two flags only from the lower table the ETA could be hoisted to the nearest half hour.
If a ship was expected on the hour the a.m. or p.m. pennant would be above the hour flag; if it was expected on the half-hour the hour flag would be on top. A pennant flown by itself would indicate either noon or midnight, and both pennants together, depending which was on top, would be either 0030 or 1230. From the Signalling the Mail article one can see that the Noon pennant was three red and two white stripes, and the Midnight pennant a white circle on a blue background. Note that there was also a ‘Tomorrow’ flag (white rectangle on a red background). This part of the system was unchanged from that in force at the end of the previous century.
Looking now at the upper table the key signals were the two pennants: the ‘Mail from England’ pennant (the Royal Mail pennant), which is the right-hand one in the third row; and the ‘Mail from Bombay, China and India’ pennant (three white crosses on a red background), which is the left-hand one in the fourth row.
My assumption is that the regular Royal Mail contract steamers did not also need a Mail Flag of the company carrying the mail to be hoisted as well. But all other steamers carrying mail would have the Company flag hoisted in place of a mail pennant. Below the examples of Company flags (and also of warship ensigns of those Navies likely to call at Aden) is a clarification: ‘The above flags are hoisted at the East or West yard arm according to direction in which a steamer is sighted.’ Thus the public could tell whether, for instance, a Rotterdam Lloyd steamer was inward or outward bound.
The chart (to follow) shows which Agent (P & O, Luke Thomas, Cory, Cowasjee Dinshaw, etc) was handling the ships of the company concerned. The reader will have noticed the vertical dark and light balls alongside the Company flags. This was a belt-and-braces fallback for when there was still air, with flags hanging limp and unreadable on the yard arm. There were not enough combinations for every shipping company to have a dedicated ball signal, although the chief ones did.
A word or two about the top row in the upper table and the small one-row table at the bottom of the sheet: The latter was for use by vessels taking on oil rather than coal, and covered useful instructions like ‘stop pumping’ and ‘pump more slowly’. The former gave further information of progress, such as ‘vessel entering outer harbour’ plus a necessary ‘port surgeon required’.
The final bit of useful information was how the daily time check would be signalled (noted under ‘Times Signals’). The Fort Morbut flagstaff (as opposed to the P & O flagstaff) would hoist a time flag (? The noon pennant) at 11.55 daily. In true naval tradition the executive, i.e. in this case the denoting of midday, would be the hauling down of the flag.
In case the reader is unable to read the wording, I will describe how the system worked. Looking at the lower table of Post Office Signals, which were to be hoisted on the P & O flagstaff with the distinguishing Mail Flag (i.e. one of those in the upper table) uppermost, one can work out how using two flags only from the lower table the ETA could be hoisted to the nearest half hour.
If a ship was expected on the hour the a.m. or p.m. pennant would be above the hour flag; if it was expected on the half-hour the hour flag would be on top. A pennant flown by itself would indicate either noon or midnight, and both pennants together, depending which was on top, would be either 0030 or 1230. From the Signalling the Mail article one can see that the Noon pennant was three red and two white stripes, and the Midnight pennant a white circle on a blue background. Note that there was also a ‘Tomorrow’ flag (white rectangle on a red background). This part of the system was unchanged from that in force at the end of the previous century.
Looking now at the upper table the key signals were the two pennants: the ‘Mail from England’ pennant (the Royal Mail pennant), which is the right-hand one in the third row; and the ‘Mail from Bombay, China and India’ pennant (three white crosses on a red background), which is the left-hand one in the fourth row.
My assumption is that the regular Royal Mail contract steamers did not also need a Mail Flag of the company carrying the mail to be hoisted as well. But all other steamers carrying mail would have the Company flag hoisted in place of a mail pennant. Below the examples of Company flags (and also of warship ensigns of those Navies likely to call at Aden) is a clarification: ‘The above flags are hoisted at the East or West yard arm according to direction in which a steamer is sighted.’ Thus the public could tell whether, for instance, a Rotterdam Lloyd steamer was inward or outward bound.
The chart (to follow) shows which Agent (P & O, Luke Thomas, Cory, Cowasjee Dinshaw, etc) was handling the ships of the company concerned. The reader will have noticed the vertical dark and light balls alongside the Company flags. This was a belt-and-braces fallback for when there was still air, with flags hanging limp and unreadable on the yard arm. There were not enough combinations for every shipping company to have a dedicated ball signal, although the chief ones did.
A word or two about the top row in the upper table and the small one-row table at the bottom of the sheet: The latter was for use by vessels taking on oil rather than coal, and covered useful instructions like ‘stop pumping’ and ‘pump more slowly’. The former gave further information of progress, such as ‘vessel entering outer harbour’ plus a necessary ‘port surgeon required’.
The final bit of useful information was how the daily time check would be signalled (noted under ‘Times Signals’). The Fort Morbut flagstaff (as opposed to the P & O flagstaff) would hoist a time flag (? The noon pennant) at 11.55 daily. In true naval tradition the executive, i.e. in this case the denoting of midday, would be the hauling down of the flag.
The article above refers to a chart which will be added as soon as I can locate it and upload it.