A brass ship’s bell from Peninsular & Orient liner S.S. Ballarat

This bronze ship’s bell is incised with the legend ‘Ballarat’ and has a suspension bracket and plaited rope bell-pull. The interior is painted white. It is impressed on the shoulder ‘(John R)oby Ltd, Rainhill’. English.

There were four ships called ‘Ballarat’ built for the Peninsular & Oriental Steam Navigation Co (still operating cruise ships today as P&O). They were named after a gold rush town in Central Victoria, Australia, derived from two Aboriginal words meaning ‘resting place’. The first one from Greenock, Scotland (1882-1904) was spelt ‘Ballaarat’. She carried cargoes as varied as troops mobilised for the Boxer Rebellion and a record quantity of Australian butter. The second Ballarat, launched in 1911, was requisitioned by the British government as a troopship carrying first Indian, and then Australian troops. With terrible irony, she was torpedoed in 1917, on her thirteenth voyage, just as the Australian officers were preparing a memorial service for ANZAC Day. In an amazing feat of skill and discipline, all 1,752 on board were taken off the sinking liner within an hour. The third Ballarat was with P&O from 1921 until 1935. After an eventful career frequently delayed by strikes and other setbacks, including hitting a submerged object near the Suez Canal, she was retired due to ‘lack of gainful employment’. The fourth Ballarat (1954-1968) was initially employed for the Australian wool trade and carried the first containers of Australian canned fruit to London in 1966.