THE WRECK OF THE P&O AVA (1858):

HISTORY AND POSTAL HISTORY

ABHISHEK BHUWALKA

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ROADMAP

The Steam Ship Ava The Wreck Postal History

• Builders • Literature References • Currency and Conversion
• Details of the ship • Passengers • Recovery of the Mails
• P&O and its History • On Route the Wreck • Two Batches of Dispatches
• The Calcutta Line and • Survivors: Passengers and • Wreck Cachet
Beyond Mails • Rarity Scale
• The Overland Route • Captain Cooper Kirton • Representative Ava Wreck
Covers (1+12+1)

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THE STEAM SHIP AVA

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P&O AVA…NAME

Ava (Awa or Inwa) - Ancient capital of

Burma
Ava
Going back to the 14th century, destroyed
by earthquakes in March 1839

Rangoon

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P&O AVA…BUILDERS

Built in 1855 by Tod & Macgregor of

Glasgow

Partnership formed in 1833

David Tod (1795-1859) John Macgregor (1802-1858)

Initial business was producing steam

engines and later hulls

By 1838 made their first ship

Built about 150 ships in total

including 18 for P&O

Business slowed with the deaths of

the partners and company sold in
1872
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P&O AVA…MORE DETAILS
P&O Nemesis (1857; 2,018 tons) P&O Pera (1855; 2,014 tons)
No pictures of P&O Ava
found

One of the smallest ships on

the Calcutta Line

Gross 1,373 (1,620 initially)

P&O Ceylon (1858; 2,020 tons) P&O Himalaya (1853; 3,438 tons) and net weight 934 tons

Single screw propulsion with

steam engines of 1056 iHP
(320 HP)

Capacity for 97 first class

and 30 second class
passengers

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PENINSULAR & ORIENTAL…BRIEF HISTORY

Brodie McGhie Willcox and Arthur

Anderson were running a shipping
agency business from 1815 onwards

Started running sailing ships to Spain and

Portugal in 1822 and steamships in 1834

Secured the mail contracts from

Falmouth to Peninsular ports including
Lisbon and Gibraltar in 1837

In the same year, founded the Peninsular

Steam Navigation Company (PSNC)
Wilcox (1796-1881)

Renamed Peninsular & Oriental SNC

(P&O) in 1840 on receipt of the Royal
Charter and Falmouth-Alexandria mail
Anderson (1792-1868) contract
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PENINSULAR & ORIENTAL…PACKET ROUTES

P&O won most of the Marseilles Line

Eastern mail packet Levant Line

contracts by the1850s
Mediterranean Line

Bombay Line
Calcutta Line
Established a link with China Line
India via the ‘Calcutta
Line’ in 1842

Took over the

'Bombay Line' from Australian Line

East India Company in

Dec 1854 Published by Wm. H. Allen & Co in 1853

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THE CALCUTTA LINE AND BEYOND

Calcutta Madras Point de Aden Suez

Galle

Overland Route to India in John Tallis’ Illustrated World Atlas (1851)

Overland from Suez

to Alexandria

Calcutta-Bombay: 1185 miles

Bombay-Aden: 1650 miles

To GB
• Alexandria to Southampton
via Malta and Gibraltar, OR
• Alexandria to Marseilles via
Malta

Calcutta-Aden: 3325 miles

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THE OVERLAND ROUTE

Suez – Cairo (84 miles)

Cairo – Boulac (2 miles)

Boulac – Atfeh (120 miles)

Afteh – Alexandria (44 miles)

Mahmoudieh Canal

From De Nederlandse Scheepspost: 1. Nederland-Oost-Indië 1600-1900 by

Claude J. P. Delbeke 10
THE WRECK

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LITERATURE REFERENCES

“Saved from the Wreck of the “Ava”” by

Eric H. Ford. Published in The Philatelist
and reprinted in India’s Stamp Journal Nov
1952

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PASSENGERS
Dr. James Little (1837-
1916), ship’s surgeon. Later
chief physician at the
Ava carried 240 souls Adelaide Hospital in Dublin
including about 40 army and Regius Professor of
Physic at the University of
officers, 25 women, and Dublin.

19 children

Many of the officers had

seen action in the Indian
mutiny (some wounded)

Some of the women and Lady Julia Inglis (1833-

children were refugees 1904), wife of (later) Major-
of the mutiny General Sir John Eardley
Inglis (1814-1862), who
(Later) General Sir Edward
Greathed (1812-1881) was
commanded the British on his way to Bombay
troops at the Siege of
Lucknow in 1857
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ON ROUTE THE WRECK
14 Feb 3.20 PM: Arrived
Madras; loaded more
10 Feb 1858 9.15 AM: Left passengers and 510 boxes
Calcutta of specie worth £260,000
(~£33 million in today’s
money)

Asked to drop £5,000

worth at Trincomalee; an 15 Feb 4 PM: Left Madras;
unscheduled stop but for believed that the post office
which she would have did not permit the ship to
steamed past 50-60 miles sail a couple of hours early
away

16 Feb 7.55 PM: (literature

says "afternoon") stuck the
She was 12 miles (literature
rocks off a ridge extending “80 miles”) from
3/4th of a mile from shore,
Trincomalee
off Rocky Point, about a 1½
miles from Pigeon Island
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SURVIVORS: PASSENGERS AND MAILS

Admiralty Agent*, Six boats were lowered

The captain and most
Lieutenant R. Percival, and about 70 passengers Remainder of the men
attempted to rescue the apart from some crew officers remained on
were put on a rock near board trying to rescue the
mails but the mail room crammed into them for the ship
treasure
filled rapidly the next 11 hours

Next morning, three boats Over the next weeks mails Mails dispatched to GB in
took ladies, children, and Ava broke into two 17 Feb and cargo recovered with two batches which
husbands to Trincomalee 1.30 pm help from local divers and reached London in April
and arrived afternoon those of HMS Chesapeake and May

*The agent was an officer or person appointed by the Admiralty to be carried on board. The agent had powers to
determine times of sailing, variations of route, etc. He was in charge of the mails and saw them landed at each port of call.
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CAPTAIN COOPER KIRTON (1828-1915)
Kirton was just 30 and was
commanding the Ava for the first time

Investigators into the loss of the Ava “Oh! My

held Captain Kirton responsible
poor
His Certificate of Competency as father!”
Master granted just 15 months earlier
suspended for six months

Later given a P&O post in Malta;

worked for P&O till 1902.

Founded Kirton Shipping Company in

1884 (still in existence)

And his father lived to 1882!

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POSTAL HISTORY

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CURRENCY AND CONVERSION

Indian Currency Conversion

12 pies = 1 anna 1 anna = 1.5 pence

16 annas = 1 rupee 1 rupee = 2 shillings
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RECOVERY OF THE MAILS

Recovery of the Mails HMS Pylades Drying and Dispatch

• Iron boxes were 2' x 1' x • 14 Mar 7.30 PM: Reached • R. Percival handed over
1.5' deep wreck site the boxes to the
• 6 March: 2 boxes • 15 Mar 5.40 AM: Left postmaster
recovered wreck • Same day, 18 Mar, the
• 7-10 March: 3 more • 15 Mar 8.20 AM: Reached P&O Candia was due to
• 11 March: 34 Trincomalee leave Galle for Suez
• 12-15 March: 25 • 16 Mar: Left Trincomalee • Some mails put on that
• 18 Mar 7.30 AM: Reached steamer
• Total 64 boxes of mail
recovered Galle • Larger portion was kept
to dry and sent by the
• Probably only 2-3 lost
next packet P&O
Hindostan

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 TWO BATCHES OF MAILS
P&O Candia (1854; 1,982 tons)
P&O Hindostan
Overland to Alexandria
Galle (02.04)
P&O Colombo
Aden (11-12.04)
Suez (18.04) Alexandria (20.04)
Malta (23-24.04)
Gibraltar (03.05)
Southampton (10.05)
London (10.05;
P&O Hindostan (1842; 2,017 tons)
datestamps 11.05)
P&O Candia
Overland to Alexandria
Galle (18.03)
Aden (26-27.03)
P&O Pera
Suez (02.04) Alexandria (04.04)
Malta (08.04)
Gibraltar (13.04)
Southampton (17.04)
London (18.04;
datestamps 19-20.04)
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WRECK CACHET

“…the first mishap

Proof impression Stamp sent to Foreign from which collectors
In Mar/Apr orders can reasonably hope to
book for 1858 has an Branch Office at the Affixed on all Ava
given to produce a red impression of the London G.P.O. on 13 acquire a cover with a
special stamp wreck mails
cachet (or14) April wreck cachet”
Hoggarth and Gwynn

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RARITY

Numbers existing
A: <10
B: 10-19
Hoggarth and Gwynn Rarity Code of C: 20-35
Ava wreck covers: C D: 36-60
E: 51-100
F: 101-200
G: >200

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IN HAPPIER TIMES!

Calcutta (05.06.1857)
to Glasgow (20.07) via
London (19.07)

Not stamped and sent

bearing (INDIA
UNPAID handstamp)

Postage due of 6d from

recipient for the route
Adrian Hopkins Collection on
via Southampton
loan to the Bath Postal Museum
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FULLY PREPAID (1854-55 LITHOGRAPHED)
Cawnpore to Manchester
(19.04) via Calcutta (08.02?)
and London (19.04)
Prepaid 4 annas (=6d) for
the route via Southampton

Jochen Heddergott Collection

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FULLY PREPAID (1855 DE LA RUE)

Benares (05.02) to
South Petherton
(21.04) via
Calcutta (09.02?)
and London
(20.04)
Prepaid 4 annas
(=6d) for the
route via
Southampton

Martin Hosselmann Collection 25

PREPAID BUT STAMP FLOATED AWAY
Calcutta to Kimbolton
(19.04) via London (19.04)

Prepaid 4 annas (=6d) for

the route via Southampton
but stamp floated away (see
INDIA / PAID handstamp)

Hence no postage due from

recipient

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UNPAID AND SENT BEARING
Calcutta (06.02?) to
London (11.05)

Unpaid and sent bearing;

postage due of 6d for the
route via Southampton

No fine levied on unpaid

mails until 1 Sep 1858

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UNUSUAL DESTINATION: USA
Calcutta (02.02?) to Marblehead,
Massachusetts (2X.05) via
London (11.05)

From Liverpool (12.05) to New

York (23.05) on Inman Line’s City
of Washington

Unpaid and sent bearing; postage

due of 33 cents for the route via
Southampton

33c = 12c (=6d) India - GB

Steam Postage + 16c GB - US
Transatlantic charge + 5c US
Internal Postage Max Smith
Collection 28
UNUSUAL DESTINATION: USA (CALIFORNIA)

Calcutta (02.02?) to
San Francisco (24.05)
via London (11.05)

Prepaid but stamps

floated away (INDIA
/ PAID handstamp)

Early cover to
California; very rare
destination
Jochen Heddergott Collection 29
UNUSUAL DESTINATION: ITALY
Calcutta to Genova
(16.05) via London
and Calais (13.05)
No India markings;
likely carried privately
on the AVA
Curiously no London
date stamp as well

70 cents? postage due

on delivery
Adrian Hopkins Collection on
loan to the Bath Postal Museum
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UNUSUAL CONTENTS
Calcutta (09.02) to London
(11.05)

Prepaid either 6 annas (=9d)

(0.25 oz) or 8 annas (=12d)
(0.50 oz) for the route via
Marseilles but stamps floated
away

Max Smith
Collection
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REDIRECTED…IRELAND
Calcutta? to Dublin (12.05)
via London (11.05)

Prepaid either 6 annas

(=9d) (0.25 oz) or 8 annas
(=12d) (0.50 oz) for the
route via Marseilles but
stamps floated away
Redirected to London
(13.05) with 1d postage due

Jochen Heddergott Collection 32

REDIRECTED…SWITZERLAND
Madras (15.02) to London (11.05)
to Lieutenant W. G. Farquhar, care of
his agent, M/s Cockburn & Co.

Unpaid and sent bearing; postage

due of 6d from recipient for the
route via Southampton (though
route endorsement was Marseilles)

Recipient on vacation in Europe and

agent redirected to Geneva (likely
reached 13.05)

GB to Switzerland rate paid by a

1856 one shilling green stamp (SG
72?)

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ROUTING INSTRUCTIONS IGNORED
Calcutta (28.01) to Oxford (11.05) via
London (11.05)

Endorsed to be sent via Bombay but

was ultimately sent via Calcutta

Letter retained at Calcutta for either of

two reasons: the mutiny or the
judgement call that sending to Bombay
would not help it reach faster

Unpaid and sent bearing; Postage due of

6d from recipient for the route via
Southampton

Martin Hosselmann Collection 34

I WAS ON THE AVA!
Calcutta (09.02) to Bordeaux
(15.05)

Unpaid and sent bearing; 8

decimes (80 centimes or 0.8
francs) postage due in France

Did not receive the wreck cachet

since it did not go through
London

Alexandria (06.05) to Malta on Martin Hosselmann Collection

P&O Indus. Then Malta (10.05) to

Marseilles (13.05) on P&O Euxine.

How did travel from Galle? Did it

reach Suez on 04.05 on P&O
Bengal? Was there a third batch?
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I WAS NOT ON THE AVA!
London (09.02) to Calcutta
(14.03) to London (11.05)

Returned from Calcutta (14.03)

on P&O Hindostan possibly since
recipient was no longer in India

Hindostan also picked up AVA

mails at Galle (second batch)
before leaving for Suez

This letter may have been mixed

with the AVA mails and received
the cachet in error
Martin Hosselmann Collection 36
THE WRECK OF THE SS AVA
ABHISHEK BHUWALKA

abbh@hotmail.com

https://philaliterature.com

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SELECT REFERENCES

¡ Cable, Boyd. A Hundred Year History of the P. & O. Peninsular and ¡ https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-231161999/view
Oriental Steam Navigation Company. 1837-1937. London: Ivor
Nicholson and Watson, 1937. ¡ http://www.columbia.edu/itc/mealac/pritchett/00maplinks/coloni
al/miscmapsearly1800s/tallisoverland/tallisoverland.html
¡ Ford, Eric H. “Saved from the Wreck of the “Ava”.” India’s Stamp
Journal 15 no. 11 (November 1952): 251-254 ¡ https://www.flickr.com/photos/angeljim46/8700677861

¡ Hoggarth, Norman, and Robin Gwynn. Maritime Disaster Mail: A ¡ http://www.gregormacgregor.com/Tod&Macgregor

Study of Mail Salvaged from Maritime Disasters, as Casualties of ¡ https://www.gracesguide.co.uk/Tod_and_McGregor
War, Collisions, Fires, Shipwrecks and Stranding. Bristol, Great
Britain: Stuart Rossiter Trust Fund, 2004. ¡ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julia,_Lady_Inglis
¡ Hopkins, A[drian]. E[dmund]. A History of Wreck Covers ¡ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Little_(physician)
Originating at Sea, on Land and in the Air. 3rd ed. London: Robson
¡ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Greathed
Lowe Ltd., 1967.
¡ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_Hindostan_(1842)
¡ Inglis, The Honourable Lady. The Seige of Lucknow: A Diary.
London: James R. Osgood, McIlvaine & Co.,1982. ¡ https://www.stampboards.com/viewtopic.php?p=3581467
¡ Kirk, R[eginald]. The P&O Lines to the Far East.Vol. 2. 4 vols. ¡ https://www.poheritage.com/our-archive
British Maritime Postal History. Heathfield, East Sussex: Proud-
Bailey Co. Ltd., 1982. ¡ https://bathpostalmuseum.org.uk/shipwreck-mail

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