Every Thursday at 4 p.m. a Union Castle express liner left Southampton for the Cape. William H Miller tells the story of the post-war Union Castle ships.

The Union-Castle Line's heritage spans over a century. It provided the mail service to South Africa for 120 years and established an unrivalled reputation for punctual schedules. From the middle of the nineteenth century it ran 'like clockwork' until its demise in 1977, a victim of emerging competition from jet aircraft, increasing fuel costs and the containerisation of cargo.As a company, the Union-Castle Line used the latest technical innovations of the day, constantly striving to improve speed, reliability, customer comfort and safety. Its lavender-hulled ships were some of the most impressive vessels of the time. Yet the story of the Union-Castle Line is also one of people - the passengers and crew ensured that the line survived for so long. This book tells some of their fascinating stories, including tales of shipwrecks, war service, missing gold bullion, escaped wild animals and even the occasional murder on board.Utilising previously unpublished diaries, letters and photographs, this illustrated volume chronicles the shipping line from its glorious beginning to its tragic end. It is a multifaceted history of the Union-Castle Line, which examines some of the company's shipwrecks as well as the fond legacy of the line today.

This absorbing account of the ocean mail service that plied between Britain and southern Africa between 1857 to 1977 captures the spirit of an era now gone.

"Celebrating the majestic passenger liners of the twenties, Great passenger ships 1920 - 1930 looks at well-loved ships, such as Majestic, Olympic, Berengaria, Viceroy of India and rawalpindi, alongside lesser known but still fascinating vessels. This series follows ships serving all over the world rather than just fames Atlantic Liners, with personal anecdotes of the ships and their voyages from passengers and crew alike"--Back cover.