GREAT WHITE FLEET SAILS AGAIN

 Shipping Reporter Special

Inspired by  the arrival in Auckland , New Zealand ,  of  the  huge  American naval fleet which cruised  the  world  from December 16 , l907  to  February 1909  at  the order  of  US President , Theodore "Teddy " Roosevelt, this  postcard is  the work of  brilliant  illustrator, cartoonist   and  etcher , Trevor Lloyd .

 It shows the   birds representing the two nations  pressing  noses  in the Maori   custom . The   Kiwi  is shaking hands with and extending a  warm welcome  to the  American Eagle , flags are  flying , gramophones playing Rule Britannia (for NZ) and Yankee Doodle . It includes a  Maori verbal welcome as well -Heremai!The backdrop includes some of the fleet and  Rangitoto  island in Auckland Harbour.

 

The  postcard, in the collection of a Queensland   researcher,  was hand coloured  and photographically copied .  It was reproduced   many times ,  in different  versions , says the  highly knowledgeable   researcher . In one,  the gramophone was playing  Hail Columbia , not Yankee Doodle . Lloyd's name did not appear  in  some, suggesting   they  may have been  pirated . His  name  is  included  in  the  above  postcard .   

 

Trevor Lloyd (  1863-1937) was born at Silverdale , in the North Island , the son of a  farmer, Henry  Lloyd ,  his mother nee Hannah Miles.  He worked on the  farm and was inspired by  his father , an amateur  artist,  filling sketchbooks  with   drawings  and   caricatures  of  family and  friends .  

 

By 1883 he was exhibiting with the  Auckland Society of Arts . It is interesting to note that for most of his career  as  a successful  and popular  artist he had a thumb missing on his writing hand and  was  blind in  one eye .  

 

On moving to Auckland he began to make a living as an artist and became  one of the  nation's leading political cartoonists.

 

 After departing Auckland, the  Great White Fleet, so named as  hulls were  painted  that colour , which  included  16 battleships and  a large number of escort  vessels , sailed  to  a  spectacular   welcome  in Sydney  Harbour , then onto Melbourne and  Albany, Western Australia .

A souvenir postcard  commemorating   the visit to Australia , below, was issued . It bore the title : Australia extends the glad  hand of Welcome to Sousa and his band . This was a reference to the famous American  composer and  band leader , John Philip Sousa, dubbed The March King, whose well known marches included The Stars and Stripes Forever, the  national march of the USA,   and  Hail to the Chief  , closely associated  with  US presidents.

 Our Shipping Reporter found the  following  soiled and well worn    copy of  Sousa  marches,including  Hands  Across The Sea ,  in  a Townsville, Queensland , op shop . Furthermore , he points  out that  while it has  just  been announced that  US Marines will not be visiting Townsville  because of  the  coronavirus  threat , Sousa  was  the leader of the   Marine Corps Band  and in 1888 wrote its official march , Semper  Fidelis , latin for Always  Faithful .   

 

While on its  world wide   tour, the Great White Fleet  became involved in recovery operations in the massive Italian  earthquake,which flattened  Messina and claimed the lives of about 80,000, of  which this blog has a large collection of postcards , some  may be run later . A detachment of sailors from the  battleship Illinois   recovered   the body of the American Consul , Arthur S. Cheney , and his  wife, Laura,  entombed   for 19 days . Also  killed  in the quake were the French  Consul and  his  children .

 

UPCOMING : More  superb  Trevor Lloyd postcards , his  interest in Maoris, politics ,  sport  and  Pommies who  made  fools of  themselves  in New Zealand.