MH Bland: 1810-2010

The Bicentenary

As the MH Bland Group of Companies – this family of businesses that has grown from and around the ship agency founded by Marcus Henry Bland – celebrates and looks beyond 200 years, I feel a mix of emotions: gratitude to all those family members, employees, clients and friends who have gone before us to make MH Bland what it is today; a sense of responsibility to ensure that their legacy continues and that we, who are entrusted for a short time with the responsibility to protect and nurture that which has been passed on to us, live up to the standards set by our forefathers; excitement in what the future holds and the great potential that is yet to be developed in our community that is Gibraltar; confidence that whatever awaits us there is One who will always watch over us. The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust. Psalm 18

John A Gaggero Chairman, June 2010

Map of Gibraltar and the bay area, 1750

Foreward

A business enterprise starts with a bold undertaking to grasp an opportunity. Some call it “the lucky break”, but continued success is never down to luck. To survive and evolve, courageous and determined leadership is required. When asked to write this piece I realised I was going to follow the lives of individuals during extraordinary times. Facts and dates feature, indeed a timeline is the structure of this account because the company, Gibraltar, Britain and the world are all interwoven throughout history; but above all, the narrative is about two very different families. Both were brought by destiny to carve out a new existence on the small rugged Rock of Gibraltar; both thrown together by chance and blessed with fortitude and a work ethic, inherited by their children, to sustain a dream.

2010 celebrates the endeavours of the Bland and Gaggero families; at the heart of, and in whose heart, a business was developed and transformed from that dream. We journey through two challenging centuries, not to learn consecutive history but to eavesdrop at significant points, to see the progress being made by the company set against the backdrop of pervasive, turbulent and challenging times in its own small community here in Gibraltar and the world events that have so influenced its enduring success. It is a story of families keeping pace with relentless change whilst growing and progressing. One that encompasses an intrepid move across Europe, risks, good fortune, hardship, war, tragedy and hope, with ultimate success borne of dynamic management and hard work. The account will celebrate the achievements of the ship agency which was the foundation stone upon which so many other businesses were built as well as the human story, concentrating on the one line of the family that now directs MH Bland.

Each page is a milestone in the firm’s history. Details of achievements, setbacks and progress are featured, along with illustrations and photos from the time.

I am indebted to the Gaggero family for all their wonderful reminiscences, help and encouragement. ‘The Rock of the Gibraltarians’, by Sir William Jackson has provided countless nuggets of valuable information and acknowledgment is also given to Tito Vallejo, www.aboutourrock.com, www.gibraltar.gi and Wikipedia.

“He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life.”

Muhammad Ali (1942 - )

Karen Lawson, 2010

1810

The arrival of Marcus Henry Bland in Gibraltar

“Small opportunities are often the beginning of great enterprises.”

Demosthenes (384 BC - 322 BC)

Nelson’s victory at Trafalgar in 1805 confirms the Royal Navy’s status as the greatest maritime power in the world. With confidence and self-assurance the British Empire continues to expand and prosper. Gibraltar’s strategic position is a firm and solid link supporting this military might and its burgeoning business enterprises.

In 1810, Marcus Henry Bland, a merchant venturer from Liverpool moves to Gibraltar four years after the establishment of the country’s first port administration, set up to deal with the increasing numbers of commercial vessels berthing on the Rock. Marcus seizes the opportunity to set up a shipping agency from the home he acquires in Irish Town in order to protect the interests of owners and masters. The choice of location was obviously intentional: Gibraltar is building – with its extensive fortifications, quite literally – a Rock solid reputation. By supporting the Royal Navy with a purpose-built dockyard, constructed in 1808, the high seas are protected. This allows the global shipping trade with Britain’s growing empire to flourish. He was to give his name to the firm that still exists today.

Marcus Henry wasn’t the first Bland to influence Gibraltar’s history. The Irishman, Humphrey Bland was Governor of Gibraltar from 1749 to 1754. He was a leading military theoretician and his ‘A Treatise of Military Discipline’ was considered the bible of the British Army. No family link has been established between the two.

M M. H. . Bl Blanand

Timeline

1805 The Battle of Trafalgar. Admiral Lord Nelson leads the British Royal Navy to a decisive victory over the combined French and Spanish fleets during the Napoleonic Wars.

1808 Commercially Gibraltar is in its formative years, offering a safe stepping stone from Great Britain to its growing empire.

A new dockyard and victualling yard are begun at Rosia. Portuguese workers, amongst others in Gibraltar, help construction.

1810-60 Shipping agencies in Gibraltar represent over 600 lines.

1817 Gibraltar’s benevolent governor General George Don founds the Exchange and Commercial Library for civilian residents whilst the Exchange Committee develops to support the social and economic interests of local merchants.

1819 Queen Victoria is born. The SS Savannah, the first steamship to cross the Atlantic Ocean, arrives at Liverpool.

The Peterloo Massacre in Manchester. 18 people are killed and 700 are injured by charging militia at a peaceful demonstration but the tragedy influences the move towards universal suffrage, trade unions and ultimately democracy for all.

Major internal financial crisis in the US causes widespread foreclosures, bank failures, unemployment and a slump in agriculture and manufacturing.

“Have no fear of moving into the unknown. Simply step out fearlessly knowing that I am with you.”

Pope John Paul II (1920 - 2005)

The Gaggero family; Genoa, Gibraltar

Abraham Lincoln (1809 – 1865)

Motivated perhaps by the desperate need to avoid the hardship and deprivation at home, or by a courageous drive to achieve something better, Genoese immigrants start to arrive in Gibraltar from the early 18th century. A large Genoese community already existed in Cadiz and on the Levant coast; many others came later to avoid being drafted into Napoleon’s army.

Gibraltar’s military fortifications and dockyard construction require skilled craftsmen and so new opportunities beckon. One such Genoese family, the Gaggeros, probably arrived in the late 18th century. Joseph Gaggero – born in Sestri Ponente, Genoa, in 1787 – was believed to be working in Gibraltar by 1812. His son, Andrew, is certainly documented as having been born in Gibraltar in 1819, possibly working as a cooper before becoming a respected tavern owner. The Gaggeros had arrived.

1830 Gibraltar is officially designated a Crown Colony. A colonial office represents her interests rather than the local garrison and War Office in Great Britain.

1834 The economic recession, combined with a cholera epidemic which kills 380, sees the population of Gibraltar fall from 17,024 to 15,002.

1832 In Britain, the Poor Law Reform Act is passed with massive consequences for many.

In Gibraltar, Wellington Front is built using convict labour and the Trinity lighthouse is under construction. Corruption amongst customs officers is curtailed by decent pay. Smuggling between Spain and Gibraltar is significantly reduced.

Col. Mitchell and Capt. Brett mysteriously disappear in St. Michael’s cave. Their remains have never been found.

1835 A regular steamer service between London, Spain and Portugal is operated by the appropriately named Peninsular Steam Navigation Company.

By 1837, a weekly mail service between Falmouth, Vigo, Oporto, Lisbon, Cadiz and Gibraltar lays the foundations of what would later become P&O.

“I walk slowly, but I never walk backward.”

Jo Joseseph ph Gagaggegero ro

Marcus Hill Bland steps into his father’s shoes

“Great ability develops and reveals itself increasingly with every new assignment.” Baltasar Gracian (1601 – 1658)

Life in Gibraltar is now under new colonial rule which can be harsh and bellicose. As a result of the wars raging in Europe, desperate immigrants flood the Garrison town outnumbering the military, whilst a malignant fever decimates the population. Survival itself is a challenge, but against this struggle and despite stiff competition, MH Bland grows and prospers – ready to be inherited by the next generation.

Marcus Hill Bland, born in 1797, starts working in the company four years before his father Marcus Henry dies in 1839. Seeing the advantages expansion can bring he goes into partnership with Charles Middleton and John Mackintosh, establishing a new partnership to be named Middleton, Mackintosh and Bland.

The new business grasps opportunities created by the development of steam engines as longer and more productive journeys can now be made instead of transhipping into smaller vessels in Gibraltar. The Rock becomes a frequent port of call but loses much of her entrepôt trade. However, Middleton, Mackintosh and Bland, involved with coaling and ship repair, gain a huge advantage by taking this timely initiative.

1840 Cunard establishes the first scheduled Atlantic steamship service.

Samuel Cunard is awarded the first transatlantic steamship mail contract.

1841 Thomas Cook founds his travel agency.

1843 Isambard Kingdom Brunel’s Great Britain is the first ship to be built entirely of iron. Nelson’s Column is erected in Trafalgar Square.

1845 Enormous suffering is seen in Ireland where the potato crop is blighted, causing famine on an unprecedented scale for many years. Over one million Irish men, women and children starve to death and another million are forced to leave the country.

Four Loreto Sisters arrive in Gibraltar to open their first school at Gavino’s Dwellings.

1849

The birth of Joseph Gaggero

Sir Francis Bacon (1561 - 1626)

Joseph Gaggero is born into an industrious, hard working family, and is given the name of his Genoese grandfather. He is the second generation Gaggero born in Gibraltar.

1849 John Snow, some time resident in Gibraltar living at what is now John Snow House in Europa Road and pioneer of epidemiological methods as well as celebrated anaesthetist, publishes his groundbreaking essay On the Mode of Communication of Cholera

Great Britain’s unpopular Corn Laws are repealed.

Edgar Allen Poe dies.

1849 Imperious governor Sir Robert Gardiner acts brutally to put down any requests for political freedom for Gibraltarians and censors many publications on the Rock. He overrules international quarantine laws and allows British ships coming from cholerainfested home ports to dock at Gibraltar. Local people, living cheek-by-jowl in squalid conditions and packed into a warren of dingy housing in a tiny area of congested lanes and alleyways, have little resistance to the disease. The Spanish close the land frontier to prevent the disease spreading, further hurting the Rock both socially and economically. The Rock’s colonial ‘masters’ are oblivious to the suffering.

1850 Charles Dickens writes David Copperfield.

“A wise man will make more opportunities than he finds.”

Jooseseph Gagggegero

The next generation of Blands

“No great man ever complains of want of opportunity.”

Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-

1882)

Marcus Hill dies and once again the company passes down a generation, this time to his two sons, Marcus Horatio and John. Both these men and their contemporaries will be witnesses to great changes and opportunities in their lifetimes. At the same time, the rapid expansion of the Gibraltar shipping industry is inevitable after the Treaty and Convention of Commerce and Navigation provides new possibilities for Britain to trade with ports in Morocco.

He H rcules e 186 8 6--19 1 03

1853 The Crimean War causes many more ships to use the Mediterranean thus aiding the local economy; but when the war ends, Gibraltar’s good fortunes end with it for all but the few involved in shipping, coaling and victualling.

1856 Bone remains found in the Neander valley in Germany are from the same species as the unratified discovery in Gibraltar’s Forbes Quarry in 1848. Using DNA, modern science now supports that Gibraltar was the last refuge for Neanderthal Man before the extinction of the species 24,000 years ago.

Sigmund Freud, the founder of psychoanalysis is born.

1857 The Victoria Cross is awarded for the first time for gallantry in the face of the enemy.

1858 The Blessed Virgin Mary appears to Bernadette Soubirous in the remote grotto of Massabielle at Lourdes.

1859 Charles Darwin publishes On the Origin of Species.

1861 The American Civil War begins.

Marcus secures control

“All is flux, nothing stays still.”

Heraclitus (540 BC - 480 BC)

In 1861, John Mackintosh becomes a ship owner with the purchase of the 69-ton tug Adelia in a bid to compete with other British companies. Later, through business partnerships and marriage, Middleton Mackintosh & Bland acquire the 51-ton screw paddle steamer The Arab Trade is immediately brisk, demanding and lucrative. Battling capricious winds and financially punishing schedules, ships are in constant need of powerful tugs to tow them through the Strait in the event of adverse winds that would slow their passage. The vessels that the company purchase for this purpose are also able to carry passengers across the Strait as well as tranship cotton from Britain and tea from the east. At the same time, cattle and supplies are brought from Morocco primarily for the Garrison. A profitable and diverse business is established.

When Middleton and Mackintosh die, Marcus Horatio Bland secures the goodwill and trade of the business and continues under the name MH Bland & Co. on 13th September 1865.

Meanwhile a young, ambitious lad, with no advantages of family inheritance, joins the company as a junior clerk in 1866 to witness the multipurpose, towage, salvage and cargo passenger paddle steamer, Hercules I, start her scheduled service to Morocco, ready to outclass her competitors. The boy is sharp enough to see that expansion, improvement, innovation and development are the way forward. His name is Joseph Gaggero, born in 1849 to Andrew, the tavern owner, and namesake grandson of the Genoese immigrant who came to Gibraltar to seek a better life.

1865 There is great rivalry between European nations to trade with Morocco. Britain maintains strong links by developing and expanding routes between Gibraltar and Tangier which flourish. Once again, Gibraltar’s strategic position affords great opportunities.

A recession grips Gibraltar and more than one third of the local population are unemployed.

An outbreak of cholera prompts the formation of a Sanitary Commission in Gibraltar. John Snow has already demonstrated a correlation between cholera deaths and the source of water. The Commission works to improve Gibraltar’s drainage and water supply going some way to improving the control, management and administration of Gibraltar by her own people.

1867 Joseph Lister discovers the sterilising effects of carbolic acid, initiating antiseptic surgery.

1869 The Suez Canal is opened increasing the strategic value of Gibraltar as a key base on the route between Britain and her colonies and dominions in India and Australia.

Gi Gibebel l Mu Musa sa 186861-1-181872 7

Expansion is essential

Cooal al bun u k kering n 188882

MH Bland continues primarily as ship agents but, instinctively, know that they must expand and broaden their business to avoid stagnation in an increasingly competitive and ruthless world. They acquire shipyard building lighters, launches and tugs to unload anchored ships; they offer coastal towage and salvage; and they become coal bunkering merchants, playing a key role in the development of the port of Tangier. The company enter into mutually beneficial contracts with two London colliery firms, Milburn & Co. and Watts Ward & Co. (later Watts Watts & Co.).

Marcus Horatio Bland dies at a young age and the company now passes exclusively to his brother John during these crucial years.

1870 Charles Dickens dies.

1875 The Times publishes the first daily weather map.

1881 Relations with Spain are set back when the British garrison replaces wooden sentry boxes with solid stone ones at the frontier, challenging the disputed limits of Gibraltar’s territorial rights as ceded by the Treaty of Utrecht.

1882 The civilian hospital is rebuilt and styled with an elegant façade; it would serve the community for the next 120 years.

British troops occupy the Suez Canal, protecting it during the Egyptian Civil War.

The Hague Convention agrees a three-mile limit for territorial waters.

Charles Darwin dies.

“It’s choice - not chance - that determines your destiny.”

Jean Nidetch (1923- )

Joseph Gaggero takes a step forward

Cicero (106 BC - 43 BC)

Gibebel l Ta T riik k I 18 1884 - 193 9 0

John Bland’s health is failing and he is increasingly relying on and trusting in his hard working clerk, Joseph Gaggero, to run the company which continues to relentlessly expand its trade with Morocco. In 1884 the business purchases the 200-ton twin screw passenger steamer Gibel Tarik I which services Melilla, Larache, Tetuan, Ceuta and Tangier. Gibel Tarik or Mountain of Tarik in Arabic, is the origination of the word Gibraltar.

By coincidence Joseph’s father had been born in the same building once occupied by Middleton Mackintosh and Bland.

Joseph Gaggero’s desk with an inscription by his son George

1887 To maintain Naval supremacy and protect the Mediterranean, two 100-ton guns, known as the ‘super-gun’ or ‘Rockbuster’, capable of penetrating nearly 25 inches of wrought iron, shore up Gibraltar’s defences with up-to-date technology.

The Industrial Revolution continues to have a profound worldwide effect with developments in steel and steam.

The Gibraltar telephone service commences and Gibraltar’s own postage stamps are issued.

Construction of the Manchester Ship Canal begins; later many of these same workers come to Gibraltar to help construct the new dockyard.

Sherlock Holmes makes his first appearance in Arthur Conan Doyle’s A Study in Scarlet

1890 Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray is published.

“Natural ability without education has more often attained glory and virtue than education without natural ability.”

1891

The registration of MH Bland & Co. Ltd

John F. Kennedy (1917 – 1963)

The death of John Bland and the absence of any male heirs ends the family line which over eighty years has created one of the most successful locally-owned companies in Gibraltar. It is now that Joseph and Emmanuel Gaggero seize this opportunity persuading some prosperous local citizens, many of whom they know through their church, to loan them £28,474 in the form of a debenture in order to purchase the business. Their faith in them – reflecting John Bland’s own confidence in his one-time clerk – indicates trustworthy men of vision and aptitude. Joseph and his brother Emmanuel, born in 1854, were able to pay back their debenture within ten years.

Because no company register yet exists in Gibraltar, a limited company is formed in London and so on 23rd December during the first board meeting of the newly registered MH Bland & Co. Ltd. Joseph is appointed Managing Director and Emmanuel the company’s first Director. The Gaggero family take the helm as the new century beckons.

Trade is booming but the exposed Moroccan west coast causes problems and delays. The Gibel Tarik is underpowered and as a result routinely grounds herself and frustratingly Joseph has to witness her out of service often for three months in a year. He has to wait five years before the new Gibel Musa I – a paddle steamer named after another Moorish general – improves this situation in 1896.

In 1897 Joseph’s son, George, is born and a year later Cloister Building (formerly the Convent of La Merced) and Admiralty Stores in Irish Town are purchased. Cloister Building – still the company’s Head Office – then cost £3,500.

The Gaggero brothers establish themselves as prominent members of the community and make substantial donations to the Catholic Church, as testified by the two altars dedicated to their memory in the Cathedral of St Mary the Crowned. This practice would be continued by subsequent generations of the family.

1891 Gibraltar witnesses an appalling tragedy when the American-bound steamer Utopia, caught in bad weather, rips her sides on the ram of the British ironclad battleship Anson. She swiftly sinks in the Bay and over 560 people are drowned.

In England, primary education is made free and compulsory. The first international telephone call via submarine cable, initiated by the British General Post Office, links London with Paris.

1892 The escalator is invented by American Jesse W. Reno.

1894 The first bottling of Coca-Cola® takes place in the United States.

“In a crisis, be aware of the danger - but recognize the opportunity. ”

Cl C oistster e buiildinng g 18 1 91

A new century. New opportunities

“Self-confidence is the first requisite to great undertakings.”

1911Samuel Johnson (1709 - 1784)

MH Bland meets the demands of the new century head on. Gibel Yedid (meaning New Mountain in Arabic) and Gibel Derif (Nice Mountain) are purchased to enlarge the company’s fleet to twelve vessels which now trade continuously between Spain, North Africa and Great Britain. Transhipment cargo arrives in Gibraltar from Great Britain and her Empire in the east and then has to be shipped along the North African coastline as there is no road system adequate enough for the purpose. The whole process involves crossing a tidal bar and lying at anchor or remaining off shore while cargo is landed by longboat. Startled cattle and livestock are then put over the side to swim to the mainland.

The company steadily acquires more harbour tugs, lighters and coal ships. The most significant purchases are Gibel Kebir (Large Mountain) in 1901 – which was to provide 39 years of service; the salvage vessel Rescue in 1904; and Gibel Dersa I (Era Mountain) in 1906 which undertakes three weekly sailings to Tangier.

1911 The new Royal Naval dockyard is completed. It contains a coping stone laid in 1903 by Edward VII who is the first reigning monarch to visit Gibraltar. During the visit the Convent is renamed ‘Government House’ as some of His Majesties subjects deplore the idea of their king visiting and dining in a Roman Catholic institution.

RMS Titanic, is launched. It is considered the world’s finest liner and, to date, the heaviest object ever moved by man.

David Lloyd George introduces the National Health Insurance Act, giving the British working classes the first contributory system of insurance against illness and unemployment.

Roald Amundsen reaches the South Pole.

Winston Churchill is made First Lord of the Admiralty.

Gibel l Dersa & Gibe b l Zerjon 1921 1 - 1928 2

Salvage of SS Massalia 1887: In a case marked ‘glassware’ this jewellery was found destined for the King of Siam. Salvage value £2,000.

At the beginning of the century France and Spain are attempting to carve out zones of influence in Morocco and in 1906 at the Algeciras Conference they are granted the right to police Moroccan ports and collect customs fees. Morocco is now on the verge of becoming a French Protectorate with potentially huge commercial rewards as roads are developed, trade expanded and tourism perceived to be safe. MH Bland is ready to utilise all and any advantages that might come its way.

Business is relentless and ruthless with Emmanuel controlling the salvage side of operations with great energy. The Strait of Gibraltar is a busy but dangerous place. No longer haunted by pirates but still plagued by bad weather, fog and the prevailing winds which contribute to the daily perils of passing shipping, unaided by modern technology. Salvage or towage contracts are often achieved by the first vessel to get a line on board, answering distress calls within a 150 km radius of the Rock. Emmanuel buys an elderly but brilliantly designed torpedo boat with a speed of 20 knots. Aptly named Rocket, she is perfect for her new role of “chasing and capturing” the casualty – like the Barbary pirates before her – and then to “repel all boarders” until the salvage tug Rescue arrives. She proves to be worth her weight in gold as demonstrated when cargo valued at £300,000 is saved from the P&O SS Delphi which sinks off Cape Spartel.

1911 sees the death of the entrepreneurial and visionary Joseph. Sadly, his steadfast and capable brother Emmanuel is forced into retirement by poor health, passing the management of MH Bland to his brother Avelino – born in 1857 – who has up until now been a successful wine merchant working in London. Family loyalty brings him home to continue the Gaggero’s success story. Two years later MH Bland is the sole shipping line trading between Gibraltar and Morocco, concentrating on coal on the southbound leg and fruit on the northbound.

During the pre-war years Joseph’s son George and younger brother Charles are sent by their mother Maria to Germany to broaden their education. The experience was to prove an invaluable cultural insight as both men were to steer the business through the two world wars.

1912 RMS Titanic sinks taking more than 1,500 people with her.

RMS Carpathia arrives in New York with Titanic’s 706 survivors.

Captain Lawrence ‘Titus’ Oates on the return leg of their South Polar expedition, leaves Captain Scott and his fellow explorers declaring: ‘I am just going outside and may be some time’.

MS Selandia, the first ocean-going diesel ship is launched in Denmark.

1913 Force feeding of suffragettes in prison in England is ended by the ‘Cat & Mouse’ Act, which allows the women prisoners to hunger strike legally.

The British Board of Film Censors receives the authority to classify and censor film for the first time.

William Morris’ Oxford two-seater car goes on sale.

Salv l age e of SS S Le L tiitia a Ly L ke k s

Ki King ng of f Si S am am’s ’ s jew we el e le lery r y

World War I

Mother Teresa (1910 - 1997)

The unexpected death of Avelino in 1914 couldn’t have come at a worse time. He had worked steadily, continuing Joseph’s plans, by expanding the fleet to nine steamers, an ocean salvage tug, five harbour tugs and numerous lighters and coal ships. There is, however, a natural male heir in George, Joseph’s son, but he’s a schoolboy of 17! Despite his youth, circumstances thrust George into the role of Managing Director and the sudden elevation of status during a hastily convened shareholders meeting has little time to register when, two days later on the 28th July 1914, the world is plunged into a state of war.

Rising to a challenge that might have quelled the most experienced businessman, George leaves school and learns on his feet while running the business under wartime regulations and restrictions. Like his father Joseph before him, he has to overcome complex family share divisions within the company before finally gaining a controlling interest years later. His own mother, the matriarch of the family, is a major shareholder and her propensity to magnanimously give alms to the poor is just one situation he has to deal with.

1914 German troops invade neutral Belgium. Britain declares war on Germany after the latter fails to respect Belgian neutrality.

The first local currency notes are issued in Gibraltar.

Gibraltar is invaluable to the allies during the war. With her protected harbour, naval base and coaling station, military hospital and repair facilities she plays a crucial role in the control of the Strait as an assembly point for convoys, for anti submarine operations and for the examination of contraband. “During the war, and because of the war,” reported Sir Charles Lucas in The Empire at War, “Gibraltar had come into the very front rank among the great ports of the world and its capacity by 1918 possibly exceeded that of any other port”.

1915 The Gibraltar Volunteer Corps is formed. RMS Lusitania, the Cunard ocean liner, is sunk by a German submarine off Ireland killing 1,198. This turns public opinion in many countries against Germany and is instrumental in bringing the United States into World War I. It is considered the second most tragic civilian passenger liner disaster, after RMS Titanic.

1916 White Star Liner, HMHS Britannic, sister ship of RMS Olympic and Titanic, sinks in the Mediterranean Sea after hitting a mine.

“I know God will not give me anything I can’t handle. I just wish that He didn’t trust me so much.”

Rescue u at t wa w r

His brother Charles, born in 1898 completes his formal education and joins the company in 1919 with two invaluable degrees in Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering. The youngest brother Joseph (Pepe) follows for a short time in 1921 having first been called to the bar. Charles and George work well together to develop the company over a quarter of a century, just like Joseph and Emmanuel had done before them. George takes great personal pride in designing the passenger tender Seagull.

The company’s cargo ships concentrate their war effort on transporting fruit from southern Spain to Bristol and coal from Cardiff to Gibraltar. With Spain neutral and France busy controlling Moroccan affairs, trade continues to flourish. The Port Department hires many Bland vessels for war work, including Gibel Musa I and Express whilst Rescue is requisitioned to the Dardanelles to be used as a balloon spotter directing guns in the ill-fated Gallipoli campaign.

In 1917 Germany declares unrestricted submarine warfare and MH Bland suffer the loss of Gibel Yedid and Gibel Hamam (White Pigeon) with Gibel Derif narrowly escaping the same fate after being pursued and shelled by an enemy U boat. In the same year, MH Bland starts passenger sailings between Gibraltar, Tangier and Casablanca linking with the famous Sud Express Paris to Madrid night train which terminates in Algeciras.

1917 The Russian Revolution transforms the country from a Tsarist monarchy into the first Communist state. The Blessed Virgin Mary appears to three shepherd chidren at Fátima in Portugal on the 13th day of six consecutive months, starting 13th May.

1918 After the sinking off Cape Trafalgar of HMS Britannia, the last British warship to be sunk at the end of the war, many wounded and dying sailors are brought to the Naval Hospital. This war highlighted the close cooperation between Britain and the Gibraltarians. “The pride in being British as well as Gibraltarian was already becoming evident.” Sir William Jackson, The Rock of the Gibraltarians. The war is fought and won, but at a cost of 16 million lives, both military and civilian, on both sides.

1920 In Morocco the Rif War is being fought against French and Spanish colonial rule. This armed resistance movement in the Berber area of Morocco is led by Abd el-Krim and his guerrilla tactics are known to have inspired Ho Chi Minh, Mao Zedong, and Che Guevara. One of the Spanish generals who distinguishes himself in the Rif War is a certain Francisco Franco.

US Blimp at t Gibraltar

The birth of the cruising business

“Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.”

Thomas A. Edison (1847 - 1931)

Immediately after the war George and Charles initiate an audacious and rapid expansion. Like their father, they recognise niches in the market and their youth brings the advantages of drive and courageous tenacity. As early as 1921 they see a future in the increasingly productive cruise liner business which is hugely enhancing Gibraltar’s military based economy. Ships call en route to India and South Africa and the French, Greeks and Italians all recognise Gibraltar’s value on their Atlantic voyages to America.

In other aspects of business the company is also leading the way. The newly acquired cargo steamers Gibel Haman II and Gibel Yedid II carry coal between Great Britain and Gibraltar whilst Gibel Derif II and Gelahui, named after a Moorish general, concentrate on lucrative local trade and the salvage market. Gibel Yedid II embarks on the first sailing from Gibraltar to the United States by a locally-owned steamer, taking iron ore to Virginia and returning with coal. Passenger services are developed linking Europe with North Africa and Algeria with Safi in Southern Morocco. The company now own a timber yard, an ice factory and a carpentry shop.

1921 Britain and Ireland sign an agreement giving independence to the Irish Free State. Winston Churchill is appointed Colonial Secretary.

In recognition of its service during the war Gibraltar is granted City Council status. The Council replaces the Sanitary Commissioners and is concerned primarily with public amenities such as street maintenance, sanitation, sewage disposal and water supply. Elections are held for the first time, recognising that the population has a right to elect their own representatives. However, voting is limited to male ratepayers only and is seen as retrospective considering near universal suffrage in Britain. Military officers are on the Council to ensure that future political advances would always be subordinate to the requirements of the garrison.

1921 Ernest Shackleton sets off on his final expedition to Antartica.

Canadian scientists Frederick Banting and Charles Best discover insulin.

Agatha Christie’s first novel, The Mysterious Affair at Styles, is published introducing the world to Hercule Poirot. The United States formally ends World War I, declaring peace with Germany.

Gibel Sarsar 1920 - 1926

In 1920 the ship Isis is purchased from P&O for the Casablanca service and renamed Gibel Sarsar (Mountain of the Singing Birds). She had previously won the coveted Golden Cockerel for the fastest voyage from Brindisi to Port Said.

The Gibel Sarsar lives on into the 21st century in the name of present Chairman, Johnnie Gaggero’s home, ‘El Sarsar’. He has a picture of the ship proudly hanging over his fireplace, complete with the Golden Cockerel on its foremast, Not all deals come up trumps although it isn’t for the want of trying. In 1921 George shakes hands on an agreement to buy Connaught House in the Market Place (now John Mackintosh Square) from Pablo Larios, only to lose it to the Governor, General Sir Horace Smith-Dorian who insists that George allow the City Authorities to purchase the building when he hears it is being sold. The building became – and still is – the City Hall.

Like his father, George never forgets his roots and the supportive community within Gibraltar. He becomes a City Councillor in 1921-24, later resigning this post to become a member of the Executive Council – which had been formed in 1921 – a Justice of the Peace and Director of the Chamber of Commerce in 1924.

1922 Archaeologist Howard Carter unseals the burial chamber of Tutankhamen unleashing a wave of Egyptologists who descend on the Valley of the Kings. Egyptian mummies were being shipped to Europe to be pulverised as aphrodisiacs for Victorians so the one found floating in the Bay of Gibraltar in the 1930s, to later take up residence in the Gibraltar museum, had a lucky escape.

George Gag a ge g ro o

Giibr b altaar r City Couunc n i il

The Li Liffebbeelt l logo

MH Bland opens its first Moroccan office

Samuel Goldwyn (1879 - 1974)

MH Bland’s iconic funnel colours and flag are now gaining worldwide recognition as the firm gains a reputation both at home and abroad. The company is now one of the largest employers in Gibraltar. Anecdotally, it is claimed that the origins of the colours of the funnel stem from an agreement between Msrs Bland and Cunard who were friends and fellow Liverpudlians. They agreed to use the same colours on their funnels and that Bland would use two black bands and Cunard a single band.

The Gaggero brothers continue their relentless mission, always keen to diversify and improve. They acquire the local ship repair and foundry business Thomas Haynes, established back in 1865, situated near MH Bland’s own shipyard at the North Front. Now the fleet of some 24 ships and tugs, tenders, barges and motor launches no longer depend on outside companies for repairs.

The first Moroccan branch office of the company opens in Tangier. In the following year 24 company ships are servicing Newport, Monmouth, Cardiff, Penarth, Swansea, Liverpool, Clyde, Marbella, Malaga, Cartagena, Alicante, Valencia, Barcelona, Tunis, Algeria, Oran, Melilla, Tetuan, Ceuta, Tangier, Kenitra, Rabat, Casablanca, Mazagan and Larache.

Oil now starts to supersede coal, bringing with it the need to evolve and stay ahead of the competition.

1923 Life in Gibraltar moves quietly along. A sign of the times, emphasising the safety and security felt by the population, is highlighted in a 1927 photograph (see right). 675 silver ingots and a case of gold leaf are being stored in the strong room within Cloister Building after the salvage of the British India Steam Navigation Company ship Gandara. Only one unarmed policeman was required to watch over the operation.

The British Broadcasting Corporation makes its first television broadcast. The development of radio allows ship-to-ship and ship-to-shore communication.

Unloading g silver r ingots

“The harder I work, the luckier I get.”

Car ferries and excursions

“The person who makes a success of living is the one who sees his goal steadily and aims for it unswervingly. That is dedication.”

Cecil B.

DeMille (1881 - 1959)

In 1924 the post-war bubble bursts and instigates an international slump; trade restrictions imposed by France and Spain also weaken Great Britain’s position. The recession sees the Bland fleet shrink to ten vessels by 1930. Conversely, the company continues to modernise and anticipate mass tourism. In 1928 George pioneers a car ferry to convey this relatively new but popular (and soon to be indispensable) mode of transport across the Strait for the first time. He also operates excursions to Ceuta and Tangier and commences regular scheduled passenger services using the prestigious Gibel Sarsar and Gibel Zerjon, (Sacred Mountain). French settlers in Morocco are a market for this route and such is the power of MH Bland that Tangier responds by building its first quay designed solely round the needs of the Gibel Dersa car ferry.

In 1925 George marries, linking three established families in Gibraltar. Mabel Andrew-Speed, born in 1904, is related maternally to the shipping agent family Imossi, and is the daughter of James Andrew-Speed, chairman of James Speed & Company which was to become Saccone & Speed the wine merchant partnership. Later, her brother-in-law Charles becomes associated with the same company, and her granddaughter, Katrina (Weeny), marries back into it.

George’s eldest son Joseph is born in 1927. Two daughters would follow in quick succession: Marielou, born in 1929, who would marry Gordon Ferguson (ADC to the Governor of Gibraltar); and three years later Cecilia who would marry Lt Col David Lochhead OBE, MC. He would be awarded the Military Cross for “exemplary courage and leadership” during the Normandy landings of World War II and would have the distinction of accepting the surrender of the German naval base of Kiel, as well as acting as a military observer at the Nuremberg trials.

1928 The 1st edition of the Concise Oxford English Dictionary is published. Penicillin is re-discovered by bacteriologist Alexander Fleming. It will be instrumental in saving millions of lives. The Baird Television Development Company broadcasts the first transatlantic television signal between London and New York and the first shore-to-ship transmission.

The voting age for women in the United Kingdom is lowered from 30 to 21, giving women universal suffrage with men. Their Gibraltarian counterparts would have far longer to wait for their emancipation.

Amelia Earhart is the fi rst woman to cross the Atlantic by aeroplane whilst the airship Graf Zeppelin completes its first transatlantic fl ight.

1929 It is decided that cars on Gibraltar’s roads should drive on the right hand side.

Loading g carrs onto Gi G be b l De D rsa

1931 - 35

1931

Like many around them the company is suffering from the continued economic depression highlighted by the declining number of passengers being carried and tonnage of cargo being uplifted. Regular salvage work continues with vessels like Brack – another ex torpedo boat – used to quickly reach stranded ships and obtain the salvage contract. Brack follows in the successful footsteps of Rocket from the beginning of the century. An unexpected, some might say exotic ally, Abd el-Krim, leader of the Rif Rebels fighting the Spanish armies led by Franco, reports sightings of vessels floundering off the Moroccan shoreline to MH Bland’s Tangier office, giving the company’s fast ships a head start on competitors. Spain, however, is competing very effectively in the passenger market and the inevitable day comes in 1930, when Gibel Dersa II – later joined by Gibel Musa – is laid up. She was often sailing with her crew close to outnumbering her passengers. The steamer Gibel Zerjon II valiantly works the Gibraltar–Tangier route alone, reduced to one sailing a week. She even supports the cargo ships Gibel Kebir and Gibel Habib (Friendly Mountain), until the latter is laid up and subsequently sold.

A secret document, passed from the War office to Gibraltar’s Governor Godley, suggests work should start to prepare an emergency air strip. Godley, an army man, is very reluctant to build an emergency landing strip for the then infant Fleet Air Arm. It would sacrifice the only suitable area of flat open land at North Front, which was Gibraltar’s recreational and exercise area used as football grounds, a horse racing track, shooting ranges and the Victoria Gardens. Godley manages to dodge the scheme until the coming of World War II when a proper airfield is required for the invasion of North Africa: Operation Torch.

The 102-storey Empire State Building opens in New York City, making it the world’s tallest man-made structure.

King Alfonso XIII of Spain is deposed when the Second Spanish Republic is proclaimed. He is remembered as a great promoter of tourism in Spain.

A regular mail service by flying boats between the well-trodden route of Gibraltar and Genoa is started by the Italian line, AS Navigazione Aerea, and continues until 1932.

Sadler’s Wells Theatre and Abbey Road Studios open in London.

A new airline arises out of an economic crisis

“The only thing that overcomes hard luck is hard work.”

Harry Golden (1902 - 1981)

Seaplane Geeneral God d ley

However, this is not the time to reduce, restrict and retreat, like some rivals choose to do. Desperate times call for drastic measures and Bland wasn’t going to shy away from new challenges.

With George as the driving force the company reaches out further into the unknown to embrace the future: in a startlingly bold move Gibraltar Airways is established in what is one of MH Bland’s most difficult years. It is to be the first company to be registered in Gibraltar. When confronted with such forethought and enterprise it seems churlish to point out that Gibraltar has no airport or runway! A small seaplane is needed and Charles Gaggero, with his profound technical knowledge, is instrumental in finding a Saro Windhover amphibian aircraft in England. The General Godley, named after the incumbent Governor, provides a limited service across the Strait for six passengers with the promise of “Morocco in twenty minutes” – at £1 each way.

MH Bland also come up with some new ideas: the transport of newspapers and the creation of passenger season tickets. Joy rides are also offered for the local population and tourists from visiting liners. It’s a limited operation but it paves the way for future opportunities. Crucially, the company documents its vision for an aerodrome on the neutral ground.

In 1931 Great Britain decides to introduce UK taxes retrospectively in Gibraltar to the outrage of the local business community as many, including MH Bland would have great difficulties in paying. MH Bland is chosen as the test case in the request for a separate register for domiciled businesses working in Gibraltar. As negotiations with the British government look like failing, George sets off to the UK to make one last ditch appeal to the Colonial Office. As he’s travelling down St James’, to what he thinks may be his last meeting, a little papier-mâché black cat with a bunch of white heather attached to its collar, is thrown through the open window of his taxi, landing at his feet. George puts it in his pocket without further thought and on arrival at the Colonial Office is informed that the tax demand has been withdrawn, and the plea has been successful. The lucky black cat would from that day on hang from the top of his roll top desk.

MH Bland would be wound up only to re-register under the same name under the new Gibraltar Company’s Register on 4th January 1932.

1932 The world’s first transpacific flight is achieved.

The Graf Zepplin flies over Gibraltar.

Thomas Beecham establishes the London Philharmonic Orchestra.

Austrian immigrant Adolf Hitler obtains German citizenship whilst German physicist Albert Einstein is granted a visa into the USA.

The American war memorial on Line Wall Road is being built to commemorate the accomplishments and the links established between the Royal Navy and the United States Navy during World War I. Designed by Dr. Paul Cret of Philadelphia it is an excellent example of how contemporary architecture can blend in with older works.

Years later another George, the current Deputy Chairman and grandson of George, is collected by his parents from boarding school with his pockets bulging. Among the sundry items discovered is a little plastic black cat. Young George says he always carries it around as a lucky charm – he knew nothing of his Grandpa’s ‘Lucky Black Cat’ until that moment.

Times are hard in the early 1930s during a period of massive economic turbulence. George establishes a trusted friendship with an influential shipowner in the UK –Edmund Watts of Watts Watts Co. Ltd who steps in to offer George a loan in return for a 30% stake in MH Bland. This almost certainly prevents the company from going under during the Great Depression.

It is a hard but necessary choice to relinquish control of such a large share of the company to an outside interest, but the global crisis has forced coal merchants to mechanise coaling to compete against the subsistence wages paid in North Africa. A consortium of local coal merchants form Gibraltar Transporters Ltd and George Gaggero becomes its first Chairman.

New transporter cranes for bulk coal bunkering do away with the cumbersome, slow, labour intensive basket systems. The cranes are brought from Great Britain and installed on the North Mole. These advances make Gibraltar the most modern coaling station in the Mediterranean, snatching trade from neighbouring rival ports in these uneconomic and testing times. Bucking the trend, coaling takes an upturn in Gibraltar as does the new oil bunkering business. For two more decades, 20-foot stacks of this valuable commodity would visibly reassure the local population that there was a future in coal.

The word “corba” has developed into the local Llannito dialect and means coal bag, harking back to the time when coal heaving was done by hand.

George has weathered the storm with nerve and aplomb, and is back on track when good fortune beckons. In 1934 he is awarded the OBE, appointed Honorary Consul General for Sweden and celebrates the birth of his fourth child, John.

1936 The Spanish Civil War reeks havoc in that country whilst seriously reducing trade and tourism in the area as a whole. Although uninvolved in the war Gibraltar isn’t immune to the suffering it is causing. Some 4,000 Spanish people seek refuge here.

RMS Queen Mary leaves Southampton on her maiden voyage to New York.

1937 HMS Hunter is towed back to port after hitting a mine off Almeria killing several British sailors.

The German pocket battleship Deutschland arrives in Gibraltar with dead and wounded after Republican planes bomb it in Ibiza in retaliation for the Condor Legion’s bombing of Guernica. In an ironic twist of history, several local people are given the Order of the Red Cross by Hitler for the help and assistance given. Amongst these are the Governor, the head of the Naval Hospital and civilians such as Miss Olga Giraldi, sister to the famous Dr. James Giraldi.

Gibraltar Barbar a y Maacaaqu q e

1936 - 39

The Spanish Civil War

acquire, and thou hast chained the wheel of Chance.”

Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803

- 1882)

MH Bland is now enjoying success despite the civil war raging in Spain. The business progresses steadily and reaps the rewards of being granted a mail contract which is instrumental in introducing the Monday to Saturday service to Tangier in 1934.

Rescue is often used for family picnics during the Civil War, anchoring off Waterport. The gatherings are inevitably reminiscent of the halcyon days on Rescue’s predecessor Hercules in the 1920s.

1938

The one incident that results in the death of Gibraltarians occurs when a submarine of unknown origin, though probably Italian, sinks the SS Endymion, a small freighter taking a cargo of coal to Republican controlled Cartagena.

Britain and France prohibit volunteers from going to Spain, however hundreds make the journey and many die a hero’s death fighting fascism.

Edward VIII abdicates.

1939 After Britain recognises the Franco regime, Gibraltar has two Spanish Consulates: Republican and Nationalist.

Franco declares the end of the Spanish Civil War with the fascist nationalist government victorious. More than 30,000 have died on both sides in the conflict.

In Germany the Gestapo legally acquire total control over all internal security and police and is deemed above the law.

Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain signs the Munich Agreement and flies back to Britain declaring “Peace in our time”.

The Republican destroyer Jose Luis Diez takes refuge in Gibraltar with casualties after an engagement with the National cruiser Canarias.

“Work and

Civil l War r re r fuuge g es

1939 - 45

WORLD WAR II

Spain has torn itself apart during its civil war and now the second great war of the 20th century is threatening to consume civilisation – and Gibraltar is in its midst. MH Bland’s shipping agency, repair yard and coal bunkering facility function at full capacity with every trusted able-bodied man working around the clock to aid the War Department. The company is a vital specialist in re-floating vessels sunk by limpet mines placed on Allied shipping by Italian frogmen operating out of Algeciras. These events are later portrayed in the film Silent Enemy starring Lawrence Harvey, which is filmed in Gibraltar using many locals as extras.

The company is reluctantly forced to close its offices in Morocco whilst the country is under the control of the Vichy regime in France. Gibel Dersa II is used in the evacuation of the Gibraltarian civilian population. However, amidst the turmoil, MH Bland resolutely maintains its link across the Strait by running a basic service using its ocean tug Rescue to unite men in Gibraltar with their evacuated families

dispersed in Tangier.

1939 Plans are underway to clear the North Front to prepare an airstrip whilst Gibraltar continues to serve as a seaplane base.

1940-2 A 34-mile fortress tunnel system is created inside the Rock.

The Gibraltar Defence Force is raised locally to reinforce the garrison and air raid precautions are instigated.

1940 Beleaguered Malta is protected and supported by air services from Gibraltar.

1941 HMS Ark Royal is sunk by German submarine U-81 off Gibraltar.

The Governor assumes power of the City Council and the Executive Council is suspended. All political gains made by Gibraltarians in over 230 years of British rule seem to fade. Albert Risso leads a movement advocating greater civil rights. The group attracts lawyer Joshua Hassan who draws up the movement’s constitution becoming The Association for the Advancement of Civil Rights in Gibraltar (AACR), the first political party on the Rock. With the support of the Governor, the AACR dominates the political field for the next 40 years overseeing the progress of democracy and the emancipation of Gibraltar from Crown Colony to British Overseas Territory.

“There are admirable potentialities in every human being. Believe in your strength and your youth. Learn to repeat endlessly to yourself: It all depends on me.”

Andre Gide (1869 - 1951)

Gibraltar at war

Although the company suffers no great calamities during the war (unlike in World War I when two ships were sunk by enemy action), there is one tragic incident. Whilst unloading from the Rescue II at Tangier –an international zone – a bomb in a diplomatic bag destined for a German infra-red tracking station in the city, prematurely explodes on the quayside, causing 39 deaths, including the diplomatic courier and four Gibraltarian Security Policemen.

Despite the tangible run down of assets, MH Bland continues to work in support of the military garrison but also never forgets their own community. George Gaggero elects to see the war out on the Rock and continues to serve as an unofficial member of the Executive Council until 1943. He is Chief ARP (Air Raid Protection) warden and a member of the board of District Commissioners. This endears much good will towards the firm. He also finds time to involve himself in the Merchant Navy Welfare committee helping sailors who have lost their ships, and is instrumental in collecting funds for a Spitfire. (Mrs Victoria Mackintosh – widow of John Mackintosh – buys another Spitfire out of her own pocket.) In 1941, His Majesty King George VI grants George Gaggero a knighthood “for public services in Gibraltar”.

MH Bland is indirectly involved in the air transport business by providing management, staff and local agents from its staff in Gibraltar. This move would be deemed extraordinarily beneficial to the firm after the war.

l-r Harry King, Lionel Imossi, A. E. Huart, Peter Russo, Dr. Henry Triay, Colonel Beatie (Colonial Secretary), Unknown Foreground

Sir George Gaggero, Lt. General Liddel (H. E. Governor)

1942 HMS Porcupine, a British Destroyer, is torpedoed by a German U-boat which kills seven men and badly damages the ship. She is declared a total loss and is towed by MH Bland in two parts to Gibraltar from Algeria. Months later the two parts are refloated, named HMS Pork and HMS Pine and sent to Portsmouth as base ships until they’re finally scrapped in 1946. Apparently the middle section, removed and discarded in Gibraltar, was locally referred to as ‘U’ in keeping with the original name.

1 million tonnes of rock have strengthened and extended the runway.

1943 General Sikorski, leader of Poland’s government in exile, dies when his plane inexplicably crashes minutes after leaving Gibraltar.

1944 Gibraltarian Albert Hammond, one of the world’s most successful songwriters, is born in London as an evacuee.

1945 The City Council is reconstituted with a majority of elected members over nominated officials.

Gi G br b a altar Spit i fire che h que e presenttation o

World War II: Gibraltar and the Gibraltarians

The Rock guards the Atlantic approaches to the Mediterranean and is an important support base for Allied naval operations, anti-submarine operations and as an assembly point for convoys as it has the only dock capable of accommodating capital ships between South Africa and Britain. Operation Torch, the British and American campaign in North Africa, is predominantly launched from this new forward operating base commanded by General Eisenhower from his Headquarters within the Rock.

The British government evacuates 16,700 noncombatant civilians or ‘useless mouths’ as they are called. This is considered necessary due to the military build up within the garrison and judged at the time to be the safest option for the public.

The first group goes to French Morocco which was then an ally. After France capitulates to the Germans, the evacuees are exchanged for a large number of French soldiers who were in England as a result of the Dunkirk evacuation. As they depart Morocco, evacuees are badly treated by the authorities in retaliation for the destruction of the French fleet at Mers el Kebir in Oran where hundreds of French sailors were killed. This action also prompted the first air raids of the war in Gibraltar in which the recently returned evacuees from Morocco were caught, causing some fatalities. A few weeks later the evacuees are sent to London where they would live through the Blitz and later, the V1 and V2 rocket attacks on the city, as well as enduring the sometimes hostile reaction of Londoners. Others are sent to Ireland, Jamaica and Madeira.

Germany plans to occupy Gibraltar in an Operation known as ‘Isabella-Felix’, negotiating a deal with the Spanish dictator Franco. However, Franco learns from the head of the German Secret Service that the war is unlikely to be won, and places as many obstacles as he can to a deal with Hitler. Hitler loses patience and the planned occupation is cancelled.

The war is won, but it has cost the world 60 million lives, and has left untold scars. Gibraltarian evacuees are brought home if they have someone to ‘claim them’ here; if not, they are sent to camps in Northern Ireland where they will have to stay until they can return home. Some Gibraltarians never come back, but make new lives for themselves in the UK.

“If you’re going through hell, keep going.”

Sir Winston Churchill (1874 - 1965)

Sir George Gagerro OBE JP

1946After the storm

Rescue 19044-1951

MH Bland deals with a total of 2,267 ships during the war, and salvage continues to be a major part of the business after hostilities cease. Nevertheless, the priority is to put the Rock back on the map as a port of call. The company immediately resumes regular commercial passenger sailings to Tangier aiming to attract tourists. Because company assets have suffered natural wear and tear given the conditions imposed by the war, this is initially done using the salvage tug Rescue II, which is now fitted with a limited passenger capability. When the goodwill and trade of the Anchor Line agency is taken over, Bland adds the rundown steam tender Alert to the fleet – renaming her Gibel Kebir II – to support Rescue II.

George and Charles, the two surviving brothers of Joseph (Pepe) Gaggero who had died in 1944, decide to split the business amicably in 1946. The company has garnered much goodwill both locally and abroad, but its resources are now stretched to breaking point and its assets need updating or replacing following the war.

1946 Churchill delivers his ‘Iron Curtain’ speech as the Cold War continues to cause political conflict, military tension, and economic competition between the USSR and its satellite states, and the powers of the Western world.

Nazi war criminals are tried at Nuremberg. Sir George Gaggero’s son-in-law, Lt Col Lochhead, is appointed as an observer.

John Maynard Keynes, the economist who works hard to negotiate a US loan to help war torn Britain, dies.

London Heathrow Airport is opened fully for civilian use.

League football returns, having been suspended during World War II.

There is a re-emergence of fascist Spanish claims towards Gibraltar. Believing Churchill has indicated that he could recover Gibraltar after the war as a prize for staying neutral, Franco continues to pursue his claim on the Rock’s sovereignty.

“Success usually comes to those who are too busy to be looking for it.”

Henry David Thoreau (1817 - 1862)

Sa S lvage e of Marrkl yn II

Gibel Kebir II gives commendable post war service, but in 1945 has, by ship standards, fallen on her sword. She rolled in a gale, broke off her funnel, crushed her bridge and distorted her upper deck. If ships could talk, she is suggesting, albeit rather dramatically, that a major refurbishment of assets is required. The cargo and passenger liners have long gone; the harbour craft need updating and the ship repair yard is itself in need of repair.

After the split, Sir George retains the shipping and aviation interests and thus the potential to extend the company’s activities geographically in Gibraltar, Britain, Spain and Morocco. As a result he embarks on a bold development programme centred on expanding tourism, modernising the ship repair yard and constructing a proper purpose-built car ferry.

Charles keeps the bottling plant, the Ice Factory, the Saw Mill, the Marble and Timber Yards and evolves these into successful local businesses. He will be ever remembered in the hearts and minds of the Gibral-

tarian population as the man who introduces Coca-Cola® to Gibraltar through his company, which later amalgamates with Saccone & Speed. They proudly become franchised bottlers and distributors for The Coca Cola Company® for the territory of Gibraltar. The Group remains committed to manufacturing and bottling soft drinks in Gibraltar, including their own label Brand 5® products.

1946 The first meeting of the United Nations General Assembly is held in London with the UN Security Council also holding its first session.

The United Nations severs relations with Franco’s Spain and recommends that member countries sever diplomatic relations.

An increased desire for greater self determination is the obvious dream of Gibraltarians slowly filtering back from the evacuation with the AACR spearheading demands for greater political reform. The most pressing concern for the returning evacuees however, is decent housing. The Military town planning scheme starts.

Frank Capra’s It’s a Wonderful Life, featuring James Stewart, Donna Reed, Lionel Barrymore, Henry Travers, and Thomas Mitchell, is released in New York.

The post-war bonanza

“A good reputation is more valuable than money.”

Publilius Syrus (~100 BC)

The Gibraltar Stevedoring & Cargo Handling Company is formed to consolidate and rationalise the handling of cargo. During the war the garrison had provided Royal Engineers to control all cargo handling and now Bland is to move into the role in partnership with other port users. A full range of equipment and warehousing facilities are obtained to handle all types of cargo, developing into the premier stevedoring company in Gibraltar.

Sir George is still looking beyond his immediate horizons and, well ahead of the game, recognises an emerging trend: by combining tourism with air travel the country surrounding Gibraltar which is ripe for development can be opened up to a whole new post war generation keen to shake off the restrictions of war. If achievable, this will be an enormous step forward but collaboration is required.

Gibraltar Airways is created as a partnership between MH Bland and British European Airways (BEA). It’s fortunate that during the war the symbiotic relationship between Bland and British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) has flourished and now, in this new enterprise, they are still working with a trusted ally, albeit in a different guise. The next generation consolidates the deal when Joseph Gaggero joins his father’s company and starts working with BEA as a management trainee.

World War II saw the development of a runway in Gibraltar and in 1947, Gibraltar Airways, later known as GB Airways, sets up a seven-seat scheduled service in cooperation with British European Airways. BEA operates a regular London to Gibraltar route with Gibraltar airways providing flights onward to Morocco. 4,000 passengers are carried across the Strait in the first four months of operations – at £1.10 a trip.

1947 Gibraltar is back on the civil air map and women are able to vote for the fi rst time in City Council elections.

Th e Gibraltar State lottery is inaugurated with the approval of the Secretary of State for the Colonies. Responding to local public opinion, it can raise revenue while other forms of taxation are being examined and developed. All are urgently required to finance housing and other community projects and to curb the substantial amount of money that Gibraltarians are spending in the Spanish State Lottery.

1947 Restrictions on foreign travel imposed during World War II are lifted.

India gains independence from Britain. The modern state of Pakistan is established.

The International Monetary Fund begins to operate. In America, the Secretary of State George Marshall outlines the Marshall Plan for American reconstruction and relief aid to Europe.

The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade and the World Trade Organisation are established.

1948 - 50

Halcyon times

“Man’s mind, once stretched by a new idea, never regains its original dimensions.”

Oliver Wendell Holmes (1809 - 1894)

There are now four daily return flights to Morocco which carry 14,000 passengers in the first four months of operation – a load factor of 70%. The one aircraft that Gibraltar Airways had leased from BEA which had begun this successful operation is replaced by three Rapides owned solely by MH Bland.

Th whic of opera

In a bold move, an investment of £500,000 is made to purchase the ex-frigate HMS Ford. She is the prototype of car ferries today and successfully ran the Dover–Calais route but was deemed to have insufficient capacity for the route after the war. She is acquired, renamed Gibel Tarik II and immediately overhauled. She has to have a sampson post and derrick fitted to hoist the cars swiftly aboard, due to the lack of dock ramps for stern loading. Shortly afterwards the second-hand Gibel Musa II is purchased and so begins a long and wonderful partnership between the two ships. At peak periods Gibel Musa II – a cargo ship with no certification for passengers – takes some of the cars crossing the Strait and, sailing ahead of Gibel Tarik II, ensures that the vehicles are offloaded and ready on the quayside for the passengers following behind.

In 1950 Hercules II comes into service replacing Rescue II as a salvage tug. Ironically, she had been built by the Germans to supply U boats during the war.

she

Bland’s marketing in Morocco expands. Impressive new offices are purchased in Tangier and Casablanca, generating traffic on the route between France, Spain, the Strait and Morocco.

As oil replaces coal, this once flourishing business is wound down but Bland is still evolving, keeping in step, maybe just a pace ahead of world progress: this pace is to be driven by tourism.

1948 The National Health Service is founded, giving Britons universal healthcare.

The British Nationality Act gives Commonwealth citizens recognition as British subjects, and immigration to Britain from the Commonwealth begins after a call for emergency labour to rebuild the country.

The United Nations adopts the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and establishes the World Health Organisation.

1949 The maiden flight of the British-built de Havilland Comet, the world’s first passenger jet takes place in Hertfordshire.

The North Atlantic Treaty is signed in Washington, D.C., creating the NATO defense alliance

The USSR tests its first atomic bomb and Einstein warns that nuclear war could lead to mutual destruction.

Chairman Mao creates the People’s Republic of China.

The United Nations ends the diplomatic isolation of Spain.

1950 The Duke of Edinburgh opens the Rock’s Legislative Council, which contains a majority of members who are not officials of the Crown.

MH H Bllaand angi g er r

1951

Pursuing the dream

Gibraltar Airways charter operations have now expanded and include not only the carrying of passengers, but the transportation of blood plasma, the brains of suspected rabid animals and VIPs. They even fly a child to cure his whooping cough at altitude. Bland manages the administration and commercial responsibility for the service while BEA exercises technical control.

1951 sees the formation of the ‘Mediterranean Salvage Union’ between Gibraltar, Norway, Sweden and later Denmark. It establishes a code of conduct, protecting the interests of all the countries involved and creates a bond of professionalism, even friendship, as the Danish Chairman, Hector Kier, becomes a close friend of the Gaggero family.

1951 IT at this time means Inclusive Tour. This initiative was to unlock the potential of Southern Spain and Morocco for the modern tourist. In each case the most suitable airport is Gibraltar.

Rationing in Gibraltar ends.

King George VI opens the Festival of Britain in London.

Diplomatic relations are restored between Britain and Spain.

1951 Royal Fleet Auxiliary Bedenham explodes whilst discharging ammunition in the port of Gibraltar damaging many buildings in the town and delaying the housing programme essential for repatriation. 13 people are tragically killed in the explosion, including George Campbell Henderson, a sub-officer with the Gibraltar Fire Service, who was posthumously awarded the George Cross for his bravery in attempting to extinguish the fire. While most of those killed were members of the Gibraltar Fire Brigade or dock workers, two were traders on nearby Ragged Staff Road killed by flying debris. Hundreds were injured.The crew of the Bedenham had already abandoned the ship by the time of the explosion, with the exception of the captain and the Naval Armament Supply Officer, both of whom were blown into the water but subsequently rescued.

“I’m a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work the more I have of it.”

Baltasar Gracian (1601 – 1658)

Yoogibeear a

1954Captain’s paradise

“Never tell people how to do things.

Tell them what to do and they will surprise you with their ingenuity.”

Gen. G. S. Patton (1885 - 1945)

Rationing has ended in Britain, and Europe has shaken itself free of the past. The ship repair yard is rebuilt and modernised on extra land north of the existing yard opposite the airfield, given to the company by Emanuel (Manny) Shinwell, Minister of State for War, later Minister for Defence. Unfortunately, a Fleet Air Arm Spitfire tried an unintentional redesign soon after completion in 1953 by accidently landing on the repair yard roof instead of the airfield.

Bland Ship Repair Yard can now offer services in virtually all branches of ship repair and has access to the Admiralty dry docks which are up to 908ft in length. The yard’s own slipway is adequate for all port craf t.

Before the deliver y of the new ‘roll on ’ Mons Calpe in 1954, e Gibel Tarik II is laid up with boiler trouble and as a consequence, Bland loses trade to Spanish competition in the Strait. She does, however, have time to star in an Oscar-nomiated film Captain’s Paradise with Alec Guinness and Celia Johnson. Indeed her ‘real’ captain, something of a local celebrity in his own right, is the actor ’s stand in.

1954 The 250th anniversary of British Gibraltar sees the visit of Queen Elizabeth II as part of her Coronation tour. Franco is incandescent with rage, and renews Spanish claims to sovereignty which have not been actively pursued for over 150 years. This leads to the closure of the Spanish consulate and to the restrictions on freedom of movement between Gibraltar and Spain.

MV Mons Ca C lpe 1954 - 1986

The company now decides that it needs a purpose built car ferry: Mons Calpe is built by Ailsa Shipbuilders and Engineering Co. Ltd who had, coincidently, built the Bedenham that had tragically left such a great impression on Gibraltar three years before. When George’s second son John joins the company in 1958, he is to become personally responsible for the Mons Calpe which was built in the shipyard in which John had completed his apprenticeship as a Naval Architect.

When Mons Calpe arrives, aggressive marketing ensures her immediate success and she is to be in service until 1986 with a capacity for 586 passengers and 85 cars. Among John’s memories of the ship are the loading of donkeys and spitting camels for the annual Three Kings Cavalcade and the fact that the Captain couldn’t marry passengers despite many requests. A law allowing marriages aboard had been revoked when ships to Australia managed the route in less than nine months, the length of a pregnancy!

Ship’s captain, Captain Don Delf OBE, known by all as the ‘Wolf of the Seas’ has to be stopped from sailing in severe weather such is his enthusiasm for and faith in his ship. John knows the crew would follow their flamboyant captain but is concerned about the passengers. Over 100,000 cars are shipped annually across the Strait and Bland has more than 25% of this traffic.

The coal bunkering business is all but wound up and the North Mole coal depot dismantled. Hercules II is sold to buy Mons Calpe concluding 49 years of service involving 150 major salvage operations.

MH Bland now concentrates on the tourist industry, using Gibraltar as its axis point. Low fares and a high frequency air service between London, Gibraltar and Tangier exploit the development of the Costa del Sol and more adventurous holidays with the advantage of a stopover in historic and reassuringly British Gibraltar.

1954 Fourteen years of rationing in Britain ends.

Tolkien’s The Fellowship of the Ring is published.

The first nuclear-powered submarine, the USS Nautilus, is launched in the United States.

The first atomic power station opens near Moscow.

The maiden flight of the Boeing 367-80 a prototype of the Boeing 707 series, takes place.

Tim Berners-Lee, inventor of the World Wide Web is born.

La L unnch of f Mons Calpe

Mabel Gagggero christen e s thhe e Mons n Calpe

Interior r of f the Sh S ip Repair r Ya Y rd

Ship Reppair Yard r after e Spitfifire crash

John

1958 - 61

G

Gaggero joins the company

1959 The first ‘Miss Gibraltar’ contest takes place and is won by Mrs Viola Abudarham. Austin and Morris launch the Mini.

The epic film Ben-Hur, starring Charlton Heston, is released and goes on to win a record 11 Academy Awards.

Elvis Presley enters the UK charts for the first time with Heartbreak Hotel.

John G Gaggero, George’s second son joins the company in October 1958, aged 24. At 18 he had left Gibraltar to train at the Mons Officer Cadet School, where he was awarded the Baton of Honour and commissioned into the 12th Royal Lancers for two years, seeing service in Malaya and Singapore. He trains for a further three years from 1955, at the Ailsa Shipbuilding and Engineering Company in Scotland and qualifies as a Member of the Royal Institute of Naval Architects (MRINA). He marries Valerie in 1961, daughter of John and Lily Malin. John Malin was the first Town Clerk of Gibraltar. John and Valerie would form a formidable partnership. John is greatly influenced by his father’s friend and business associate Edmund Watts, working for a short time with Watts Watts Co. Ltd. whilst garnering more experience with Lloyds of London and BEA.

He swiftly becomes Director of MH Bland and alternate Director of Gibraltar Airways Ltd. with his brother Joseph. With his knowledge of shipbuilding he modernises the shipyard, installing better slipway rails and contemporary lathes in the carpentry shop; building new motor boats and introducing the apprentices’ scheme – a godsend for when the closure of the frontier prevents Spanish workers coming into Gibraltar.

North Sea gas is discovered, although its potential is not appreciated until 1963. The Caves of Nerja are discovered in Spain.

Two monkeys, Able and Miss Baker are the first living beings to return to Earth alive from space.

“The thing always happens that you really believe in; and the belief in a thing makes it happen.”

Frank Lloyd Wright (1869 - 1959)

John h awardded the h Baton of f Ho H no n ur u at Mo M ns

Like his father George before him, John consciously seeks to put something back into his community and serves on the Board of Education, the Labour Advisory Board, the Board of Management of the John Mackintosh Hall and also becomes the Chairman of the Gibraltar Shipping Association and a Justice of the Peace. In 1981 he is awarded the OBE in recognition of “outstanding service to Gibraltar in so many charitable and voluntary organisations over many years”.

He is also appointed Danish Consul in Gibraltar and later decorated a Knight of the Order of the Dannebrog, 1st class in recognition of his service to Denmark.

MH Bland has by now relinquished its interests in salvage, an industry decimated by the increased and widespread use of radar.

Shares in the Rock Hotel – a colonial institution and a visual reminder of an iconic and more genteel age – are acquired in a joint venture with a French hotelier company. Having been used as the Officers’ Mess during the war it requires modernisation and an extension. Over the years the hotel will see a string of famous names sign the visitors book including Errol Flynn, Sir Winston Churchill, Noel Coward, John Mills, Alec Guinness, and Andre Segovia.

A fleet of chauffeur driven and self-drive cars and coaches are built up and 16 travel offices established within a two hundred mile radius of Gibraltar as far afield as Casablanca.

In 1959 the Princess Royal, Princess Mary, visits the Rock for a few days. When she leaves en route to Tangier, she embarks from Waterport on the Mons Calpe, which is proudly flying the Princess’s personal pennant from her mast. She is escorted on board by the Governor, and alongside him are Sir George and John Gaggero. John remembers her settling down happily with her knitting in her private sitting room to enjoy the smooth crossing. On proceeding to collect the Princess a few days later, problems with the ships scavenger rod pump restrict dirty air from being pumped from the exhaust. The chief engineer works long and hard to divert air from the starting air pump to the scavenger exhaust pipe, to blow the foul air out. Ingenuity, improvisation and a great deal of experience saves the day and the royal programme runs perfectly to time.

Mons Calpe is chartered at the bequest of King Hassan II of Morocco, for troop movements between Tangier and Acheucemas during an internal revolt, an echo of her one of her predecessors’ functions a century ago.

1960 Francis Chichester, English navigator and yachtsman, arrives in New York aboard Gypsy Moth II having made a record solo Atlantic crossing in 40 days.

The Queen launches Britain’s first nuclear submarine, the HMS Dreadnought

1961 The population of the South Atlantic island of Tristan da Cunha are evacuated to Britain because of a volcanic eruption.

John F. Kennedy becomes the 35th President of the United States and appoints Janet G. Travell to be his physician, the first woman to hold this post. In May he sends the first American military ‘advisors’ to Vietnam.

Mons C l alpe flying g thhe e Royal l En E si s g gn n

1962 - 65

The cable car is born

“We should be taught not to wait for inspiration to start a thing. Action always generates inspiration. Inspiration seldom generates action.”

Frank Tibolt (1897 – 1989)

Interests are now acquired in some of Gibraltar’s road transport companies. Mons Abyla, named after the Moroccan Pillar of Hercules, is purchased in 1962, the same year John’s first son, Johnnie, is born at the Royal Naval Hospital. The baby is born whilst his father John is in No 3 dry dock inspecting the hull of the Mons Calpe

The innovative project to build the cable car is conceived after a skiing trip in Austria by John Gaggero in 1959. It follows a similar course up the Rock as a military lift which ceased operations in 1920. A land deal to acquire a suitable area at the top of the Rock is secured after a lengthy negotiation between John and the Colonial Secretary. Negotiations coincide with a period of time during which the British military establishment begins to hand back land it no longer requires to the Gibraltar government.

The project to construct a Cable Car requires that the Military Authorities grant civilian access above the line of the ‘Unpassable Fence’ which restricts access to the whole of the Upper Rock allowing civilians to go only as far as St. Michael’s Cave. In obtaining this permission, John opens the door for Gibraltar to develop its product as a tourist destination - a factor that remains of such benefit to the company and to so many others dependant on tourism today.

As ship agents, one of MH Bland’s regular clients are the Russian Baltic and Black Sea Fleets which regularly call into Gibraltar requesting huge sums of ready cash to pay their sailors. The cash is signed for using a voucher system and Bland regularly hands

1962 Paul Gallico publishes his endearing story Scruffy, based on Churchill’s wartime concern over the Rock’s dwindling population of Barbary apes; the eponymous hero – the “largest, meanest, ugliest ape on the Rock” –becomes a fictional legend.

When the United Nations’ Committee of 24 study decolonisation, the Spanish insist that Gibraltar, the “colony on Spanish soil” is returned to Spain and does not remain with the Gibraltarians which have been “entrenched there by the British”. Gibraltar presents ‘The Future of Gibraltar’ paper. Britain supports the ACCR’s continued proposals for full internal selfgovernment with a fully responsible ministerial system, Chief Minister and Council of Members. This is eventually achieved in 1964.

over sums of £400,000 (the equivalent of £6.5 million in 2010) each a day – taken from local banks. John recalls the money being secured to buoys for added security as it was taken from shore to ship in a ‘cash to master’ transaction at anchor. A significant amount of this money then reappears in Main Street as crews hunt down bargains. Tools, shirts, shoes and jeans fly off the shelves. Some shopkeepers get their fingers burnt when they pre-empt these shopping sprees by stocking up on previously sought-after items, only to find that trends have changed.

In 1962 the first born child of King Hassan, the infant HRH Princess Lalla Meryem, becomes ill from heat exhaustion whilst on a plane from Rome. Twenty-two family members and retainers are diverted to Gibraltar to seek urgent medical help. The King takes complete charge with John tasked to facilitate requirements, working with the commander of the retinue Col. Oufkir. Complex and hasty arrangements are made to accommodate the party with particular attention paid to the cultural and religious requirements of the royal retinue. The baby is discharged by doctors as fit to fly the next day but John then has to negotiate how the royal party can board the plane before the baby leaves the hospital so as to avoid risk to the child.

By 1964 George has bought back all the shares in MH Bland held by Watts Watts and by his cousin Pepe Cabedo who had so ably looked after the family’s interests in Morocco and the Gonzalez-Gaggero’s based in Algeciras.

Educational cruises for schoolchildren which were pioneered in Britain during the 1930s see a sudden increase in popularity reaching a peak in 1965 with around 60 cruises each year. It’s during this period that the gradual use of tour buses is incorporated into the working practices of MH Bland. Yet another new initiative is born.

Tourism numbers to Gibraltar are now up to 843,676 and the Cable Car system, designed by the Swiss Von Roll Company and British civil engineers, opens on schedule on 1st April 1966 after two years of construction. It’s nothing short of a mammoth feat: three tower foundations have to be sunk 70 feet into the ground before any limestone without fissures is found. John’s first ride up before the service opens to the public has to be on the roof as the cabins had yet to be licensed for passengers!

1962 Peter O’Toole and Omar Sharif travel to Gibraltar on the Mons Calpe from Morocco where they are filming Lawrence of Arabia.

Gibraltar Television begins transmitting, going on to become the Gibraltar Broadcasting Corporation.

An agreement is signed between Britain and France to develop the Concorde supersonic airliner.

Juan Carlos of Spain marries Princess Sophia of Greece and Denmark.

Telstar I, the world’s first commercial communications satellite, is launched into orbit and activated.

1963 President Kennedy is assassinated in Dallas. In Britain, the Profumo affair is uncovered.

1964 Malta gains independence from the UK.

Martin Luther King Jr is awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

The films My Fair Lady and Mary Poppins are released.

Sir George greetts s Sir Winsto t n Church c ill

1965 President Lyndon B. Johnson announces an increase in the number of US troops in South Vietnam from 75,000 to 125,000.

The Prime Ministers of Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland meet for the first time in 43 years.

Sir Winston Churchill dies aged 90, and is granted a State Funeral.

The company boldly erects a sign on Grand Parade when construction starts in 1964 stating exactly when the cable car would begin service two years later. Amazingly the deadline is met. For 3/6d tourists can now get to the top of the Rock within six minutes in ease and comfort and can enjoy unparalleled views over Spain and the Bay of Gibraltar, taking refreshments at a rock-top restaurant, bar and shop. The impetus this gives to tourism in Gibraltar is unparalleled, and the project is a grand expression of faith in the future, one that Franco would test severely when he closes the border three years later.

The Company is growing fast and with some 700 employees is the largest private employer on the Rock. In fact, there are four divisions of Gibraltar’s Trade & General Workers’ (T&GWU) each representing the three biggest single employees on the Rock. In order of size these are: The Ministry of Defence, MH Bland, the Gibraltar Government and all other employees.

MH Bland’s business interests now include the shipping agency together with various supply vessels and barges to provide ancillary port services; the Mons Calpe, the Ship Repair Yard; a controlling interest in Gibraltar Stevedoring & Cargo Handling Ltd; Gibraltar Airways; travel agencies in the form of Bland Travel in Gibraltar and Agence Med in Tangier and Casablanca which offer travel and port agency services to both the Mons Calpe and Gibraltar Airways; Bland Self Drive Cars which also operates a fleet of buses; the Rock Hotel and the Cable Car. All this was to change in 1969.

1966 Spain disputes the use of Gibraltar by NATO as it is not a designated base. She claims to be protecting her territory by imposing an embargo on British military ships and planes entering or flying over her after calling at Gibraltar. She asks Britain to suspend military flights to the Rock. The British government refuses immediately.

Octopussy and The Living Daylights, the final James Bond books written by Ian Fleming, are published posthumously; later the opening scenes to The Living Daylights would be filmed in Gibraltar. Ian Fleming’s Jamaican estate Goldeneye, was reputedly named after Operation Goldeneye, the defence of Gibraltar from Spanish attack during World War II. England win the World Cup, beating West Germany 4-2.

1969 - 84

The Chinese use two brush strokes to write the word ‘crisis.’

One brush stroke stands for danger; the other for opportunity.

“Success in business requires training and discipline and hard work. But if you’re not frightened by these things, the opportunities are just as great today as they ever were.”

David Rockefeller (1915 - )

Relations with Spain have deteriorated badly since the Queen’s coronation visit to Gibraltar in 1954 and so in June 1969, with a certain amount of inevitability, Franco closes the land border between the two countries. This causes severe ramifications for the business world locally but for MH Bland – reliant as it is on sea, air and land communications for the unrestricted passage of goods and persons – it threatens its very existence.

Telephone links are severed and the overland postal service to mainland Europe is stopped. Even oxygen cylinders for the hospital are not allowed across the frontier. John recalls the beleaguered yet defiant Gibraltarians singing “We all live in a yellow submarine” as the gates are closed at the frontier, but there are also many tears as Spanish workers depart and families are split. Cousins, friends, mothers, aunts…everyone knows someone left behind in Spain. The closure also has a massive impact on the company and all its businesses.

1967 A referendum is held on the subject of sovereignity and over 12,000 people vote to stay under the British flag, with only 44 choosing the Spanish option. In 1969, Franco cuts off the territory by land and by sea, imposes air restrictions and severs telephone communications. Travel was a laborious process: by air to London and, if visiting Spain necesitated a voyage by sea to Morocco and then to Algeciras. Until the border opens for pedestrians in December 1982, Gibraltar is a city under siege.

A new constitution for Gibraltar is introduced and she attains full internal self-government, with an elected House of Assembly. The preamble to the Constitution states that: “Her Majesty’s Government will never enter into arrangements under which the people of Gibraltar would pass under the sovereignty of another state against their freely and democratically expressed wishes”.

1969 John Lennon and Yoko Ono marry in Gibraltar, an event immortalised in ‘The Ballad of John and Yoko’.

The United States’ Apollo 11 is the first manned mission to land on the moon; Neil Armstrong becomes the first person to walk on the moon.

1972 Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather, starring Marlon Brando, is released.

Cl C ossur u e of front n ier, 19669

The Mons Calpe (see left) continues to trade across the Strait with a very basic passenger service four or five times weekly and Gibraltar Airways operates regular flights to London and Tangier. Together they become Gibraltar’s two main lifelines.

The Mons Calpe is the only way that vehicles can enter and leave the Rock and is also the only way that the Moroccan workforce – now employed to replace the Spaniards – can reach the Rock. Moroccan workers travel with trailer loads of fruit and vegetables, other basic necessities and sundry building materials on the car deck, whilst intrepid day trippers fit in alongside. However, the level of trade is considerably less than in the days of the open frontier and although a vital lifeline for the besieged Rock, the vessel is far from able to fulfil her real potential.

The port agency remains busy as Gibraltar is still an important port of call for the many ships transiting the Strait and since all Gibraltar’s necessities now have no other way of arriving except for by sea, the agency and the company’s interest in Stevedoring & Cargo Handling remain busy.

The Ship Repair Yard has heavy tools and equipment and a welltrained workforce which is needed by both vessels and local utilities. However, as a result of the improvements in navigational aids and more powerful engines, the number of ship casualties gradually reduces and, with no dry dock of its own, the yard becomes more reliant on scarce local work.

Most of the 120 self-drive car hire fleet is now rendered redundant and John arranges a sale of 75 of the Morris cars in Scotland. These are duly loaded onto the Mons Calpe en route to Glasgow where the ship undergoes a swift refit to modify her passenger facilities.

Tourist footfall across the border has been forcibly stopped but much capital and thought has been ploughed into finding different opportunities within the tourism industry. It is decided that the Rock Hotel should be kept under the company’s ownership, and that the recently opened Cable Car should contiune to operate in the hope that the frontier closure will be short lived and temporary; however, no one knows how long it will remain shut and sadly both will lose money over this turbulent period.

1975 General Francisco Franco, Spanish dictator for 36 years, dies. The monarchy in Spain is restored.

1978 Karol Jósef Wojtyla is elected Supreme Pontiff of the Catholic church, the only Polish Pope and the first non-Italian since the 1520s. His pontificate, at 26 years, is the second longest in history.

Emmett cartoon aboard the Mons Calpe

The Travel Agency provides a necessary service to locals wishing to travel from the Rock and so, in 1969 the company purchases Cadogan Travel and later The House of Bellingham, both UK travel agencies. They are viewed as investments needed to diversify the Group, to be used to encourage visitors to stay longer in Gibraltar than for the customary day trip.

George, John’s second son, is born in 1965, followed 13 months later by Weeny (Katrina) in 1966 and Mandy (Amanda) in 1970. As a new generation wait in the wings, Sir George retires from MH Bland & Co. Ltd and in 1970 the company is rebranded Bland Ltd. George is to remain as Honorary President until his death in 1978, while Joseph assumes the role of Chairman and John that of Deputy Chairman.

During the Falklands War in 1982 the P&O school ship Uganda is requisitioned by the MoD and converted in 63 hours into a hospital ship at Gibraltar. John Gaggero is called upon to take responsibility for a part of the conversion with a team from the Ship Repair Yard – and is the last Gibraltarian to leave the ship before it sails to the conflict zone.

The arrival of containerisation in the 1980s changes the way cargo is handled by ships and the arrival of the first containers in Gibraltar meant a fundamental change that the Stevedoring & Cargo Handling Company – which employed several hundred stevedores in its heyday – was unprepared to accept. As a consortium of port users, each shareholder had different priorities and as a result of the company’s inability to shed its labour force and adapt it was broken up. Its demise created three separate, smaller stevedoring companies but Bland decides not to continue in the business for the time being.

1982 also sees James, Joseph’s only son, join the company after a short service commission in the Irish Guards.

1980 Spain is trying to improve diplomatic relations with Britain to ensure a smooth entry into the Economic Community and NATO. After careful negotiations the Lisbon Agreement is signed, strengthening bilateral relations and significantly heralding the negotiations to get the border reopened. Spain’s territorial claim is reiterated and Britain, whilst promising to guard Gibraltarian democracy, agrees to negotiate freely with Spain on relevant topics in the future, such as sovereignty. Gibraltarian’s are anxious and concerned that too much had been conceded.

1982 Britain and Argentina are at war after Argentina invades the Falkland Islands. A task force is sent by the British government to the South Atlantic and control of the Islands re-established.

1984 The Grand Hotel in Brighton is bombed by the IRA.

1981 Prince Charles marries Lady Diana Spencer. The Prince and Princess of Wales fly to Gibraltar to meet the Royal Yacht Britannia at the start of their honeymoon.

SS S Ugaganda a 19 1 82

Captain Don De D lf f OBE

1985

The consequences of opening the frontier with Spain

Cicero (106 BC - 43 BC)

The frontier with Spain reopens after 16 years, and whilst the event is celebrated, it is tinged with sadness as it also means the end for the Mons Calpe. The lifting of the restrictions across the frontier means that people can now enter Spain overland. Moreover she can’t compete against the three ferries coming out of Algeciras in a non-stop operation due to the restrictions that remain at the La Linea / Gibraltar frontier which discourage traffic from travelling to Morocco via Gibraltar. The vessel is finally withdrawn from service and sold in March 1986. In 1985 the decision is also taken to close the Ship Repair Yard after the company fails to secure a commercial tender to manage the Royal Naval Dockyard which is to be privatised by the British government. It’s recognised that the Ship Repair Yard would not be able to compete against a dockyard under commercial management.

The period 1969 to 1982 (when the frontier was partially reopened for pedestrians) and from 1982 to 1985 when it was re-opened to vehicles, has been a period of retrenchment and diversification for the company. The Group had turned its focus away from Gibraltar, which had been under a state of economic siege, to seek out new opportunities in the UK, Spain, and Morocco. Needless to say, the closure of the border and the souring of relations with Spain would cost the company and the family dearly and would hamper development over this period.

state of economic siege, to out new opporsure of the border and souring relations ould over this

1985 It takes ten years after democracy is restored in Spain for the Spanish authorities to lift frontier restrictions in full. The gates finally swing open in February 1985. The sixteen-year ‘siege’ has benefited Gibraltar’s relations with Britain and now Gibraltar is back on the map of Europe, set to move forward with the times.

British Telecom announces the phasing out of the red telephone box. Soap opera Eastenders airs on BBC1 for the first time.

A joint US-French operation locates the wreck of the RMS Titanic

panish wing open in set to move e box. tanic (which a ida treasure hunters s

The main shipwreck site of the Spanish galleon Nuestra Señora de Atocha sank in 1622) is found 40 miles off the coast of Key West, Florida by treasure hunters who begin to excavate $400 million in coins and silver.

“Live as brave men; and if fortune is adverse, front its blows with brave hearts.”

The e Mo M n ns Calalppe e in n T Tanggieer r on her e final l voyyagage e 19 1986 6

1986

New beginnings

George Washington (1732 – 1799)

John’s eldest son, Johnnie, returns to Gibraltar in order to join the company on the 2nd January 1986, but finds the family divided and is refused a job by his uncle. This came as a great disappointment to John who had unconditionally welcomed his nephew James some years earlier. The opportunities created by the opening of the frontier in 1985, together with the arrival of the new generation, had prompted Joseph to propose a restructure of the Group using his casting vote in such a way that he would gain overall control – with John reduced to a minor role. As part of his proposals, Joseph dramatically insisted that John’s younger son, George, would not be allowed to join the company at any time in the future. After a difficult period the brothers agreed that each would go their own way and the assets of the company would be divided.

Under the terms of the split Joseph was to retain the company’s interest in aviation, its travel agencies, local transport and its controlling interest in the Rock Hotel under the company name Bland Ltd; whilst John would take the shipping agency and other port activities, together with the cable car, under the company’s original name of MH Bland & Co. Ltd. Both companies would continue to be based at Cloister Building where the ship agency had traded since 1810. The reorganisation came into effect on the 1st April 1986.

now MH Blan His son Johnnie, had a i and Public Administration from the Section of the Cable Car track rope, 1986-2009

John, who had played a key role within all aspects of the Bland Group having been appointed Deputy Chairman when Sir George had retired in 1970, now became Chairman of MH Bland & Co. Ltd. gained a degree in Economics and Public Administration from the University of 1986 The C reacto Soviet consid power resign

e Chernobyl disaster, a nuclear reactor accident in the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, is considered to be the worst nuclear power plant catastrophe in history.

Space Shuttle Challenger explodes killing all seven of its astronauts.

Leon Brittan and Michael Heseltime resign over the Westland affair.

1986 The UK and France announce plans to build the Channel Tunnel.

GCSEs arrive, taking the place of O’ Levels and CSEs.

“Associate yourself with men of good quality if you esteem your own reputation. It is better to be alone than in bad company.”

London and had trained as an accountant before returning to Gibraltar to join MH Bland alongside his father. Free from the restrictions and economic restraints of the closed frontier period, Johnnie would now begin to modernise the company and lay the foundations for future growth. Clive Moberley, who had been a Manager in Gibraltar Stevedoring & Cargo Handling Ltd and joined Bland after its closure, would now become a company Director. His sound advice and friendship would prove invalueable in years to come.

Early in 1986 the cable car is temporarily closed for a major refurbishment to meet the new surge in tourism following the opening of the frontier. When reopened it becomes the Rock’s premier tourist attraction. New cable cars with an increased capacity of 20%, modern electronic control systems and a fresh new livery bring the installation up to date. The top station is also extensively refurbished.

John’s second son, George, joins the company in 1989 with a wealth of practical experience having worked with Armar Shipping & Agency Services Ltd; with Cunard in London; and then as a ship agent working with Romanian trawlers in South Africa. George is now ready to take on the challenge and responsibility of joining the family fi rm.

MH Bland has always inspired great loyalty in its staff. There are many long-serving members and there is a renewed sense of family which John and George are keen to ensure permeates throughout the company, which would underpin its identity and would strengthen over the years.

Bob Jeffries joined the company as a clerk and over 43 years had worked his way up to Port Agency Manager. His predecessor, Tito Lavagna, had served for an even longer period under Sir George and at well past retirement age was still with the company helping out with the shipping accounts. These and other stalwarts were to be joined by a new generation who would continue in the best tradition of their predecessors, bringing with them new energy.

1987 Terry Waite disappears in the Lebanon whilst negotiating the return of the British hostages.

The Herald of Free Enterprise capsizes in Zeebrugge. 193 people are killed.

Christie’s auction house in London sells one of Van Gogh’s Sunflowers for £24,750,000.

Operation Deepscan in Loch Ness fails to locate the ‘monster’.

1988 Three IRA terror suspects are shot dead by the SAS in Gibraltar unleashing years of speculation as to the rights and wrongs of the operation.The ex Governor of Gibraltar Air Chief Marshal Sir Peter Terry is shot nine times in his home in a revenge attack. He survives.

Stephen Hawking’s A Brief History of Time is published.

1989 Tim Berners-Lee invents the World Wide Web.

Jo John n G Gagaggegero r

1990 - 92

Back to our roots

“In the end, it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years.”

Abraham Lincoln (1809 – 1865)

MH Bland is now benefiting from cohesive and dynamic leadership. There is a refocusing on its core activities in tourism and marine – the company is going back to its roots.

In 1990 a return to the stevedoring business sees the purchase of an existing operator which is renamed MH Bland Stevedores Ltd. For Clive Moberley it’s a return to his roots as a stevedore, and his experience allows him to play a central role in the years to come. The company also invests in new cargo handling equipment and over the next few years purchases the remaining two stevedoring companies thus consolidating the industry and allowing for much needed investment.

1990 The British Army effectively withdraws from Gibraltar, leaving the locally recruited Royal Gibraltar Regiment. The Royal Air Force and Royal Navy remain.

The Spanish Socialist government proposes Britain and Spain share joint sovereignty of Gibraltar. Britain and Argentina restore diplomatic links eight years after the Falklands War ended.

Channel Tunnel workers from Britain and France meet 40 metres beneath the English Channel establishing the first ground connection between Britain and mainland Europe since the last ice age, thus physically ending our “splendid isolation”.

1990 Nelson Mandela, a political prisoner for 27 years, is freed in South Africa.

Iraq invades Kuwait, leading to the first Gulf War.

The Space Shuttle Discovery places the Hubble Satellite into orbit.

East Germany and West Germany announce they will unite after the Iron Curtain begins to fall.

1991 Helen Sharman becomes the first Briton to go into space.

Fl F l yfifish h at a Eur u op o a Poinnt

Johnnie marries Nena, the eldest daughter of Charlie and Rosemarie Isola, close friends of the family, in 1987 and in 1990 their daughter Alexia is born followed by Max and Jack in 1992 and 1995 respectively.

With an increasing number of tourists flowing across the frontier Johnnie and George identify the need to get passengers to the Cable Car and offer it as part of a wider tour of Gibraltar. Local transport companies are reluctant to associate themselves with the Cable Car which they see, perhaps mistakenly, as a competitor. However, in a surprise move that was to change the dynamics of the industry from that point forward, MH Bland purchases Calypso Tours along with its fleet of ten buses.

The synergy between the Cable Car and Calypso Tours has an immediate impact on the market and the company is able to grow rapidly and gain a competitive advantage. Additional buses are sought and a further two bus licences are purchased off another operator, Gibraltar Motorways.

The Cable Car top station is now extended northwards to incorporate an area which had previously been a gun battery. It had been planned to make this area part of the original top station in 1966 but following the closure of the frontier it had been decided to reduce the size of the top station and this extension had been abandoned at the time. It would now provide valuable additional space and terraces.

MH Bland had been selling cruise holidays since 1986 as this part of the business had traditionally been handled by the port agency. This is gradually developed into a fully-fledged travel agency under the brand names of The Cruise Club and later as Calypso Travel.

1992 The European Union is formed when the Maastricht Treaty is signed, paving the way towards the euro currency.

The Spanish Foreign Minister, Abel Matutes, suggests Britain and Spain allow Gibraltar a period of joint sovereignty for 50 years, after which it would become a self governing region of Spain; this is firmly rejected by Britain.

Archaeologists find remains of cooked mussels, pistachio and tortoise, probable evidence of Neanderthal fine dining over 30,000 years ago.

John hands over the reins

John had watched the long drawn out retirement of his father George who, understandably after having been at the helm of MH Bland since the age of 17, had found it hard to step back. In contrast, John decides that he wants his sons to feel that they can develop the business without interference from him. Three years earlier, he had sent Johnnie & George to a family business conference in St Moritz, Switzerland and this had helped to formulate his plans. He gave them notice of his firm intention to relinquish control of the company and outlined a timetable to achieve this. John’s overriding priority was to ensure that his sons would work well together and that his painful experience with his own brother would not be repeated.

1997 The Labour Party, under Tony Blair, achieve a landslide victory over the Conservatives, ending their 18 years in power. Tony Blair admits that one of his mother-inlaw’s main concerns is to keep Gibraltar British.

Diana, Princess of Wales is killed in a car crash in Paris.

Referenda in Scotland and Wales pave the way for devolution from Westminster.

Britain’s 100 year lease of Hong Kong is over and sovereignty transfers to the People’s Republic of China.

1998 Tony Blair becomes the first Prime Minister of the United Kingdom to address the Oireachtas (Irish parliament).

‘The Good Friday Agreement’ is signed by the major parties in Northern Ireland. Expo ‘98 is held in Lisbon.

“A man should never neglect his family for business.”

Walt Disney (1901 – 1966)

Jo Johhn’s s ret e i irremmennt

Johnnie is appointed Chairman of MH Bland and MH Bland Stevedores and George becomes Deputy Chairman, as well as Chairman of the Shipping Association and Chairman of Calypso Tours. Clive Moberley would bring to bear his experience and keep an eye on the two youngsters! John is rewarded as he sees MH Bland flourish.

Johnnie had been appointed Vice Consul for Denmark in 1987 and in 1998 would be appointed Consul following in his father’s footsteps. He would be made a Knight of the Order of the Dannebrog in 1999 and a Knight 1 st class in 2009.

Up until now, although MH Bland had represented many cruise lines calling at Gibraltar as agents, it wasn’t able to offer its services as a transporter for shore excursions. However, problems with the quality of the service provided by other operators meant that cruise lines were increasingly either electing not to call at Gibraltar or at least not offer tours whilst in port.

The situation reaches a crisis point in 1997 and as a direct result MH Bland negotiates a deal with the Gibraltar government which allows the company to offer cruise passengers tours by bus for the first time. As a result of this MH Bland invests in ten additional buses bringing the Calypso Tours fleet to twenty two.

Over the next few years, and as a result of a strategy of constant improvement of the product offered, the number of cruise lines calling at Gibraltar would increase from 76 in 1990 to 238 in 2009. This sector now forms an important part of the company’s business and of Gibraltar’s economy on which many other Gibraltarian traders rely.

The new Cruise Terminal, built from the shell of a derelict cargo shed, opens. George recalls that before this passengers had to be guided to their buses by staff holding umbrellas as there was nowhere for them to disembark under shelter when it was raining. The operation is a complete success because “everybody worked together… the port, agents, customs, immigration and taxis” recalls George. The 22 air-conditioned luxury coaches with fully-qualified drivers and guides, offer bespoke guided excursions, specialising in the particular needs of cruise line passengers and day visitors from the Costa del Sol.

1999 The euro is launched, replacing a number of old currencies in Europe. Britain remains with Sterling.

The London Eye begins to be lifted into place at its home on the South Bank.

The Scottish Parliament and the Welsh Assembly meet for the first time in Edinburgh and Cardiff

The World’s population reaches six billion.

2000 Catherine Hartley and Fiona Thornewill are the first British women to reach the South Pole.

Tate Modern is opened in London. An agreement is reached between the UK and Spain over recognition of ‘competent authorities’ in Gibraltar, allowing the Foreign Office to act as a ‘post box’ through which Gibraltar’s police and other government departments could communicate with their counterparts in Spain.

George e Gaggero, Johhn A. A Gaggero, Clivve A Mob o er e le ey

MH Bland Stevedores develops and expands its activities by purchasing other vessels to complement its existing harbour craft including a flat top barge, the tug Flyfish, and the ex-MoD tankers Dragonfish and Rockfish which are converted for the delivery of lubricants on behalf of oil companies Shell and BP. However, it was decided that Basha, which had been built for the company in 1922 and used in a variety of roles over the years, be decommissioned. She had originally been built with a steam engine but had received a Kelvin diesel in 1953. She had been regularly maintained and slipped at the Ship Repair Yard but since the closure of the yard it had proved uneconomical to give her the maintenance that her old hull and machinery required. In 2001 she was sunk on the artificial reef off Rosia Bay and is still regularly visited by scuba divers.

As well as starting a new tradition in the naming of its vessels, MH Bland Stevedores is renamed MH Bland Marine Services to more adequately describe the multi-faceted nature of the business.

John’s elder daughter Katrina (Weeny) briefly joins the company in 1997 as PA for Bob Jeffries, the long serving Shipping Manager. She spent time working in the banquenting department at the Berkeley Hotel in London before dedicating herself to raising a family with James Cottrell, the grandson of Sir Edward Cottrell, a previous Chairman of Saccone & Speed, the same company into which Weeny’s paternal grandmother was born and with which her great uncle, Charles Gaggero, had amalgamated his business. Weeny and James would go on to have four children: Iggy, Tazia, Benedict and Ellie.

The Gaggero family would continue to grow as George’s daughter Giulia is born in 1997, with Giorgia following in 2000 and Gregor in 2002.

2001 Suicide attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon result in the death of almost 3,000 people. The ‘War on Terror’ begins with the US invasion of Afghanistan.

MH MHB B Dr Dragagononfi h sh s

Hyystter e foorrkllif i t

The future beckons

In 2002 the company embarks on a programme to open a Port Agency in Algeciras and Ceuta as part of a concept called ‘Three Ports, One Team’. Within three countries and on two continents MH Bland would be able to seamlessly service vessels at whichever port they chose to call.

The Algeciras office opens in 2002 and is quickly a success, allowing the office in Ceuta to open shortly after. Within a few short years the port agency would be handling almost 3,000 ships in the Strait area annually. Ian Penfold, the manager of the port agency who had done so much to drive the new strategy, is made a Director of MH Bland in 2007.

Gibraltar continues to grow as a port of call for cruise liners with the company carving a dominant position for itself as agent and provider of shore excursions. Amongst the cruisers is P&O’s latest super liner, Arcadia. She is to date the biggest ever cruise ship built for Britain and costs £200 million. Johnnie Gaggero speaks of the long relationship between MH Bland and P&O: “I like to think of ourselves as being part of the P&O family and we are delighted to have this ship coming to Gibraltar”.

2002 Sir Alex Ferguson’s horse Rock of Gibraltar wins the 2,000 guineas at Newmarket.

2004 Gibraltar celebrates the tercentenary of British rule: a human chain is formed around the Rock and the Royal Navy is given the Freedom of the City.

The United States oceanic treasure hunter Odyssey Marine Exploration, working with the MOD, investigate the believed site of the 1694 warship HMS Sussex and its haul of gold coins.

New Year’s celebrations are overshadowed by the Boxing Day tsunami, a disaster that kills over quarter of a million people.

2005 The Queen conducts a Fleet Review, part of nationwide events commemorating the bicentenary of the Battle of Trafalgar.

“People always call it luck when you’ve acted more sensibly than they have.”

Anne Tyler (1941 –)

Johnnie and George’s sister Mandy, joins the company after a 10 year career as a teacher at the Loreto Convent. At first she works at grass roots as part of the Calypso Tours shore excursions’ team but she later becomes the first female member of the family to be appointed to a management position. As Marketing Manager she is both naturally talented and qualified, having gained a degree in International Marketing in the UK but her disposition and status as a member of the family mean that she quickly earns a reputation as a fire fighter and is never shy from getting involved. It ’s living proof of the ‘family company’ which Johnnie and George have worked to nurture.

Operating under the trade name Dolphin World, Eco Tourism Ltd is purchased in 2006 to offer excursions into the Bay of Gibraltar visiting the dolphins in their natural environment. It is a natural addition to the groups portfolio of excursions which are conducted on the Brixham Belle, a grand clinker-built vessel with ample deck space and a capacity of 120 passengers.

The Cable Car top station is refurbished once again in 2007-2008 and the Mons Calpe Suite is created in the extension to the top station built in the 1990s. Recalling the ship that had been a lifeline to the Rock during the 1969-1982 siege, the suite boasts a contemporary, stylish and comfortable interior with the most spectacular views of the whole of Gibraltar and is well-suited to provide quality corporate or private entertaining and dining. In 2009 the Gibraltar government choose the Mons Calpe Suite as the location of the first Gibraltar meeting of the Anglo-Spanish Trilateral Forum with Chief Minister Peter Caruana hosting the British Foreign Secretary, David Miliband, and the Spanish Foreign Minister, Miguel Angel Moratinos.

In 2009 MH Bland Marine Services takes delivery of a new workboat designed and built to meet the growing needs of the company. Swordfish is an aluminium catamaran powered by twin jets, which has a capacity of nine tons and a speed of 22 knots. She joins the company’s other supply vessels: Flyfish, Express and Philippa Anne The company also purchases a bunker barge and begins work to convert and refurbish her to a new doublehulled lubricant delivery barge to join Dragonfish Rockfish had been de-commissioned in 2006 and Oilfish will meet the ever-more stringent standards required by the company’s clients for the delivery of lubricants.

2006

evidence that

survived in the Gibraltar area for one hundred thousand years, backing up earlier evidence that this was “their last resting place”.

Spain lifts restrictions on Gibraltar’s telecommunications infrastructure allowing direct dialling recognition roaming arrangements for Gibraltar’s GSM mobile phones in Spain.

2007 Terrorrist bombings on London’s transport system kill 52 people.

The Scouting Movement celebrate their centenary.

2008 The Royal Bank of Scotland announces annual losses of twenty four billion pounds, the biggest loss in British corporate history.

2009 British Military operations in Iraq officially end after six years of combat.

Harry Patch, the last British survivor of the First World War trenches, and briefly the oldest man in the United Kingdom, dies at the age of 111.

The Gibraltar Caves Project Team, discover probable

Neanderthals had

Brrix i ha h m Be Bell l e

In 2009 Cloister Building receives a facelift which was to cap a programme of works that enables the building to accommodate the modern communications and IT systems so fundamental to the success of the entire Group.

The sense of family that Johnnie and George have worked to foster has taken root: Chief Cashier Robert Porro; Financial Controller Alison Gabay; Chris Wood, the Manager of MH Bland Marine Services; Henry Catania, the Manager of Calypso Tours and Bland Travel Services; the Human Resources Manager Maribel Bossino-Pincho – all ‘new’ staff who joined after 1986 – have become key in their respective areas of responsibility and form the backbone of a growing organisation. Together, they organise events and activities such as the Annual Walk to the Top of the Rock in support of Cancer Research which gels the MH Bland family together.

The company also continues to support the community and the Catholic Church in particular, by assisting in the restoration of the interior of The Sacred Heart Church.

The events of 1986 had left a scar in relations between John and Joseph’s families. In 2009, Johnnie, George and their cousin James resolved to put the past behind them and turn over a new leaf for the benefit of future generations. James had sold Gibraltar Airways in 2007 and as part of a restructuring of his business arrangements were agreed whereby MH Bland would take over Bland Travel consolidating it within MH Bland’s own travel agency.

2009 Barack Obama is inaugurated as the 44th, and first African American, President of the United States and later in the year is awarded the Nobel Peace prize.

The 21st NATO Summit is held, 60 years after the founding of the organization.

Miss Gibraltar, Kaiane Aldorino, is crowned Miss World.

MH MHB B Sw Sworordfidfish

M Mons s Calalpe pe Sui uite t

Ca Cablble e Ca Car r To Top p St Statatio i n

MH M Bland d Marine Se S rvvices

Celebrating 200 years

Two hundred years after Marcus Henry Bland, the Liverpudlian entrepreneur, came to Gibraltar seeking his fortune, the MH Bland Group is now organised into two divisions: marine and tourism, which echo the days of Sir George and John and from where it all began.

The Cable Car is the Rock’s premier tourist attraction and, together with Calypso Tours and Dolphin World, the company today handles in excess of 500,000 passengers arriving by sea, and from Spain, annually. MH Bland dominates the provision of shore excursions to cruise line passengers in Gibraltar and now provides excursions to vessels in Malaga and Cadiz.

As a result of its reconciliation with Bland Ltd, MH Bland Travel Services has consolidated its position as Gibraltar’s foremost travel agency and the company is trading as port agents once again in Tangier.

The MH Bland port agency today handles just under 3,000 ships annually in Gibraltar and the Strait area. To many shipping lines the company is synonymous with Gibraltar and it has clients in every continent and in most countries of the world. MH Bland Marine Services is the only stevedore in Gibraltar and is an important provider of marine services in the port.

The shipping agency still trades from the same offices where Marcus Henry Bland first stepped over the threshold 200 years ago.

Now for the next 200 years...

“It is a mistake to look too far ahead. Only one link of the chain of destiny can be handled at a time.”

Sir Winston Churchill (1874 – 1965)

“The future starts today, not tomorrow.”

Pope John Paul

II

John A Gaggero

Chairman

George Gaggero

Deputy Chairman

Clive Moberley Director

Ian Penfold Director

ADMINISTRATION

Alison Gabay

Financial Controller

Mandy Gaggero Marketing Manager

Maribel Bossino-Pincho Human Resources Officer

Paul Setter HSSE

Abigail Ignacio Secretary Maria Jesus Lyon Secretary

Ernest Basilisco Messenger

Patrick Franco Messenger

Abdeslam Ftou Slassi Cleaner

Accounts

Robert Porro Chief Cashier

Gillaine Hernandez Assistant Cashier

Kelly Wood Senior Clerk

Nyeoka Balban-Vecino Accounts Clerk

Joanne Cavilla Accounts Clerk

Kim Drew Accounts Clerk

Jessica Francis Accounts Clerk

Sarah Gavito Accounts Clerk

Sarah Navarro Accounts Clerk

Danica Olivares Accounts Clerk

Lianne Peralta Accounts Clerk

Maria de los Angeles Setter Accounts Clerk

Information Technology

Patricia Lane

IT Manager

Stephen Borge IT Technician

Nathan Rodriguez

IT Technician

MARINE DIVISION

PORT AGENCY

Gibraltar

Steven Barea Operations Manager

Dennis Federico Assistant Manager

Brian Costa Port Agent

Kieron Finalyson Port Agent

Richard Gonzalez Port Agent

Richard Raineri Port Agent

Algeciras

Juan Manuel Corona

Assistant Shipping Manager

Jaime Calderon Accounts Manager

Miguel Atanet Administrator

Enrique Lopez Port Agent

Tony Moreno Port Agent

Luis Romeu Port Agent

Palma Marabot Accounts Clerk

Cristina Marabot Accounts Clerk

Ceuta

Sebastian Guerrero Assistant Shipping Manager

Andy Roop Port Agent

Nikos Ventouras Port Agent

MARINE SERVICES

Christopher Wood

Marine Service Manager

Peter Aguilera Workshop Manager

Stevedores

Manolo Cardoso Foreman Stevedore

Victor Martinez Storeman

Antonio Martinez Stevedore

Bruno Medina Zagalo Stevedore

Diego Villalba Garcia Stevedore

Mustapha Aouhar

Machine Operator / Stevedore

Daniel Cardoso Machine Operator / Stevedore

Juan Garcia Machine Operator / Stevedore

Daniel Wood Machine Operator / Stevedore

Abdel Oulad Mechanic / Stevedore

Averell Posso Apprentice Mechanic

Marine Logistics

Brian Pizarro Manager

Jason Aguis Customs

Christian Garcia Customs

Christopher Llanelo Customs

Peter Borge Driver / Dock Worker

Harbourcraft

Julian Robertson Operational Supervisor

Ivan Hernandez Coxswain/Engine Rating

Craig Key Coxswain/Engine Rating

Stefan Rothwell Coxswain / Engine Rating

Edward Chipolina Coxswain

John Ferrary Coxswain

Samuel Hart Coxswain

Jason Laguea Coxswain

Jeremy Milanta Deckhand

Augustin Delgado Lobillo

Able Seaman / Engine Rating Mohammed Aghachoui Able Seaman

Dustin Avellano Welder / Mechanic Ahmed Ghorri Engine Rating

Christian Ryman Engine Rating

Sadik Takal Engine Rating

TOURISM DIVISION

MH Bland Travel Services

Henry Catania

Tourism Division Manager Lyana Armstrong-Emery Product Development Manager

Elizabeth Adnett Corporate Manager

Myriam Carballo-Gomez Travel Consultant Moira Collado Travel Consultant Rossanna Gonzalez Travel Consultant Catherine Griffins Travel Consultant Katherine Serrano Travel Consultant

CALYPSO TOURS

Tanya Francis Operations Manager

Jonathan Cardona Excursion Agent

James Noguera Excursion Agent

Adrian Rodriguez Transport Supervisor

Robert Brittenden Assistant Transport Supervisor Pepe Franco Driver

John Pincho Driver

Paul Rocca Driver

Peter Rodriguez Driver Phil Taylor Driver

Terence Benfield Mechanic

Malachi Efigenio Mechanic Norman Pirie Mechanic

Mohammed Rida Boulaich Apprentice Mechanic

CABLE CAR

Bottom Station

John Navarro

Cable Car Engineer Simon Sutherland Electrical Engineer Rafi Acolina Cashier

Tamara Collantes Cashier

Yvonne Duo Cashier Derrick Martinez Shift Supervisor

Neville Sankey Shift Supervisor

Karl Gaivizo

Assistant Shift Supervisor

David Navarro

Assistant Shift Supervisor

Mohammed Bassou Cable Car Attendant

David Beswick Cable Car Attendant

Elyass Ben Hammou Cable Car Attendant

Andrew Rodriguez Cable Car Attendant

John Yeo Cable Car Attendant

Dylan Collado Staff

Top Station

Tamara Pincho Rios

Manager

David Neish Events Coordinator

Sylvanna Benyunes Shift Supervisor

Nicholas Parker Shift Supervisor Ken Barlow

Assistant Shift Supervisor

Natalie Cavilla Assistant Shift Supervisor

Arturo Canepa Cable Car Staff

Audrey Canty Cable Car Staff

Sean Caulfield Cable Car Staff Ahmed Dellaoui Cable Car Staff Mohammed El Boti Cable Car Staff Driss Harrack Cable Car Staff Margaret Morgan Cable Car Staff Zenib Ouhdani Cable Car Staff Brian Gomila Macaque Consultant

DOLPHIN WORLD

Ian Redmond Captain

Peter Young Deputy Captain Khalid Karim Reservations Supervisor

Alison Benfield Crew

Rocio Espada Ruiz Crew

Ashley Sankey Crew

GIBRALTARINFO

Ana Garcia

Sales & Information Officer Supervisor

Maria Rivera Lopez Sales & Information Officer Supervisor

Margarita Montemuino Chulian Sales & Information Officer

Susana Espada Molina Sales & Information Officer

With thanks to: Karen Lawson, Tito Vallejo and Paul Lyon.

Photos credited to: Chris Montegriffo (page 41), John Isola (page 44), Mandy Gaggero and MH Bland archive.

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