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R.M.S. Lady Hawkins
King George VI 5/- Definitive issued in 1938 for Saint Lucia
depicting the R.M.S. Lady Hawkins "Loading Bananas"
One of five sister steam turbine ocean liners popularly known as "Lady Boats" built by Cammell Laird of Birkenhead, England between 1928 and 1929 for the Canadian National Steamship Company (CNS or CN), the Lady Hawkins was a Royal Mail Ship. After completion in November 1928, it carried mail, freight and passenger traffic between Halifax, Nova Scotia (and Montreal during the summer) and the Caribbean via Bermuda. An oil-burner, she had a set of four Cammell Laird steam turbines driving the propeller shafts to her twin screws by single-reduction gearing. She had three passenger decks, and by 1931 she was equipped with a direction finding device. The ships facilitated Canadian exports including lumber, and imports to Canada including fruit, sugar and molasses. The Lady-liners had refrigerated holds for perishable cargo such as fruit, and capacity for 100,000 bunches of bananas. Their hulls were painted white, a colour then confined largely to passenger ships serving tropical or sub-tropical destinations. In 1942 the German submarine U-66 sank Lady Hawkins in the North Atlantic, killing 251 of the 322 people aboard.
Stamp depicting the R.M.S. Lady Hawkins issued by Montserrat on
April 14, 1980 for the London International Philatelic Exhibition
Blank cardstock printed matter rate post card to Philadelphia dated September 18, 1929 with straight-line
R.M.S. Lady Hawkins and serifed straight line "Mailed at Sea" handstamps in purple. There is a
straightline "MISSENT TO GRENADA" handstamp and a Hoskins type 175 "PAQUEBOT" cancellation (Plymouth type
used on several islands) franked with one cent orange Canadian George V scroll type definitive of 1928.
Canadian National Steamships stationery cover with two ring R.M.S. Lady Hawkins addressed to Toronto, Canada with
Hamilton, Bermuda slogan (COME TO BERMUDA/THE ISLES OF REST) cancellation dated September 24, 1932 and a Hoskins type
2384 straightline "PAQUEBOT" cancellation on two Canadian two cent brown George V arch type definitives of 1931.
Trinidad Paquebot Cover with handstamp from the R.M.S. Lady Hawkins
franked with 1 1/2d King George V Silver Jubilee stamp from Saint Vincent
This post card of "St. John's, Antigua, B.W.I." with violet double circle "C.N.S. LADY HAWKINS/PURSERS OFFICE/POSTED/ON THE/HIGH SEAS" handstamp is franked with a 1 1/2d George VI coronation omnibus issue of St. Christopher and Nevis (issued May 12, 1937) with 27 July 1937 Saint John, New Brunswick paquebot cancellation (Hosking 2293). The month is unclear on the cancellation but can be inferred from the service schedule as published in Bermuda's Royal Gazette and Colonist that would put the Lady Hawkins in Saint John on July 27 returning to Halifax for a July 29 southbound departure.
The post card is addressed to Dr. and Mrs. K.A. Mackenzie. The doctor was born in Pictou County, Nova Scotia and graduated from Dalhousie Medical School as an M.D. in 1903. During World War I, he served overseas with the Canadian Army Medical Corps, eventually reaching the rank of Major. He was appointed a Heart Specialist at the Military Heart Hospital in Colchester, England, and later became the Officer in Charge of Medicine at Bramshott Military Hospital.Academia: Returning to Canada, he served as Professor of Clinical Medicine at Dalhousie University. In 1933 he was appointed as the first head of the Department of Medicine.
Saint Lucia paquebot cancellation (Hosking 2353 used 1929-1972)
on cover with handstamp from the R.M.S. Lady Hawkins
franked with 3 cent United States "Charlotte Amalie
Virgin Islands" Territories Commemorative of 1937
Cover addressed to Oxford Junction, Nova Scotia with purple scalloped circle "S.S. LADY HAWKINS/Pursers Office/POSTED
ON/THE HIGH SEAS" handstamp (used 1937-1940) with July 6, 1938 Hamilton, Bermuda cancellation and "PAQUEBOT"
handstamp (Hoskins Type 2384) on a pair of Canadian 1937 King George VI two cent brown Mufti definitives.
Note the sender's request on the back of the envelope that the recipient save the cover for the ship's cancellation.
PECO post card (made in Ottawa, Canada) captioned Indians in Corial ( Buckskin ) Demerara--51
British Guiana with purple scalloped circle S.S. LADY HAWKINS / Pursers Office / POSTED ON
THE HIGH SEAS handstamp (used 1937-1940) with July 18, 1938 Paquebot Trinidad cancellation
(Hoskins Type 2470) on Canadian 1937 King George VI two cent brown Mufti definitive.
Commercial cover from the Grenada branch to Barclay's Bank in Montreal backstamped by the sender
on March 2(?), 1941. At this point in the war the name of the ship is blanked out on the ship's
handstamp but there is a manuscript note "consigned per S.S. Lady Hawkins" and this identification is
consistent with remnants of the lettering on the handstamp. The cover is postmarked "Union Station/
Saint John N.B." (April 8(?), 1941) and franked with a 1/2d "Grand Anse Beach" and a 1 1/2d "Grand
Etang" from the George VI definitive issue of 1938 possibly to cover the 4-6 oz. printed matter rate.
Namesakes
Sir John Hawkins shares with Sir Francis Drake a place on the $5 high value definitive of February 1, 1970 from St. Christopher, Nevis and Anguilla which bears the caption, English Influence in the Caribbean began with Hawkins and Drake mid-16th century. Hawkins, a relative of Drake who shared in his triumphs against the Armada and in the Caribbean, is also honoured on the 70 cent Bahamas Pirates commemorative of March 18, 2003.
Sir John Hawkins is also honoured on the 70 cent
Bahamas Pirates commemorative of March 18, 2003.
Sir John Hawkins appears on the $5 high value definitive issued
February 1, 1970 from St. Christopher, Nevis and Anguilla.
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