Shipping Lines

“Watching the ships that go sailing . . .”

THERE are two possibly far-fetched explanations for Peter Elson’s life-long love affair with the sea and ships. Firstly, Captain James Cook is his great uncle times seven; secondly having been born in South Africa he commuted with his British parents back and forth to the UK over six years, lulled to sleep by the giant throbbing Burmeister & Wain diesel engines of the Union Castle and Lloyd Triestino liners on three week-long voyages.

Fate decreed that Peter washed up on the shores of Merseyside, with Liverpool, the great seaport and former Second City of the British Empire, as its epi-centre. Having grown up there from 1964 until 1976, he returned in 1996 with his then young family.

As a result he has immersed himself in the maritime world of Merseyside, past, present and future, courtesy of working in the regional media and as a shipping commentator for BBC Radio Merseyside and the Liverpool Daily Post & Echo, plus appearances on BBC North West Tonight.

The Princess Royal presented him with the British Maritime Writer of the Year 2009 (Maritime Foundation Desmond Wettern Award) at the Institute of Directors, London. He also received the Merseyside Civic Society Award 2014 for his campaigns about Liverpool’s historic architecture.

During his time as Senior Features Writer at the Liverpool Daily Post he ran successful campaigns including Get On Board (to overturn the ban on cruise liners operating from Liverpool); Returning the Liverpool novelist Nicholas ‘Cruel Sea’ Monsarrat’s Archive from Malta to his home town; Saving leading pictorialist photographer Edward Chambre Hardman’s Studio House & Archive leading to its acquisition by the National Trust.

For Trinity Mirror Media (owner of Liverpool Daily Post & Echo), he wrote six maritime titles and wrote and presented its first DVD, The Liners of Liverpool.

He has written speeches and copy for former ‘Minister for Merseyside’ Lord (Michael) Heseltine; Cammell Laird chief executive John Syvret; Lord Lieutenant of Merseyside Dame Lorna Muirhead and the Countess of Derby (opening Liverpool Cruise Terminal for ‘turnaround’ cruises).

His love and knowledge of Liverpool’s history expresses itself in giving guided tours, which began spectacularly with a request by the United States Embassy in London to host the Acting US Ambassador to the UK Richard LeBaron, while on a visit to the city.

Overall, his journalism career embraced writing for The Daily Telegraph, Sunday Telegraph, The Times, Daily Mail, The Guardian, Observer, The European, Liverpool Daily Post, Liverpool Echo, Newcastle Chronicle, Travel Trade Gazette (TTG), TTG Europa, Travel Weekly. He has also appeared on BBC Radio 4’s Today and Channel 4 News.

Fulfilling an invitation to give the main address at the Liverpool Civic Service at Liverpool Cathedral to commemorate the RMS Titanic tragedy was both a huge honour and one of the most intimidating experiences of his career.

He is married to Valerie and they have two sons James and Alex. Family aside, to relax in his spare time Peter writes press releases for MAST – Merseyside Adventure Sailing Trust and DAPS – the SS Daniel Adamson Preservation Society.