George Thompson of the Aberdeen Line, who was singled out in Our Seamen for his good care of his ships and his excellent safety record. Samuel and Eliza attended the launch in Aberdeen. The ship was a wool-clipper that went on to carry thousands of emigrants to Australia â€“ a lot of Australians can trace their ancestry back to the Samuel Plimsoll, and the figurehead was of Samuel Plimsoll in his frock-coat which is now in the Maritime Museum of Western Australia in Perth, and sadly I think it’s one of the few bits of Plimsolliana I’m never going to own however much I want it.

As Plimsoll’s fame and popularity increased, the press was celebratory. This was a slightly premature prediction of a happy outcome and was drawnin a damning way in relation to one of their ships. Plimsoll was lucky to get off again on a bit of a technicality.

Plimsoll fought on for the reforms he wanted. He toured the country to raise awareness, just about every town you can think of. Fortunately he was very fond of trains to the extent he would walk the platforms of Victoria Station for recreation as others walked in the park. He continued to argue the case in the House, until at the end of a session in July 1875, Disraeli deferred the latest Merchant Shipping Bill one more time. After all the cheering crowds who had supported him, and the parades, and the songs, and the 13 libel cases, and the loss of his house, the