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

1
 Map of Gibraltar and the bay area, 1750

2
 Foreward
“He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life.”
Muhammad Ali (1942 - )

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 sig-
nificant 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 progress-
ing. 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 achieve-

ments, setbacks and progress are featured, along with illustrations
and photos from the time.

Karen Lawson, 2010

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.

3
 1810
The arrival of Marcus Henry Bland in Gibraltar
“Small opportunities are often the beginning of great enterprises.”
Demosthenes (384 BC - 322 BC)

M. H. B
M. Blllan
and
an
nd

Nelson’s victory at Trafalgar in 1805 confirms the Royal Navy’s

status as the greatest maritime power in the world. With con-
fidence 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, con-
structed 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.

4
 Timeline
“Have no fear of moving into the unknown. Simply step out fearlessly knowing that I am with you.”
Pope John Paul II (1920 - 2005)

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.

0
180

5
 1819
The Gaggero family; Genoa, Gibraltar
“I walk slowly, but I never walk backward.”
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
JJo
ose
sep
ph
h Gag
agge
gggeero
ro 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 1834 The economic recession, combined with a cholera
Colony. A colonial office represents her epidemic which kills 380, sees the population of
interests rather than the local garrison Gibraltar fall from 17,024 to 15,002.
and War Office in Great Britain.
1835 A regular steamer service
1832 In Britain, the Poor Law Reform Act is passed with between London, Spain and
massive consequences for many. Portugal is operated by the
appropriately named Peninsular
In Gibraltar, Wellington Front is built using convict
Steam Navigation Company.
labour and the Trinity lighthouse is under construction.
By 1837, a weekly mail service
Corruption amongst customs officers is curtailed by
between Falmouth, Vigo,
decent pay. Smuggling between Spain and Gibraltar
Oporto, Lisbon, Cadiz and
is significantly reduced.
Gibraltar lays the foundations of
Col. Mitchell and Capt. Brett mysteriously disappear in what would later become P&O.
St. Michael’s cave. Their remains have never been found.

6
 1840
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 popula-
tion. 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 tran-
shipping 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 1845 Enormous suffering is seen in
steamship service. Ireland where the potato crop is
blighted, causing famine on an
Samuel Cunard is awarded the first transatlantic
unprecedented scale for many
steamship mail contract.
years. Over one million Irish
men, women and children starve
1841 Thomas Cook founds his travel agency. to death and another million are
forced to leave the country.
1843 Isambard Kingdom Brunel’s Great Britain is the Four Loreto Sisters arrive in
first ship to be built entirely of iron. Gibraltar to open their first
school at Gavino’s Dwellings.
Nelson’s Column is erected in Trafalgar Square.

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 1849
The birth of Joseph Gaggero
“A wise man will make more opportunities than he finds.”
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.

Jo
osseeph Gagggero
gero
ge

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 ground-
breaking 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 cholera-
infested 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.

8
 1856
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.

H rc
Hercul
ules
ule 186
es 8 6--1903
1903
19 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.

9
 1865
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
Gib
Gibeel M
Mu
usa
sa 186
8611--18
1872
72 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 1867 Joseph Lister discovers the
with Morocco. Britain maintains strong links by developing sterilising effects of carbolic acid,
and expanding routes between Gibraltar and Tangier which initiating antiseptic surgery.
flourish. Once again, Gibraltar’s strategic position affords great
opportunities.
A recession grips Gibraltar and more than one third of the local 1869 The Suez Canal is opened
population are unemployed. increasing the strategic
value of Gibraltar as a key
An outbreak of cholera prompts the formation of a Sanitary base on the route between
Commission in Gibraltar. John Snow has already demonstrated a Britain and her colonies
correlation between cholera deaths and the source of water. The and dominions in India
Commission works to improve Gibraltar’s drainage and water and Australia.
supply going some way to improving the control, management
and administration of Gibraltar by her own people.

10
 1882
Expansion is essential
“It’s choice - not chance - that determines your destiny.”
Jean Nidetch (1923- )

Co
oal
al bun
unk
nke
keri
eri
ring
ng 188
ng 882

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 devel-
opment 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.

11
 1887
Joseph Gaggero takes a step forward
“Natural ability without education has more often attained
glory and virtue than education without natural ability.”
Cicero (106 BC - 43 BC)

Gibe
Gibeel Ta
Tariik I 18
1884 - 193
1884 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.
1890 Oscar Wilde’s The
The Gibraltar telephone service commences and Gibraltar’s own Picture of Dorian
postage stamps are issued. Gray is published.
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.

12
 1891
The registration of MH Bland & Co. Ltd
“In a crisis, be aware of the danger - but recognize the opportunity. ”
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 Cloi
Cloist
oister
ste build
uiild
ldin
in
ng 1891
1891
18 91
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 1892 The escalator is invented by
steamer Utopia, caught in bad weather, rips her sides on the ram of the American Jesse W. Reno.
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.
1894 The first bottling
of Coca-Cola®
The first international telephone call via submarine cable, initiated by takes place in the
the British General Post Office, links London with Paris. United States.

13
 1911
A new century. New opportunities
“Self-confidence is the first requisite to great undertakings.”
Samuel 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.

Gibe
Gibell De
Ders
rsaa & Gi
Gibe
b l Ze
be Zerj
rjon
rjon 192
9211 - 19
1928
2
28

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.

14
 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

Salv
Sal ag
lvagee o
off SS Le
Letiti
Leti
tiiti
tiaa Ly
L ke
k s 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 con-
tribute 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
C al
Coal Cra
ranees 119911
1 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
King
King of Si
Siam
aam
am’s
m’ss jeew
w
wel
elle
elle
el lery
ry
education. The experience was to prove an invaluable cultural insight
as both men were to steer the business through the two world wars.

Salvage of SS Massalia 1887:

1912 RMS Titanic sinks taking more than 1,500 people with her.
In a case marked ‘glassware’ this
RMS Carpathia arrives in New York with Titanic’s 706 survivors.
jewellery was found destined for
Captain Lawrence ‘Titus’ Oates on the return leg of their South Polar expedition,
the King of Siam. Salvage value
leaves Captain Scott and his fellow explorers declaring: ‘I am just going outside
£2,000. 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.

15
 World War I
“I know God will not give me anything I can’t handle. I just wish that He didn’t trust me so much.”
Mother Teresa (1910 - 1997)

Resc
Rescue
scu at wa
ue w r

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.

16
 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 Depart-
ment 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.

US Bli
limp
mp at Gi
Gibr
bral
br alta
altarr
ta

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.

17
 1921
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)

Gibe
Gibell Sa
Sars
rsar
ar 192
9200 - 19
1926
26

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 advantag-
es 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, concen-
trate 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.
1921 Ernest Shackleton sets off on his
In recognition of its service during the war Gibraltar is
final expedition to Antartica.
granted City Council status. The Council replaces the Sanitary
Commissioners and is concerned primarily with public amenities Canadian scientists Frederick Banting
such as street maintenance, sanitation, sewage disposal and water and Charles Best discover insulin.
supply. Elections are held for the first time, recognising that the
Agatha Christie’s first novel, The
population has a right to elect their own representatives. However,
Mysterious Affair at Styles, is published
voting is limited to male ratepayers only and is seen as retrospective
introducing the world to Hercule Poirot.
considering near universal suffrage in Britain. Military officers
are on the Council to ensure that future political advances would The United States formally ends World
always be subordinate to the requirements of the garrison. War I, declaring peace with Germany.

18
 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
Geor
George
orge Gag
a ge
g ro
o
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 Giibr
bral
alta
taar Ci
City
ty Cou
unc
ncil
nci
il
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. The Li
Th Life
feb
feb
beelt
l log
ogo
o

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.

19
 1923
MH Bland opens its first Moroccan office
“The harder I work, the luckier I get.”
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, estab-
lished 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 Unlo
Unload
loadin
adingg si
in silverr ing
ngot
otss
communication.

20
 1928
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)

Load
Loadin
ad ingg ca
in carrs
rs ont
nto
o Gibe
Gibel
Gibel De
D rs
rsaa

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. 1929 It is decided that cars on
Their Gibraltarian counterparts would have far longer to wait Gibraltar’s roads should drive
for their emancipation. on the right hand side.
Amelia Earhart is the first woman to cross the Atlantic by
aeroplane whilst the airship Graf Zeppelin completes its first
transatlantic flight.

21
 1931 - 35
A new airline arises out of an economic crisis
“The only thing that overcomes hard luck is hard work.”
Harry Golden (1902 - 1981)

Seap
Seapla
aplane
lane Gen
ener
ener
eral
al God
dle
leyy

Like many around them the company is suffering from the continued economic depres-
sion 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 inevita-
ble 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.

1931 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.

22
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.

23
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
Gibr
Gibral
br alta
altarr Ba
ta Barb
rbar
rba y Maacaaqu
ar q e
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.

24
 1936 - 39
The Spanish Civil War
“Work and 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 intro-
ducing 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.

Civi
Civill Wa
vi Warr re
r fu
uge
g es

1938 The Republican destroyer Jose Luis Diez takes refuge in Gibraltar with casualties after an engagement with the
National cruiser Canarias.
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 1939 After Britain recognises the Franco regime, Gibraltar has two
taking a cargo of coal to Spanish Consulates: Republican and Nationalist.
Republican controlled Cartagena. Franco declares the end of the Spanish Civil War with the fascist
Britain and France prohibit nationalist government victorious. More than 30,000 have died
volunteers from going to Spain, on both sides in the conflict.
however hundreds make the In Germany the Gestapo legally acquire total control over all
journey and many die a hero’s internal security and police and is deemed above the law.
death fighting fascism.
Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain signs the Munich
Edward VIII abdicates. Agreement and flies back to Britain declaring “Peace in our time”.

25
 1939 - 45
WORLD WAR II

“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)

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 special-
ist 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 popula-
tion. 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
Gibraltar at war
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.

26
 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.
Gibr
Gibraal
br alta
tarr Sp
Spit
i fire che
it h qu
quee pr
presenttati
tation
o
on
Despite the tangible run down of assets, MH Bland
continues to work in support of the military garrison
l-r Harry King, Lionel Imossi,
but also never forgets their own community. George Gaggero elects to see
A. E. Huart, Peter Russo,
the war out on the Rock and continues to serve as an unofficial member Dr. Henry Triay,
of the Executive Council until 1943. He is Chief ARP (Air Raid Protec- Colonel Beatie (Colonial Secretary),
tion) warden and a member of the board of District Commissioners. This Unknown
endears much good will towards the firm. He also finds time to involve
Foreground
himself in the Merchant Navy Welfare committee helping sailors who
Sir George Gaggero,
have lost their ships, and is instrumental in collecting funds for a Spitfire. Lt. General Liddel (H. E. Governor)
(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.

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.

27
 1939 - 45
World War II: Gibraltar and the Gibraltarians
“If you’re going through hell, keep going.”
Sir Winston Churchill (1874 - 1965)

The Rock guards the Atlantic approaches to the Mediterranean and

is an important support base for Allied naval operations, anti-sub-
marine 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 Sirr Ge
Si Geor
orge
ge Gag
ager
erro
ro OBE JP
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.

28
 1946
After the storm
“Success usually comes to those who are too busy to be looking for it.”
Henry David Thoreau (1817 - 1862)

Rescue
ue 190
9044-19
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.

29
 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 geographi-
cally in Gibraltar, Britain, Spain and
Morocco. As a result he embarks
on a bold development programme
centred on expanding tourism, mod-
ernising 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.
Salv
Salvag
agee of Marrklyn III He will be ever remem-
bered 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.

30
 1947
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 opera-
tions – at £1.10 a trip.

1947 Gibraltar is back on the civil air map and 1947 Restrictions on foreign travel imposed during
women are able to vote for the first time in World War II are lifted.
City Council elections.
India gains independence from Britain.
The Gibraltar State lottery is inaugurated with The modern state of Pakistan is established.
the approval of the Secretary of State for the
The International Monetary Fund begins to
Colonies. Responding to local public opinion, it
operate. In America, the Secretary of State George
can raise revenue while other forms of taxation
Marshall outlines the Marshall Plan for American
are being examined and developed. All are
reconstruction and relief aid to Europe.
urgently required to finance housing and other
community projects and to curb the substantial The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade and
amount of money that Gibraltarians are the World Trade Organisation are established.
spending in the Spanish State Lottery.

31
 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
whic
of operation
opera – a load factor of 70%. The one aircraft that
Gibraltar Airways had leased from BEA which had begun this success-
ful operation is replaced by three Rapides owned solely by MH Bland.

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 suc-
cessfully 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 cer-
tification for passengers – takes some of the cars crossing the Strait and,
MH
H Bla
land
nd’ss offi
nd’s Tan
angi
g err
gi
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.

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.

32
 1951
Pursuing the dream
“I’m a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work the more I have of it.”
Baltasar Gracian (1601 – 1658)

Gibraltar Airways charter operations have now

expanded and include not only the carrying of pas-
sengers, 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 friend-
ship, as the Danish Chairman, Hector Kier,
becomes a close friend of the Gaggero family.

Yo
ogi
gibe
beear
a

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.

33
 1954
Captain’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)

MV Mon
onss Ca
C lp
lpee 19
1954 - 198
9866

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 unin-
tentional 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 craft.

Before the delivery of the new ‘roll on’ Mons Calpee in 1954, Gibel Tarik III 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 too
the restrictions on freedom of movement
between Gibraltar and Spain.

34
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 L un
La nch of Mo
Mons
ns Cal
alpe
pe
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 pas-
Mabe
Mabell Ga
Gagg
ggger
ero
o ch
chri
rist
sten
e s th
he Mo
Mons
ns Calpe
sengers. 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 Inte
Interior
orr of th
thee Sh
S ip Rep
epai
airr Ya
Y rd
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. Ship
Ship Rep
pai
airr Ya
Yard
r aft
rd fter
e Spi
er pitfi
tfi
fire crash

35
 1958 - 61
John G Gaggero joins the company
“The thing always happens that you really believe in; and the belief in a thing makes it happen.”
Frank Lloyd Wright (1869 - 1959)

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 Shipbuild-
ing 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 ship-
building 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
John
Joh awa
hn ward
rd
ded the
h Bat
aton
on of Ho
H no
n ur
ur att Mo
M ns
godsend for when the closure of the frontier
prevents Spanish workers coming into Gibraltar.

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.
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.

36
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 proceed-
ing 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
Mons
Mons Cal
alpe
lpe fl
flyyin
ingg th
he Ro
Roya
yall En
ya E si
s gn
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.

37
 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 opera-
tions 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 ‘Unpass-
able 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 self-
government with a fully responsible ministerial system, Chief Minister and Council of Members.
This is eventually achieved in 1964.

38
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
Sir George gre
reet
etts Sirr Wi
Wins
nsto
nst n Church
to c ill
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 con-
struction. 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.

39

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 expres-
sion 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.
40
 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 - )

C ossur
Cl u e of fro
ront
n ie
nt ier,
r, 19669

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 1969 John Lennon and Yoko Ono marry
12,000 people vote to stay under the British flag, with only 44 in Gibraltar, an event immortalised
choosing the Spanish option. In 1969, Franco cuts off the territory in ‘The Ballad of John and Yoko’.
by land and by sea, imposes air restrictions and severs telephone
The United States’ Apollo 11 is the
communications. Travel was a laborious process: by air to London
first manned mission to land on the
and, if visiting Spain necesitated a voyage by sea to Morocco
moon; Neil Armstrong becomes the
and then to Algeciras. Until the border opens for pedestrians in
first person to walk on the moon.
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. 1972 Francis Ford Coppola’s The
The preamble to the Constitution states that: “Her Majesty’s Godfather, starring Marlon
Government will never enter into arrangements under which the Brando, is released.
people of Gibraltar would pass under the sovereignty of another
state against their freely and democratically expressed wishes”.

41
 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 vegeta-
bles, 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 well-
trained 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

42
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
Captain Don De
D lff OBE
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 fun-
damental 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
SS Uggaand
SS ndaa 19
1 82
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.
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.
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.

43
 1985
The consequences of opening the frontier with Spain
“Live as brave men; and if fortune is adverse, front its blows with brave hearts.”
Cicero (106 BC - 43 BC)

The M
Moons
ns Cal
alp
pee in Ta
Tanggie
ier
er on
on her
er fi
fin
nall voyag
oyyag
agee 19
19866

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 oppor-
tunities in the UK, Spain, and Morocco. Needless to say, the closure
sure of the border and the souring of relations
with Spain would cost the company and the family dearly and would
ould hamper development over this period.

1985 It takes ten years after democracy is restored in Spain for the Spanish
panish
authorities to lift frontier restrictions in full. The gates finally swing
wing 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 telephonee box.
Soap opera Eastenders airs on BBC1 for the first time.
A joint US-French operation locates the wreck of the RMS Titanic.
tanic.
The main shipwreck site of the Spanish galleon Nuestra Señora de Atochaa (which
sank in 1622) is found 40 miles off the coast of Key West, Florida
ida by treasure hunterss
who begin to excavate $400 million in coins and silver.

44
 1986
New beginnings
“Associate yourself with men of good quality if you esteem
your own reputation. It is better to be alone than in bad company.”
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.

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 Blan Bland & Co. Ltd.
His son Johnnie, had gained a degree in
i Economics
and Public Administration from the University of

Section of the Cable Car

1986 The C
Chernobyl disaster, a nuclear 1986 The UK and France announce plans
track rope, 1986-2009 reactor
reacto accident in the Ukrainian to build the Channel Tunnel.
Soviet Socialist Republic, is
GCSEs arrive, taking the place of O’
considered
consid to be the worst nuclear
Levels and CSEs.
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.

45
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 firm.

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.
John
Jo n G Gaggge
geero
ro
ro

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.

46
 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)

Fllyfi
F lyfi
fissh at
a Eur
urop
o a Po
op Poin
in
int
nt

MH Bland is now benefiting from cohesive and dynamic leadership. There is a refocus-
ing 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 1990 Nelson Mandela, a political prisoner for 27 years, is
Gibraltar, leaving the locally recruited Royal freed in South Africa.
Gibraltar Regiment. The Royal Air Force and
Iraq invades Kuwait, leading to the first Gulf War.
Royal Navy remain.
The Space Shuttle Discovery places the Hubble
The Spanish Socialist government proposes Britain
Satellite into orbit.
and Spain share joint sovereignty of Gibraltar.
East Germany and West Germany announce they
Britain and Argentina restore diplomatic links
will unite after the Iron Curtain begins to fall.
eight years after the Falklands War ended.
Channel Tunnel workers from Britain and France
meet 40 metres beneath the English Channel 1991 Helen Sharman becomes the first
establishing the first ground connection between Briton to go into space.
Britain and mainland Europe since the last ice age,
thus physically ending our “splendid isolation”.

47
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 mistak-
enly, 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 north-

wards 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.

48
 1997
John hands over the reins
“A man should never neglect his family for business.”
Walt Disney (1901 – 1966)

John
John’ss reti
etirem
et men
nt

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 1998 Tony Blair becomes the first Prime Minister
victory over the Conservatives, ending their 18 years of the United Kingdom to address the
in power. Tony Blair admits that one of his mother-in- Oireachtas (Irish parliament).
law’s main concerns is to keep Gibraltar British.
‘The Good Friday Agreement’ is signed by the
Diana, Princess of Wales is killed in a car crash in major parties in Northern Ireland.
Paris.
Expo ‘98 is held in Lisbon.
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.

49
 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 1st 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 negoti-
ates 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
Geor
George
orgee Gag
agge
gero
gero,, Joh
ro hn A.
A Gag
agge
gero
ro,, Clivve
ve A Mob
o er
e leey
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.

50
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
MHB Dr
MHB
MH Drag
ago
on
nfish
sh
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
Hyystter
e for
orklif
kllift
ift
if
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.

51
 2002 - 09
The future beckons
“People always call it luck when you’ve acted more sensibly than they have.”
Anne Tyler (1941 –)

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 2005 The Queen conducts a Fleet
chain is formed around the Rock and the Royal Navy is given the Review, part of nationwide
Freedom of the City. events commemorating the
bicentenary of the Battle of
The United States oceanic treasure hunter Odyssey Marine
Trafalgar.
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.

52
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 spectacu-
lar 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 double-
hulled 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.

Brrix
i ha
ham Be
ham Bell
le

2006 The Gibraltar Caves Project Team, discover probable evidence that Neanderthals had 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 2009 British Military operations in Iraq
kill 52 people. officially end after six years of combat.

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.
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.

53
 In 2009 Cloister Building receives a facelift
which was to cap a programme of works
that enables the building to accommo-
date the modern communications and IT
systems so fundamental to the success of
the entire Group.

The sense of family that Johnnie and George

Caabl
C abl
ble C
Caar Top
Top S
To Sttat
atio
i n 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 organi-
Monss Cal
Mo alp
pee Su
uiite
te sation. 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 par-
ticular, 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
MH
HB Swor
Swor
Swordfi
dfi
fissh
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 restructur-
ing of his business arrangements were agreed
whereby MH Bland would take over Bland
Travel consolidating it within MH Bland’s
own travel agency.

M Bla
MH land
nd
d Mar
arin
inee Se
in S rvvic
ices
es

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.

0
201

54
 2010
Celebrating 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)

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...

“The future starts today, not tomorrow.”

Pope John Paul II
 MH Bland & Co. Ltd 2010
John A Gaggero Algeciras John Ferrary Tamara Collantes
Chairman Coxswain Cashier
Juan Manuel Corona
George Gaggero Assistant Shipping Manager Samuel Hart Yvonne Duo
Deputy Chairman Coxswain Cashier
Jaime Calderon
Clive Moberley Accounts Manager Jason Laguea Derrick Martinez
Director Coxswain Shift Supervisor
Miguel Atanet
Ian Penfold Administrator Jeremy Milanta Neville Sankey
Director Deckhand Shift Supervisor
Enrique Lopez
Port Agent Augustin Delgado Lobillo Karl Gaivizo
ADMINISTRATION Able Seaman / Engine Rating Assistant Shift Supervisor
Tony Moreno
Port Agent Mohammed Aghachoui David Navarro
Alison Gabay Able Seaman Assistant Shift Supervisor
Financial Controller Luis Romeu
Port Agent Dustin Avellano Mohammed Bassou
Mandy Gaggero Welder / Mechanic Cable Car Attendant
Marketing Manager Palma Marabot
Accounts Clerk Ahmed Ghorri David Beswick
Maribel Bossino-Pincho Engine Rating Cable Car Attendant
Human Resources Officer Cristina Marabot
Accounts Clerk Christian Ryman Elyass Ben Hammou
Paul Setter Engine Rating Cable Car Attendant
HSSE
Ceuta Sadik Takal Andrew Rodriguez
Abigail Ignacio Engine Rating Cable Car Attendant
Secretary Sebastian Guerrero
Assistant Shipping Manager John Yeo
Maria Jesus Lyon Cable Car Attendant
Secretary Andy Roop TOURISM DIVISION
Port Agent Dylan Collado
Ernest Basilisco MH Bland Travel Services Staff
Messenger Nikos Ventouras
Port Agent Henry Catania
Patrick Franco Tourism Division Manager Top Station
Messenger
MARINE SERVICES Lyana Armstrong-Emery Tamara Pincho Rios
Abdeslam Ftou Slassi Product Development Manager Manager
Cleaner Christopher Wood
Marine Service Manager Elizabeth Adnett David Neish
Corporate Manager Events Coordinator
Accounts Peter Aguilera
Workshop Manager Myriam Carballo-Gomez Sylvanna Benyunes
Robert Porro Travel Consultant Shift Supervisor
Chief Cashier
Stevedores Moira Collado Nicholas Parker
Gillaine Hernandez Travel Consultant Shift Supervisor
Assistant Cashier Manolo Cardoso
Foreman Stevedore Rossanna Gonzalez Ken Barlow
Kelly Wood Travel Consultant Assistant Shift Supervisor
Senior Clerk Victor Martinez
Storeman Catherine Griffins Natalie Cavilla
Nyeoka Balban-Vecino Travel Consultant Assistant Shift Supervisor
Accounts Clerk Antonio Martinez
Stevedore Katherine Serrano Arturo Canepa
Joanne Cavilla Travel Consultant Cable Car Staff
Accounts Clerk Bruno Medina Zagalo
Stevedore Audrey Canty
Kim Drew CALYPSO TOURS Cable Car Staff
Accounts Clerk Diego Villalba Garcia
Stevedore Tanya Francis Sean Caulfield
Jessica Francis Operations Manager Cable Car Staff
Accounts Clerk Mustapha Aouhar
Machine Operator / Stevedore Jonathan Cardona Ahmed Dellaoui
Sarah Gavito Excursion Agent Cable Car Staff
Accounts Clerk Daniel Cardoso
Machine Operator / Stevedore James Noguera Mohammed El Boti
Sarah Navarro Excursion Agent Cable Car Staff
Accounts Clerk Juan Garcia
Machine Operator / Stevedore Adrian Rodriguez Driss Harrack
Danica Olivares Transport Supervisor Cable Car Staff
Accounts Clerk Daniel Wood
Machine Operator / Stevedore Robert Brittenden Margaret Morgan
Lianne Peralta Assistant Transport Supervisor Cable Car Staff
Accounts Clerk Abdel Oulad
Mechanic / Stevedore Pepe Franco Zenib Ouhdani
Maria de los Angeles Setter Driver Cable Car Staff
Accounts Clerk Averell Posso
Apprentice Mechanic John Pincho Brian Gomila
Driver Macaque Consultant
Information Technology
Marine Logistics Paul Rocca
Patricia Lane Driver DOLPHIN WORLD
IT Manager Brian Pizarro
Manager Peter Rodriguez Ian Redmond
Stephen Borge Driver Captain
IT Technician Jason Aguis
Customs Phil Taylor Peter Young
Nathan Rodriguez Driver Deputy Captain
IT Technician Christian Garcia
Customs Terence Benfield Khalid Karim
Mechanic Reservations Supervisor
Christopher Llanelo
MARINE DIVISION Customs Malachi Efigenio Alison Benfield
Mechanic Crew
PORT AGENCY Peter Borge
Driver / Dock Worker Norman Pirie Rocio Espada Ruiz
Gibraltar Mechanic Crew
Steven Barea Harbourcraft Mohammed Rida Boulaich Ashley Sankey
Operations Manager Apprentice Mechanic Crew
Julian Robertson
Dennis Federico Operational Supervisor
Assistant Manager Ivan Hernandez
CABLE CAR GIBRALTARINFO
Brian Costa Coxswain/Engine Rating Bottom Station Ana Garcia
Port Agent Sales & Information Officer Supervisor
Craig Key John Navarro
Kieron Finalyson Coxswain/Engine Rating Cable Car Engineer Maria Rivera Lopez
Port Agent Sales & Information Officer Supervisor
Stefan Rothwell Simon Sutherland
Richard Gonzalez Coxswain / Engine Rating Electrical Engineer Margarita Montemuino Chulian
Port Agent Sales & Information Officer
Edward Chipolina Rafi Acolina
Richard Raineri Coxswain Cashier Susana Espada Molina
Port Agent Sales & Information Officer

56
 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.

Designed and printed by Copywrite Ltd.

MH BLAND & CO. LTD.
www.mhbland.com