This article was first published in the West Sussex Gazette on 9th September 1993

Wonderfully gentle ladies of the sea that fire memories of fine summers of yesteryear are the subject of this feature, boats that paddled gracefully through the clear bluey green water along the English Channel. I am referring to paddle steamers, providing a popular pleasurable pastime, before World War II intervened and changed society forever.

    Phil Hayden, of Sussex, who has an undeniably strong hankering and indeed dedication for all things nautical, wrote in: 'Having read your articles, I wonder how many of your readers will remember those beautiful paddle steamers of P & A Campbell's White Funnel Fleet which ran excursion cruises from Brighton, Worthing and other seaside resorts in the two decades between the wars. As a maritime nation, being afloat holds for most of us a certain fascination --- even a trip on a humble paddle steamer could evoke our national spirit; memories of those days when the sunshine seemed brighter and perhaps warmer and the wind never more than a gentle breeze, thanks to the kindness of human memory, are happy ones indeed.'

    'The Campbells had originally run steamers on the Clyde but recognising that there was a market in the south moved to Bristol in the late 1880s, and ran day, afternoon and evening trips to and from any resort where there was a pier, jetty or even just a sandy beach where passengers could be embarked and landed. Their first venture to the south coast was as early as 1889 when the Waverley (I) was sent round to Southampton on a charter to take sightseers out to see the ships assembled for the Fleet Review, an occasion when a number of German warships were present under the command of the young Kaiser Wilhelm who was on a State Visit to honour his grandmother Queen Victoria.'

    'During the late 1880s, south coast resorts were well served by a number of companies operating summer-service paddle steamers, catering for holidaymakers who fancied a trip on a 'shilling sicker' (you paid one shilling for a cruise and if you were not used to the movement of the sea you could end up being sick!) Even at Worthing, despite its tidal limitations, several of these ships were regularly seen calling at the pier. Notable among these was the 'Worthing Belle', a paddle steamer formerly owned by the North British Steam Packet Company when it was called the 'Diana Vernon'. It was also sister ship to the famous 'Jeannie Deans'. (A number of these Clyde steamers were named after characters in Sir Walter Scott's Waverley novels). Passengers would embark at Worthing, Brighton, Littlehampton, Eastbourne and Hastings for a Channel excursion, perhaps to the Isle of Wight, where they would have a few hours ashore before the return journey.'

    'After the first world war, Campbells gained the monopoly of this trade, and one by one the other smaller operators went out of business --- they cannily chose a fellow Scot, William Reid (Phil's grandfather), who had owned and operated the 'Worthing Belle', to be their managing agent in Brighton, and in 1923, the first season opened with the lovely two-funnelled 'Devonia' and the smaller 'Brighton Belle', and were joined later that year by the 'Ravenswood'.'

    Fashionable paddlers created a memorable maritime passion for many; while to the uninitiated they must remain a symbol of pleasant times past.