Volume Twelve - Pre-Victorian to the Present Day - further aspects - The Bristol Channel District Guide - selected articles - [1934 Edition] . . . .

and an illuminated address, which set forth the numerous subscribers' appreciation of the care, skill, and courtesy with which the recipient and his brother, Captain Peter Campbell, had conducted and developed the passenger traffic in the Bristol Channel.

Captain Peter Campbell had taken charge of the " Waverley " at the commencement of the 1891 season, and he rapidly won confidence and esteem by his skill and genial manner. At the instance of the season ticket holders and friends, he was entertained with his brother at a complimentary dinner at the Royal Hotel, Bristol, on October 23rd, 1892, the gathering being under the presidency of Mr. (now Sir) Frank Wills. It is worthy of note that to the progenitor of the present generation of the Campbell family belongs the honour of having been the first private individual to introduce the modern type of deck-saloon on the Clyde.

Captain Alex Campbell, the founder and managing director of the Company, passed away on December 10th, 1928, at Kilmun, Argyllshire, Scotland. A genial, kindly man, he was beau-ideal of a pleasure-steamer commander -  cool in awkward moments, a fine seaman, and exceedingly popular with his passengers.

During the 1892 season Messrs. P. & A. Campbell originated and successfully carried out, in conjunction with the Midland Railway Company, a series of special day trips from the Midland Counties to the seaside resorts of the Bristol Channel, and it was with a view to still further extending the range of their operations that, in March, 1893, they turned their business into a limited liability company with a capital of £60,000, which has since been increased to £250,000. The order for the steamer " Westward Ho ! " was placed a few months later.