S.H. Benson

S. H. Benson Ltd was an advertising company founded in 1893 by Samuel Herbert Benson. Clients of the company included Bovril, Guinness and Colmans. S H Benson was born on 14 August 1854 in Marylebone.

S H Benson served on the staff of Commodore Sir W N W Hewett VC, KCB in HMS Active during the Anglo-Ashanti wars. In 1875 he commanded the first cutter of that ship in an expedition up the Congo to punish pirates of that river who had looted the cargo of a vessel and murdered some of her crew. For these services he was mentioned in despatches. In the following year he took part in the blockade of the coast of Dahomey, and in 1878 he was on the staff of the later John Edmund Commerell VC and was on board the HMS Agincourt when that ship leading the lee line of Sir Geoffrey Hornby's fleet proceeded through the Dardanelles on the approach of the Russians to Constantinople.

After a peaceful spell with Admiral William Dowell at Cork he again joined Commodore Hewett in the first Egyptian campaign (1882) and on the occupation of Suez by the Naval Brigade he was placed in charge of the commissariat arrangements and was again mentioned in despatches, receiving the Egypt Medal and the Khedive's Star (Bronze).

He was only 29 when he was invalided home and after acting as secretary to various committees at the Admiralty, left the Navy altogether, never having completely recovered from the effects of the rigorous Egyptian climate.

In 1885, he started, under the patronage of Lord Randolph Churchill, the Express Couriers Corps, which was the first boy messenger venture ever organized in London. It was quashed by the GPO who considered it a breach of their monopoly.

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