Hartlepool Northern Daily Mail, Friday, April 28^th, 1911:
NEW LOCAL COMPANY. BAIRD SHIPPING CO. LTD. This company has been registered with a capital £26,000 in £10 shares, to carry the business of ship and tug owners, shipbrokers, shipping agents, loading brokers, etc., to acquire the steamer Mary Baird, in course of construction, and to adopt an agreement with J. W. Baird. The subscribers are J. W. Baird, Parklands, West Hartlepool, timber merchant; J. Baird, Highfield, Westbourne Road, Penarth, timber merchant; A. W. Baird, Parklands, West Hartlepool, timber merchant; C. H. Baird, Norma, West Hartlepool, timber merchant; O. Baird, Farnham, West Hartlepool, timber merchant; W. Porritt, Glenside New Mills, Derbyshire, manager; Mrs. E. F. Porritt, Glenside New Mills, Derbyshire. Minimum cash subscription 5 per cent. of the shares offered to the public. The number of directors is not to be less than three or more than seven. The first are J.W. Baird (chairman and managing director), J. Baird, A.W. Baird, C.H. Baird, and O. Baird. Qualification, one share. Registered office, Montague House, Fountain Terrace, West Hartlepool.

J.W. Baird & Co. purchased the Mary Baird in 1911 and sold her to France in 1912. Their next three ships were all purchased in 1915. The Ulla Boog was renamed the Mary Baird, the Cockerill was renamed Mabel Baird and the Marie Glaeser was renamed Parklands and was sold in 1916.

Family History:
John William Baird was born on 4^th October 1847 at Port Clarence, Durham to parents John (chief boatman of the coastguard) and Mary (nee Faith) Baird. In 1861 John’s father had retired from the coastguard service and was innkeeper of the Alma Hotel, Stranton. John married Mary Weighill at Hartlepool in 1868, at this time John was a timber merchant. By the 1881 census the couple were living at 13 Victoria Road, Stranton with their six sons and two daughters. By 1901 the family were living at 19 South Road, West Hartlepool. John’s wife, Mary, died in 1909 at Hartlepool. In 1911 John was living living at ‘Parklands’, West Hartlepool with two of his sons and two daughters.

At some point it appears that J.W. Baird took over the lease of the Alma Hotel as records show:
23 February 1920:
(1) John William Baird of West Hartlepool, timber merchant
(2) J. Nimmo & Son Ltd. of Castle Eden
Lease for 10 years by (1) to (2) of the Alma Hotel , Whitby Street, West Hartlepool, late in the occupation of J.W. Cameron & Co. Ltd. 
Rent: £900 p.a.

John died aged 86 at Hartlepool on 27th February, 1924, leaving effects of £159,654.