Copies of detailed narrative diaries and transcripts of Naval signal messages on RN operations, 1939-1945, including service at RN Gunnery School, Chatham, Kent, 1939, on HMS JERVIS in the North Sea, 1940, with the Mediterranean Fleet, 1940-1941, with Combined Operations Command, Dieppe and Normandy, 1942-1944, and the British Pacific Fleet, 1945-1946. Also, typescript copies of operational orders for Operation NEPTUNE, Normandy, 1944.

Papers relating to service in HMS GLOUCESTER, Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve, World War Two, including photocopy of diary, 1939-1940, naval messages, 1940-1943, and photographs; official service records, 1941-1958; and papers relating to naval career, 1949-1964, including article dated 1965, 'A Perspective View of Naval Engineering', on the Electrical Branch of the Royal Navy.

Microfilm copies of papers relating to his naval career, 1942-1946, principally comprising 'Africa Navy blues', an illustrated account of his experiences in the RN, 1942-1946, written in 1946, covering his service on HMS BIRMINGHAM in a convoy from Egypt to Malta (Operation VIGOROUS), June 1942, and on anti-submarine trawlers in the Bay of Bengal, 1942, during the Allied invasion of Madagascar, 1942, and in South Africa, 1942-1945; diary, 1943-1945. 'War time trawler', a transcript of a broadcast by James McClurg of the South African Broadcasting Corporation concerning his experiences on board an anti-submarine trawler during World War Two, written in [1940-1945].

Papers relating to Bethell's life and career, 1894-1932, and to his death in action, as First Lt, HMS NESTOR, 13 Destroyer Flotilla, Battle of Jutland, North Sea, 31 May 1916, including Birth Certificate and Certificate of Baptism, 1894; RN record and certificates relating to Bethell's naval career, 1907-1915; one Christmas card, 1913, and three letters to his sister Agatha [Hilda] Bethell, 1915, and eight letters to his mother, Hilda Mary Bethell, Lady Bethell, 1914-1916. Two letters from the Admiralty notifying the family of Lt Bethell's death, 1916; two letters to Hilda Mary Bethell, Lady Bethell, from Cdr Hon (Edward) Barry (Stewart) Bingham, Capt of HMS NESTOR, on Lt Bethell's heroism and on the loss of HMS NESTOR at the Battle of Jutland, 1916; two letters to Agatha [Hilda] Bethell from Lt William Stephen Richard King-Hall, HMS SOUTHAMPTON, on the Battle of Jutland and the sinking of HMS NESTOR, with extract from account of Jutland by Lt Harold Percy Keeley, HMS ATTACK, 1 Destroyer Flotilla, Grand Fleet, Jun 1916; seven letters and telegrams of condolence, notably including HM King George V, Rt Hon Arthur James Balfour, First Lord of the Admiralty, V Adm Sir David Beatty, 1 Battlecruiser Sqn, Grand Fleet, Capt Wilmot Stuart Nicholson, HMS AURORA, and Capt Charles Edward Le Mesurier, HMS CALLIOPE, 1916-1918; three letters on the loss of HMS NESTOR and the death of Lt Bethell from Surgeon Probationer Alexander Joe, Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve, 1918. Edition of Supplement to the London Gazette, containing details of the award of a posthumous Mention in Despatches for Lt Bethell, 4 Oct 1918; nine letters between Adm Hon Sir Alexander Edward Bethell and the Admiralty relating to whether Lt Bethell's heroism was worthy of the award of the VC, Jan-Feb 1919; edition of Parliamentary debates, House of Commons (Hansard) containing questions asked in Parliament by Rt Hon Thomas James Macnamara, Financial Secretary to the Admiralty, relating to Lt Bethell's heroism during the Battle of Jutland, 12 Mar 1919. Photograph of Bethell [1914]; edition of Falklands, Jutland, and the Bight by Cdr Hon (Edward) Barry (Stewart) Bingham, RN (John Murray, London, 1919); official scroll and bronze plaque, sent to the next of kin of servicemen killed in action [1919]; certificate of Mention in Despatches, 1920. Copy of manuscript poem relating to the loss of HMS NESTOR by Robert Malise Bowyer Nichols entitled 'The souls of the righteous', 1931, with related correspondence from John Masefield, Poet Laureate, Cdr Hon (Edward) Barry (Stewart) Bingham, RN and Lt Dudley Rowe, RN, 1931.

Brief typescript history of 812 Naval Air Sqn, 1933-1948, ND. Correspondence with John Winton concerning life on HMS GLORIOUS during the period 1937-1939, written in 1983-1984.

Papers of Rear Adm Philip Whitworth Burnett, relating to his life and career, 1922-1996, chiefly photographs, reports and press cuttings relating to Nanking, China, 1927 (where Chinese National Government troops attacked British and American residents: Burnett was a midshipman in HMS EMERALD, which bombarded city); photographs of Shanghai, Karachi and Diyatalawa, 1927; photographs of Abadan, Basra and Kuwait, 1928; photographs and correspondence relating to his service in HMS KELLY, 1939-1940, and to the sinking of HMS KELLY, May 1940; photographs and press cuttings relating to North Atlantic anti-submarine operations, 1943-1945.

Copies of papers relating to his career and the strategic significance of seapower, 1915-1962, including official and personal correspondence, 1915-1936, including letters from Adm Sir Arthur Cavenagh Leveson, Commander-in-Chief, China Station, 1923, R Adm Montagu William Warcop Peter Consett, 1923, V Adm Sir Lewis Clinton-Baker, 1926, Lt Gen John Greer Dill, 1929-1936, Adm Sir Herbert William Richmond, 1929, Maj Gen William Henry Bartholomew, 1929, R Adm Ragnar Musgrave Colvin, Chief of Staff, Home Fleet, 1931, Cdre Andrew Browne Cunningham, 1932; manuscript narrative diary, HMS HAREBELL, Fishery Protection, 1925-1926; typescript copies of lectures given at the Imperial Defence College, 1927-1935; manuscript notes on the history of the Peninsular Campaigns, Napoleonic Wars, 1807-1814 [1928]; published articles by Dickens, letters to the press and book reviews, mainly relating to the Royal Navy and the projection of seapower, 1929-1962; manuscript narrative war diary, 1940-1945, with manuscript notes on the Korean War, 1950; official and personal correspondence, 1940-1945, including letters from Rt Hon Maurice Paschal Alers Hankey, 1st Baron Hankey of The Chart, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, 1940, letter from Capt Wilfrid Rupert Patterson, Captain of HMS KING GEORGE V, on the sinking of the German battleship BISMARCK, 1941, letters from Adm Sir Andrew Browne Cunningham, 1st Bt, 1941-1944, letter from Augustus (Edwin) John, 1943, letter from R Adm John Anthony Vere Morse, 1943, letter from AF Sir John Cronyn Tovey, Commander-in-Chief, the Nore, 1945, also, typescript report by Dickens to the Admiralty on the German attack on the Netherlands, 22 May 1940 and copy of Adm Cunningham's official signal to the Admiralty on the surrender of the Italian Fleet, Malta, 10 Sep 1943; newspaper cuttings and correspondence relating to Bombing and strategy. The fallacy of total war (Sampson Low, Marston and Company, London, 1947), including letters of congratulation from Adm Cunningham, US Adm Richard L Conolly, Maj Gen John Frederick Charles Fuller, and Cdre Guy Willoughby, 1947; personal correspondence, 1947-1962, including letters from AF Andrew Browne Cunningham, 1st Viscount Cunningham of Hyndhope, 1947-1959, Adm Bruce Austin Fraser, 1st Baron Fraser of North Cape, 1948, Adm Sir (Eric James) Patrick Brind, Commander-in-Chief, Far East Station, 1949, Rt Hon Maurice Paschal Alers Hankey, 1st Baron Hankey of The Chart, 1949, AF Louis (Francis Albert Victor Nicholas) Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma, Commander-in-Chief, Mediterranean, 1954, AF Alfred Ernie Montacute Chatfield, 1st Baron Chatfield of Ditchling, 1959, R Adm George Pirie Thomson, 1959; manuscript notes and annotated typescript draft chapters for projected autobiography [1960].

Copies of papers relating to his life and career, 1929-[1962], comprising four letters written while serving in Mediterranean, 1936-1937; text of his speech to the crew of HMS BERWICK in honour of Capt Arliss, 1946; synopsis of his lecture on 'The Royal Navy today', given at the Sociedade Brasileira de Cultura Inglesa, Rio de Janeiro, 1951; curricula vitae, 1955, [1959], [1962].

Papers relating to Watts' RN career, training of RN Engineers and meteorology, 1945-1990, including three telegrams relating to the German and Japanese surrenders, May and Aug 1945, and to the signing of the Japanese surrender, Tokyo Bay, Japan, Sep 1945; lectures and talks by Watts relating to RN Engineer training, 1960-1962; typescript lecture notes entitled 'The Instructor Branch' [1961]; typescript address to Royal Naval Reserve Instructor Officers, [1964]; correspondence with R Adm Sir William (Alfred) Bishop, R Adm Christopher John Howard, Capt John Athol Burnett, RN, Capt Arthur Ernest Johnston, RN, Capt Alexander Malcolm Morrice, RN, Cdr William Nimmo Bowman, RN, and Richard J Ogden, Apr-Nov 1988, relating to research for a lecture by Watts on 'Meteorology in the Royal Navy in World War Two' to the History Group of the Royal Meteorological Society, Oct 1988, with edition of Meteorology and World War II. Second conference, October 1988, edited by Brian Douglas Giles (Royal Meteorological Society, School of Geography, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, 1989); typescript account of German bombing of HMS ILLUSTRIOUS off Pantelleria, Mediterranean, 10 Jan 1941, entitled 'A day to remember', with two sketch maps of the operation [1990]; typescript lecture notes on the organisation of the RN Meteorological Service in World War Two [1990].

Papers relating to the defence of Calais, May 1940, dated 1940-1971, notably including copy letter from Wright to Kathleen Howard (later Mrs L W Wright), 28 May 1940, detailing the events of his escape from Calais; typescript extracts of messages from the log kept by Control Wireless Station of No 12 Wireless Section at Vice Admiralty, Dover, 1940, copied in [1960-1970]; 'Personal experience in the defence of Calais', manuscript text compiled by Wright in 1946 from a report written for the War Office in 1940; press cuttings and copies of press cuttings, 1940-1962; correspondence relating to the rescue of a group of soldiers (including Wright) from Calais harbour by HMS GULZAR, May 1940, dated 1940 and 1968; 'Calais 1940 remembered', article by Lt J A Evitts reprinted from the Journal of the Royal Signals Institution vol 10 no 3, 1971. Other papers relating to Wright and his family, 1916, [1975], 1986, notably including newspaper cutting concerning the rescue from under enemy fire of Wright's father, 2nd Lt Leonard Wright, by Pte William Hall, 1916.

101Precis of lecture – infantry assembly positions, A Div, Brig Gen Dill. 102 Notes on the strength of certain attacks in 1918, A Div, Br Gen Dill. 103 Demonstration of tank tactics, A & B Div, Lt Col Neame. 104 Precis – Q (8) administrative arrangements in small wars, A Div, Br Gen Anderson. 105 Notes on Somaliland, A Div, Br Gen Anderson. 106 Scheme for summer term. Sec. XI. Indoor ex no 8 “assembly for attack”, A Div, Col Anley. 107 Scheme for summer term, Sec. X, paper F, A Div, Lt Col Liddell. 108 Indian frontier warfare calculations Ex 8, A Div, Br Gen Charles. 109 Indian frontier warfare scheme no 1 (indoor portion), A & B Div, Br Gen Charles. 110 Precis of lecture – campaign of Salamanca (1), B Div, Lt Col Haskard. 111 Precis of lecture – outposts, A & B Div, Lt Col Haskard. 112 Precis of lecture – the rear guard, A & B Div, Lt Col Haskard. 113 Paper on promotion examinations, B Div, Br Gen Kearsley. 114 Two special papers on war establishments, A Div, Lt Col Liddell. 115 Extract from “the Times” – “distribution of the fleet”, A & B Div, The Commandant. 116 Offensive battle (set piece). Gen idea & continuation in outdoor ex no 10 (see no. 140), B Div, Lt Col Collins. 117 Outdoor ex no 7, selection of a defensive position, B Div, Lt Col Neame. 118 Scheme for summer term (sec. XI) – assembly for, and conduct of infantry assault, A Div, Col Anley. 119 Lecture notes – preparation for the offensive, A & B Div, Br Gen Farmar. 120 Lecture notes – Waterloo I précis, A Div, Lt Col Luckock. 121 Special paper on war establishments for a D.A.C, A Div, Lt Col Liddell. 122 Special paper on war establishments for Div. Engrs, A Div, Lt Col Liddell. 123 Suggested index for instructions to be issued by the general staff of a division for a deliberate offensive, A & B Div, Lt Col Collins. 124 Lectures – Waterloo II & III and order of battle, A Div, Lt Col Luckock. 125 Lectures – Waterloo IV, A Div, Lt Col Luckock. 126 Lecture – Waterloo general map, A Div, Lt Col Luckock. 126a Lectures – Waterloo V & 2 maps (Ligny & disposition 14 6/1815), A Div, Lt Col Luckock. 127 Lectures – artillery no 6, A Div, Lt Col Broad. 128 Table of weights carried on the soldier, A & B Div, Lt Col Collins & Grubb. 129 Notes – capture of Tsingtau, A&B Div, Br Gen Charles. 130 Salamanca campaign – map position forces end of May, B Div, Lt Col McHaskard. 131 Waterloo campaign – distribution of Wellington’s army, A Div, Lt Col Luckock. 132 Distribution of duties divisional staffs, A&B Div, Lt Col Collins & Grubb. 133 Outdoor ex no 10 “reconnaissance for placing artillery to support an attack”, A Div, Lt Col Broad. 134 Paper “G” – strategy, A Div, Col Anley. 135 Waterloo lecture VI précis and map Quatre Bras, A Div, Lt Col Luckock. 136 Rifle shooting – précis of lecture, A Div, Lt Col Croft. 137 Table of organisation pack transport, A Div, Lt Col Grubb. 138 Notes administrative preparations “set piece offensive”, A Div, Lt Col Grubb. 139 Precis. Notes & 2 maps Salamanca, B Div, Lt Col Haskard. 140 Outdoor exercise No 10 (in continuation indoor Ex. No 10 see No. 116), B Div, Lt Col Collins. 141 Waterloo campaign, lecture VII précis, A Div, Lt Col Luckock. 142 Outdoor ex. No 11 “administrative arrangements for an offensive”, A Div, Lt Col Grubb. 143 Lecture – “Inf assembly positions précis, A &B Div, Lt Col Herbert. 144 Table characteristics of British aeroplanes, A&B Div, Col Anley. 145 Offensive battle (set piece) administration preparations, B Div, Lt Col Wingfield. 146 Paper G. Strategy, B Div, Col Anley. 147 Precis of lecture – administrative arrangements for offensive, B Div, Lt Col Wingfield. 148 Precis of Waterloo campaign – lecture VIII and maps 377 & 378, A Div, Lt Col Luckock. 149 Precis of lecture IX Waterloo campaign & diagram situation 14th June, A Div, Lt Col Luckock. 150 Precis of lecture Salamanca (3), B Div, Lt Col Haskard. 151 Appreciation of a situation, A Div, Lt Col Broad. 152 Hints on the writing of an appreciation of a situation, B Div, Br Gen Kearsley. 153 Tank lecture No 1 – précis, A&B Div, Lt Col Neame. 154 Cavalry lecture (3), B Div, Lt Col Osborne. 155 Staff duties No 7 lecture – précis staff duties in connection with an offensive, A Div, Lt Col Collins. 156 Precis of lecture on army education scheme, A Div, Lt Col Tanner. 157 Outdoor exercise no 12 (set piece offensive), B Div, Lt Col Collins. 158 Precis of 4th lecture; military history & strategy, A&B Div, Col Anley. 159 Precis & lecture – Russian situation & our Eastern Empire, A&B Div, Maj Waterhouse. 160 Precis & lecture; British cavalry 1914, A Div, Maj Balfour. 161 Staff tour, A Div, Commandant. 162 Staff tour, B Div, Commandant. 163 Precis of lecture – “Gunnery as affecting other arms”, B Div, Lt Col Crozier. 164Lecture administrative arrangements in small wars, B Div, Br Gen Farmar. 165 Precis of lecture – A.4 “organization of the British army”, A Div, Lt Col Liddell. 166 Tables – establishment of strength British Army &c, A Div, Lt Col Liddell. 167 Precis of lecture – Salamanca (4), B Div, Lt Col Haskard. 168 Precis of lecture – Waterloo campaign – Paper I, A Div, Lt Col Luckock. 169 Precis of artillery lecture no 7 development of artillery tactics, A Div, Lt Col Broad.170 Outdoor exercise No 12 preparation of a tactical scheme, A Div, Br Gen Dill. 171 Outdoor exercise No 13 “offensive battle: conduct of the battle”, A Div, Col Anley. 172 Precis of lecture – “Imperial strategy” IV, A&B Div, Br Gen Charles. 173 Precis of lecture – “Indian frontier warfare” L of C & administration, A & B Div, Student’s lecture. 174 Paper H. Military history, B Div, Lt Col Haskard. 175 Precis of lecture – campaign in Palestine & Syria, B Div, Student lecture. 176 Precis of lecture – submarines & their method of attack, A & B Div, Comdr. Hall. 177 Special paper: organization Cav. Div, A Div, Lt Col Liddell. 178 Special paper: organization div medical services, A Div, Lt Col Liddell. 179 Indoor exercise No 9 army artillery instruction of an offensive, A Div, Lt Col Broad. 180 Indoor ex No 11: offensive & Outdoor ex No 13: battle, B Div, Lt Col Collins. 181 Precis of lecture 8 development of artillery tactics, A Div, Lt Col Broad. 182 Indoor exercise No 10 “clearing the battlefield”, A Div, Lt Col Liddell. 183 Precis of lecture A.5 clearing the battlefield, A Div, Lt Col Liddell. 184 Precis of lecture – final evacuation of Gallipoli, A Div, Maj Dawnay. 165 Precis of lecture – organization of the Indian army, B Div, Lt Col Crozier. 186 Precis of lecture – E African campaign, B Div, Lt Col Giffard. 187 Outdoor Ex no 14 cavalry, A Div, Lt Col Osborne. 188 Special paper on div medical services, B Div, Lt Col Venning. 189 Lecture notes on “Aeroplanes”, A Div, Lt Col Holt. 190 Special paper – organization infantry division, A Div, Lt Col Liddell. 191 Agenda for general staff conference, B Div, Br Gen Kearsley. 192 Special paper – W.E. Cav Regt etc, B Div, Lt Col Venning. 193 Precis of lecture – pay staff duties, B Div, Lt Col Venning. 194 Precis of lecture – artillery (R.A.B) Bde & Bty tactics, B Div, Lt Col Crozier. 195 Precis of lecture – Cav (3) cavalry staff duties, B Div, Lt Col Osborne. 196 Precis of lecture – food supply in war, A&B Div, Br Gen Charles. 197 Exercise – reconnaissance, B Div, Lt Col Haskard. 198 Precis of lecture – Tanks (2) “Co-operation of tanks with other arms”, A&B Div, Lt Col Neame. 199 Indoor exercise No 12 message writing, B Div, Lt Col Venning. 200 Precis of lecture – “A & Q” (11) man power, B Div, Lt Col Liddell.

This series comprises accounts of British packet services and overseas posts, including records of agents and postmasters, packet stations, and packet boats. The accounts cover income, expenditure, salaries, allowances and disbursements.

This collection contains a single manuscript volume, the 'Naval Surgeons Casebook'. The volume begins with details of cases, symptoms and cures of Nathaniel Bedford's patients at St George's hospital during 1781. The rest of the volume contains descriptions of cases, sickness, and treatments during his travels whilst a ship's surgeon in the West Indies during 1781-1783.

Nine printed bills of lading, completed in manuscript, for ships bound for Marseilles, including those for Le Décidé bound from Salonika, 1728; St Jean l'Évangéliste, from Istanbul, 1733; Le Benjamin, from Smyrna, 1763; Sainte Marie, from Port Maurice, 1765; La Fortune, from St Pierre, Martinique, 1765; La Napolitaine, from Naples, 1778; L'Aimable Marguerite, from Smyrna, 1779; S. Giovanni Battista, from Genoa, 1787 and 1788. Also includes a similar bill of lading for La Vièrge de Grace, bound from Marseilles to St Malo, 1729. Merchandise carried included raw cotton, yellow wax, fish, oil, vinegar, soap, coffee and silk.

Draft of a short late 18th century tract on the legal implications of the inspection of shipping at sea, with particular reference to an incident between Great Britain and Sweden concerning the ship 'Mary', and beginning 'I come at once to state in as plain & concise terms as I am m[aste]r of & with as much impartiality as possible ye questio]n now in dispute between this country & Sweden relative to ye ship Mary...'.

Letters from A Copland, 6 Dec [1827]-13 Mar 1828, (i-ii) Address: Queen Street, [Abderdeen]. Parts of 2 letters to Copland's brother, Charles Copland. (i) Describes the towing of The Mary (of which A Copland was part-owner) off the rocks at Peterhead, Aberdeenshire (6 December [1827]). (ii) Last leaf of a letter, bearing only 3 lines of writing (13 March 1828 [endorsement]). Both letters appear to be autograph but are unsigned.

(iii) Newspaper cutting advertising The Mary, a 40-ton ship 'intended to be a regular trader between Aberdeen and Peterhead'.

Correspondence, papers, notebooks and specimens (copper and photographic) compiled by Sir Henry James.

The majority of this correspondence is based around the following themes: James's work for the Ordnance Survey (particularly the book of maps and photographs produced by the OS of Jerusalem), James's investigation of the corrosion by sea water of the copper bottoms of ships, letters discusing George Biddell Airy's proposed system of projection and personal letters of invitation to James.

The majority of the photographs relate to 'The Wreck of the RHONE', and in particular, of a survivor of the shipwreck, a cabin boy called John Bailey. (The RHONE was a steam packet ship, built in London in 1865. It sank off the coast of the Virgin Islands in October 1867, after being struck by strong winds. Of the 197 people on board only 24 survived. The wreck of the RHONE is now regarded as one of the world's most famous wreck dives).

The sketchbook consists mostly of sketches of trilobites drawn whilst James was in Ireland and the notebook contains notes on military topics.

Records, 1869-1967, of John Swire & Sons Ltd, comprising the bulk of known surviving material stored in the London Office, covering the development of the firm from about 1870 to 1947, and including series of correspondence coming in and out of the London Office; legal material including original deeds and leases; accounts; organisation papers; and photographs. The importance of the collection lies in the comprehensiveness of the nineteenth and twentieth century correspondence in illustrating the development of the firm and its subsidiaries from the London side where policies were decided, and from the Eastern side where they were implemented. It also gives a good picture of leading figures and firms involved in the Far Eastern trade at that time such as Jardine, Matheson & Company, the China Merchants Company and Holt's, and reveals aspects of Chinese trade and British business philosophy at the end of the Victorian era.

Letter, 1894, from Roger Turpie to the London Missionary Society concerning his expenses while in Britain, with printed Young People's Missionary Letter, 'Our New Steamer', by Capt Turpie and others [1893], on launching the John Williams (IV).

A selection of prospectuses from the 1960s (with a few, possibly earlier ones, undated) and student record cards* ca. 1950s and 1960s.

*Note: Requests involving personal data will be handled in accordance with GDPR (Data Protection) and on a case-by-case basis.

The earliest of the ten volumes relating to foreign navies are two copies in English of the ordinance of Louis XIV for his navy, 1689. There is also a receipt book of the Treasurer General of Galleys of the French Navy, 1715 to1717; a volume of 1780 listing the French navy, giving the officers, dimensions, construction details and comments on each vessel; a treatise on seamanship, in French, c 1780, which concludes with lists of French and English ships; and the order book of Captain J M Girardias of the INFATIGABLE, 1803 to 1806, together with a bundle of loose orders received. The remaining four volumes contain cuttings, original photographs, plans, building specifications, details of armaments and equipment and copies of reports relating to foreign warships; they were very probably compiled at the Admiralty in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. One deals with Italian warships, ca. 1880 to 1922; the second with French warships, c 1880 to 1906; the third with cruisers and smaller ships of the French Navy, c 1880 to 1906, the German navy, ca.1880 to 1926, and the Russian Navy, c 1885 to 1907; and the fourth volume deals with non-European unarmoured ships and includes details of the United States Navy, ca.1883 to 1922, the Brazilian Navy, 1883 to 1910, the Argentine Navy, 1880 to 1913, the Japanese Navy, 1884 to 1922, the Chinese Navy, 1883 to 1914 and the navies of many powers.

Papers of Edward Bates and Sons. The major part consists of carbon copies of the daily letters written privately between 1878 and 1902 by Edward Percy Bates from Liverpool to his father Edward Bates in Hampshire and his brother Sydney in London. When he was away from Liverpool the letters were written by another brother (usually Gilbert Bates) and later by his son Edward Bertram Bates. The letters contain information on all the family's business interests, including ships' movements and cargoes, the sale of cargoes and the state of the various markets. As well as personal matters, the correspondence reflects the close-knit circle of shipowners in Liverpool during this period. Records of ships include: a disbursement book, 1902 to 1914; a movements book with details of cargo, 1908 to 1916; cargoes, 1870 to 1896; ships' expenses at different ports, 1869 to 1902. In addition there are copies of correspondence between Gilbert Bates and Edward Percy Bates while the latter was on a trip to India, 1887 to 1888; a small duplicate letterbook records the business and personal letters written by Gilbert Bates 1880 to 1881 (including a visit to India) and continued by Edward Percy Bates, 1883 to 1884, when most of the letters were written to Sydney while be was on a visit to India; copies of letters sent from Liverpool to Bombay, 1879 to 1881; a few loose letters addressed to Edward Bates during the period, 1852 to 1867; by the Bombay office, 1861 to 1865, and by masters of the ships, 1862 to 1877. There are the carbons of letters written by Colonel Denis H Bates (1886-1959), mainly to Sydney E Bates, Percy E Bates and Aubrey Brocklebank, 1919 to 1924. There is a carbon copy of a diary of a visit to India kept by H G Wilson, chief accountant of Brocklebank's, and sent to Colonel Bates; carbons of reports sent by Wilson from India to Brocklebank's, the Anchor Line and Ellerman's, 1920 to 1921; and a few papers of Sir Percy Elly Bates on shipping and transport, 1916 to 1919.

Papers of Captain Bonham Ward Bax comprising his logs of the HMS DWARF, 1871 to 1874, and his letterbook in the HMS SYLVIA.

Papers of Sir Robert Lambert comprising official service documents, details of ships on the Pacific Station 1854 to 1860, an autobiographical outline of his career, 1810 to 1857, invitations to social events, and other personal papers.

Papers of Algernon Hardy Oliver. They comprise a series of logs, some watch, station and quarter bills, a sights book, 1872 to 1876, three diaries, 1879 to 1881, and a notebook, 1888.

Papers of Adml Richard Aldworth Oliver. They consist of a notebook kept in the QUEEN; a general order and memoranda book, 1840 to 1850; a letterbook, 1847 to 1851, and a diary, 1848 to 1850, kept in the FLY, describing Oliver's time in New Zealand and a voyage to the New Hebrides.

Papers of Robert Dudley Oliver. There are three standing order books, one for Plymouth and Spithead, 1798 to 1799, probably when Oliver was Captain of the NEMESIS, and two for the MARS, 1804, 1805 to 1806. There are also two letters written by Nelson to Oliver's father-in-law, Sir Charles Saxton.

Papers of Cpt Richard Oliver-Bellasis. They consist of standing orders and routines for some of the ships in which he served. There are also papers for a course at the Royal Naval College in 1936 and for a damage control course in 1943.

Papers of Cpt Richard Oliver-Bellasis. They consist of standing orders and routines for some of the ships in which he served. There are also papers for a course at the Royal Naval College in 1936 and for a damage control course in 1943.

Papers of Sir Henry William Bayntun comprising notes, memoranda and various letters relating largely to the MILFORD, as well as some navigational notes; Bayntun's letterbook for the LEVIATHAN, 1804 to 1805, and the AFRICA, 1806 to 1808.

Papers of Capt Lord William Stuart. They consist of order books, 1799 to 1810 and 1811 to 1814; logs, 1811 and 1813 to 1814; in and out-letterbooks, 1809 to 1814, and loose papers, which are mainly orders received from the Admiralty, Ordnance, Navy and Victualling Offices and various senior officers, 1811 to 1814. There are also requests for surveys, returns and other administrative ships' papers, 1811 to 1814.

The collection includes Robert Hammond's record of service and his survey, when Master of the Society of Pilots of the Cinque Ports, of the southern North Sea in the cutter GEM, 1841. The volumes collected by Barker himself consist mainly of logs of naval ships. They include that of the ORION, in home waters, kept by an Edward Barker in 1794, containing an account of the Battle of First of June; the Clyde, 1796 to 1800, kept by Lieutenant John Smith (fl 1780-1805), in home waters; of the CHALLENGER, 1828 to 1831, East Indies Station, kept by Commander John M R Ince (fl 1808-1850); the CALEDONIA, 1835 to 1836, Mediterranean station; the FLY, 1842 to 1846, surveying Australian waters, and the PILOT, 1850, East Indies station. There is also a journal of a voyage in the merchant ship VESTAL from North America to the West Indies, 1759 to 1760, by the author William Falconer (1744-1824); some of Falconer 's unpublished poems appear at the end of this journal.

Papers of Michael Clements, consisting of logs, 1748 to 1771, letter and order books, 1757 to 1771, sailing and fighting instructions, 1747 to 1778, and notes and personal papers, 1759 to 1780. There are also some of Clements's charts in the Department of Navigation and Astronomy.

Papers of Admiral Curzon-Howe comprising logs, 1868 to 1873, fishery reports, Newfoundland, 1892 to 1895, memoranda, 1888 to 1893, 1909 to 1910, and notes on manoeuvres, 1895, 1899.

Papers of Captain Hubert Edward Dannreuther including papers relating to gunnery matters as well as order books, photos, letters and diaries.

Papers of Hubert Harold Dannreuther, 1927-1949.

Papers of Raymond Portal Dannreuther, 1937-1954.

Papers of Tristan Dannreuther, including logs, 1887 to 1891, night order books, 1911 to 1917, notebooks, 1890 to 1891, diaries, 1887 to 1958, and remark books, 1893 to 1912. There are numerous letters from Dannreuther to his mother written between 1885 and 1919, except for the years 1909 to 1914, and official documents relating to the ships under his command.

Papers of Tristan Dannreuther, including logs, 1887 to 1891, night order books, 1911 to 1917, notebooks, 1890 to 1891, diaries, 1887 to 1958, and remark books, 1893 to 1912. There are numerous letters from Dannreuther to his mother written between 1885 and 1919, except for the years 1909 to 1914, and official documents relating to the ships under his command.

Records of the Worshipful Company of Shipwrights, compiled between around 1595 and 1998, including copy ordinances of the Fraternity of St Simon and St Jude, 1456-83. They also include registers of freedom admissions from 1660; apprentice bindings from 1659; Court minute books; livery lists; quarterage books and ledgers.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION REGARDING ACCESS: These records are stored at the Guildhall Library site rather than the LMA Clerkenwell site. Researchers wishing to access these records should do so at the Guildhall Library Rare Books table. The Library is open Monday to Saturday, 9:30 to 16:45. Researchers will need to have an Archives History Card or a Library Readers Card. An archivist will be available at Guildhall Library on Thursday mornings to answer any queries.

Papers of a William Godden. They consist of William Godden's apprenticeship indenture of 1812, the oath of Fisherman and Dredgerman, 1821, the transfer of registry of the smack Betsy, 1848, oyster fishing accounts, 1853, and some notes on ships and fishing.

Business records of various insurance companies, mainly the Grimsby Steam Fishing Vessel's Mutual Insurance and Protecting Co. Ltd, based in North East Lincolnshire. The records include lists of vessels insured, minute books, and registers of members.

The earliest of the twenty-two volumes relating to gunnery is a small volume of c 1705 titled 'A proportion of gunns and gunners stores for a ship of each rate in Her Majesty's naval royal', which shows in a detailed tabulated form the guns and gunners' stores required for ships of twelve different sizes. Other eighteenth-century volumes include 'Artillery Memorandums Relative to the Royal Navy' by Captain Robert Lawson (d 1816), of the Royal Regiment of Artillery, 1782, covering aspects of gunnery including experiments on naval ordnance; and a 'Course of Artillery at the Royal Military Academy', 1791, by Edward Hope, a folio volume with many large watercolour illustrations. Another illustrated volume is a Danish gunnery notebook, 1809 to 1811, kept by J F Lykke. There is a volume containing copies of seven reports of the Committee on Gunnery set up by the Duke of Clarence (1765-1837) while Lord High Admiral in 1828, together with an explanatory letter from Admiral Sir Thomas Masterman Hardy (1769-1839) to John Wilson Croker (1780-1857). The majority of the nineteenth-century volumes are gunnery notebooks kept in the gunnery ships EXCELLENT and CAMBRIDGE by officers and ratings under instruction; there are ten of these, written between 1834 and 1866. They are all illustrated and cover all aspects of naval gunnery.

The earliest items in this category are five documents signed by Philip II of Spain (1527-1598); two relate to the supplying of galleys in the Mediterranean, 1585 and 1586, and three to the provisioning of the Armada, 1588. There are two seventeenth-century documents, one of which is sailing and fighting instructions issued in 1687 by Henry Fitzroy, Duke of Grafton (1663-1690) The twelve eighteenth-century items include sailing orders signed by Peter the Great (1682-1725), 1719; refitting and sailing orders from the Admiralty to Captain Edward Legge (1710-1747) of the SEVERN or, in his absence, Captain George Murray (later Admiral Lord Elibank) (1706-1785) of the PEARL at Rio following the separation from the CENTURIAN, 1741; and a document showing the disposition of the fleet in order of battle sent by Admiral Lord Hood to Captain (later Vice-Admiral) Horatio Nelson (q.v.) of the AGAMEMNON, 1793. Among the thirteen nineteenth-century documents are draft instructions for troops Admiral Lord Keith's landings in Egypt, by Captain (later Admiral Sir) Alexander Cochrane (1758-1832), 1801; and a series of five orders to William Yates, commander of the revenue cutter ROSE, operating in the English Channel, 1804. There are two twentieth-century documents; an Admiralty order to Vice-Admiral Sir John (Later Lord) Jellicoe (1859-1935) to supersede Admiral Sir George Callaghan (1852-1920) as Commander-in-Chief of the Grand Fleet, 31 July 1914; and a cyclostyled copy of Jellicoe's memorandum issued to the Grand Fleet after the battle of Jutland, 1916.

Records of C.W. Kellock and Co. The greater portion of the records forms an almost complete collection of copies of sale contracts for the Liverpool office, 1850 to 1949, and five volumes of copies of sale contracts for the London office, 1867 to 1883. These sale agreements give the name of the vessel, its tonnage, name of purchaser and seller, selling price and conditions of sale. Many of these are indexed in the early years and a copy of the British shipping register is often included. In many cases, copies of correspondence, special agreements and Charter Parties are also included. For example, the papers of the sale of the GREAT BRITAIN in London in 1885 for £26,000 include a complete inventory of the vessel. In addition there are three volumes of conditions of sale, 1890 to 1931; ten volumes of valuations (sail and steam), 1895 to 1913, 1922 to 1924; four volumes of records of sales, 1895 to 1945, of vessels built up to 1905 (sail and steam); nine volumes of ledgers 1851 to 1895; six volumes of journals 1880 to 1882, 1916 to 1919; three volumes of Charter Parties, one each for Stoddard Bros, 1866 to 1869, Taylor Cameron and Co, 1889 to 1891 and C.W. Kellock and Co, 1897 to 1907. These papers give a detailed picture of the value of British shipping for both sail and steam from the middle of the nineteenth to the middle of the twentieth century.

Ships' logs from Merchant Shipping. There are some examples of logs kept by commanders, but the majority for which the keeper can be established are by other officers or by midshipmen; there are also five kept by pursers and two by passengers. The format of the logs varies but many from the late-eighteenth century are written on a standard printed form incorporating the arms of the Company. A few are illustrated, notably that of the DUTTON, 1791, kept by Captain James Hamilton, which has daily coloured sketches of the ship showing the set of the sails. Many include lists of the ship's company, passengers and troops. The earliest volume contains copies of logs of several ships between 1659 and 1687 and bears the inscription 'John Ouldham His Book 1697/8'. Another early example is the log of the UPTON GALLEY, 1701 to 1703, to Bengal and back, kept by her commander, John Camell. In some cases a series of logs covers the career of an officer from midshipman to chief officer or commander such as that kept by Henry Wise (fl 1819-1833) in seven volumes on the CASTLE HUNTLEY, from 1819 to 1829, and in the ASTELL, 1830 to 1831, and EDINBURGH, 1832 to 1833, during which time he rose from midshipman to chief officer; and six volumes kept by Searles Wood (fl 1783-1808) between 1783 and 1785 and 1791 and 1802 on various ships, rising from fourth mate to commander.

The latest log is that of the EARL BALCARRES, 1835 to 1837, by the purser, Richard Binks, which includes copies of estimates for rigging, sails, painting and plumbing and stores, together with dimensions and deck plans. In this section there are also five volumes relating to the Bombay Marine and Indian Navy including the log of the SCORPION, a Bombay Marine snow, 1793 to 1794, kept by Captain William Selby which includes a letter and a memorial relating to the capture of the SCORPION by the French in 1794; and two volumes kept by William H Carpendale, midshipman, on various ships of the Indian Navy between 1846 and 1851.

Of the nine volumes in this class eight are French. The earliest is a journal kept by de la Maisonfort, Captaine en Segond in the Fleuron in 1732, the ELIZABETH, 1740 to 1741, and the VIGILANT in 1745, which was captured by the SUPERB in that year. There is a journal kept by Le Chevalier des Courtils de Bissy on board the PALMIER in 1755; a journal by Duclos Legris on the MARENGO, in the East Indies, 1803 to 1806, which includes seventy-seven illustrations; and three volumes of a journal kept by Ernest de Cornulier on various French ships, 1820 to 1833. The remaining volume is a contemporary copy written in English in the ship's cashbook, of the log of the Acapulco treasure galleon, NUESTRA SENORA DE CABADONGA, 1742 to 1743, which was captured by the CENTURION in 1743.

Royal Navy ship's logs. The earliest log begins in 1737 and the latest in 1917 but the majority, over three hundred volumes, are from the nineteenth century. Being, on the whole, kept privately, the format and size of the volumes vary widely. Over three-fifths of the volumes, where the rank of the keeper can be ascertained, were kept by midshipman or naval cadets, but there are examples of logs kept by other ranks from master's mate to admiral. Many of the logs are illustrated with sketches, maps, diagrams and photographs. Of particular note in this respect are the log of the QUEEN CHARLOTTE, 1790, kept by Lieutenant (later Captain) John Mason Lewis (fl 1790-1831); four volumes kept by Sub-Lieutenant (later Commander) Francis H Boyer (d 1926) on various ships between 1869 and 1876; two logs kept on several ships, 1870 to 1873, together with a sketchbook by Henry Bridges Molesworth (1855-1954), midshipman; and the log of the RALEIGH, 1874 to 1876, by Charles Molyneux Howard Oakley (1858-1876), also when a midshipman. Of the forty eighteenth-century volumes, the earliest is the log of the WINDSOR, 1737 to 1741, signed by her captain, George Berkeley (1693?-1746), including an account of the attack on Cartagena in 1741.

There are also two logs by Rear-Admiral Charles Watson (1714-1757) as captain of the princess louisa, 1746 to 1747, including a description of the battle of Cape Finisterre, 1747; an unsigned copy of the log of Admiral Sir George Pocock on the NAMUR, 1762 to 1763, during the siege of Havana; a log of the WINCHELSEA, 1787 by John Dykes (fl 1776-1805), Master, with sailing instructions and copies of his correspondence, 1789; A log of the BRUNSWICK, 1793 to 1794, up to but excluding the First of June, kept by Captain John Harvey (1740-1794) together with the ship's muster and pay book 1792 to 1794; and three logs kept by Prince William Henry (1745-1837) as midshipman on various ships between 1779 and 1783.

There is a series of four logs of the LEVIATHAN, 1795 to 1799 and 1802, which was present at the attack on Leogane in 1796 and at the Minorca landings, 1798; these were possibly kept by Lieutenant (later Captain) William Buchanan (fl 1794-1833) and one volume has additions in the hand of Commodore (later Admiral) Sir John Duckworth, while the log for 1802 includes an index to his letterbooks and a register for 1800. Finally there are also three logs kept by Richard Caley (d 1799), Master's Mate and later Lieutenant, in several ships, 1781 to 1798, including the BLENHEIM at the Battle of Cape St Vincent, 1797. Among nineteenth-century logs, numbering over three hundred, are two by Samuel Wise, Master's Mate, on the POLYPHEMUS, 1805 to 1808, which was present at the battle of Trafalgar, 1805; a log by Admiral Sir Augustus William Clifford (1788-1877) as lieutenant in the TIGRE, 1807 to 1809; a log by Lieutenant Thomas Pickering Clarke (fl 1800-1862) on several ships, 1800 to 1807, including a narrative of the Walcheren Expedition, 1809; and a log of Admiral Sir Stephen Lushington (1803-1877) as midshipman on the GANYMEDE, 1818 to 1819. There is also a log of the SPITFIRE, 1835 to 1839, by Robert R Arnott (fl 1834-1839), Assistant Surgeon, together with a rough medical record, 1839; a copy of the log of the VERNON, 1836 to 1837, signed by Captain (later Rear-Admiral) John W M'Kerlie (1774-1848), together with printed sailing reports of the VERNON and a punishment book, 1834 to 1837; and a log of the POLYPHEMUS while engaged in the suppression of the slave trade, 1853 to 1854. Another log of this vessel, 1855 to 1856, kept by Commander (later Captain) Frederic P Warren (d 1891) records her wreck off Jutland on 29 January 1856. Among the volumes relating to the Crimean War there is a log kept by Midshipman (later Captain) Cecil G S Stanley (d 1891), in the ALBION and QUEEN, 1853 and 1855.

Papers of Orient Steam Navigation Co Ltd .Most of them are post-Second World War; the majority of the earlier records were destroyed when the company's city offices were bombed in the early part of the war. For Anderson, Green and Company Limited, surviving material includes the minutes of the Directors' meetings, 1941 to 1969; the Reports of the Directors to the Annual General Meetings of the Shareholders, 1941 to 1969; the Register of Directors and Secretaries, 1919 to 1969; files containing items for Secretary's Agenda, 1960, and miscellaneous correspondence, 1960 to 1965. Among the Orient Steam Navigation Company papers are minutes of a committee of the Directors, 1946 to 1948; minutes of the Directors' meetings, 1948 to 1964; Annual Reports from the Directors to the Shareholders, 1945 to 1960, together with balance sheets, profit and loss accounts and newspaper cuttings. The company Seal Register, 1959 to 1965, is also present and there are copies of the Memorandum and Articles of Association of the company, with amendments, 1900 to 1965. The shareholders' records include lists of dividends paid to shareholders, 1954 to 1964. There is also a file containing some correspondence and other documents on the offer made by the P&O Company to Orient Line ordinary shareholders, 1960, together with acceptance forms for the sale of shares, and similar for preference shareholders, 1965. Few book-keeping records have survived, but there are some working papers on cash accumulations and analysis of receipts and payments, 1937 to 1940 and 1949 to 1953; private ledgers, 1933 to 1948, 1955 to 1959; journal, 1953 to 1966; analysis of passenger embarkations and passage earnings, 1959; and steamers' ledgers, 1947, and 1958 to 1959, together with a cash book analysis ledger, 1960; investment ledgers, 1924 to 1959. There are several files containing display advertising samples, 1931 to 1940, 1949 to 1953, and a number of copies of the Orient Line Guide, which went through several editions, 1888 to 1901 Records of ships include a selection of ship files, 1936 to 1954, including voyage reports, ship sinkings in the Second World War, newspaper cuttings, etc; some material on schedules, 1956 to 1958; passenger earnings, 1956; and a box of papers on migration, 1947 to 1956. Books of Instructions, to commanders on the carrying of mails, 1911; pursers, 1931; surgeons, 1947; and officers, 1960, have also been retained, together with a copy of Uniform Regulations, 1958. Staff records include a volume containing Reports on Character, Stewards' Department, ca.1913 to ca.1925. Finally, there are several copies of the Articles of Association of P&O/ Orient Lines Passenger Services Limited. (Section 3: OSN/: 45ft: 1,372cm) Ships' Plans: these were deposited on loan in 1963, 1969 and 1970. This collection comprises prints and linen tracings of six typical Orient liners, 1917 to 1937. Lines, general arrangements and hydrostatics are included as are 'as fitted' drawings and specifications.

Papers of Rear-Admiral Edwin John Pollard, including accounts, memoranda and sailing orders for 1858 to 1861, 1863 to 1865 and 1878; a notebook recording the ships in which Pollard served as a junior officer; a watch bill, 1860 to 1861; a book of technical details on the RUPERT and the DEFENCE and newspaper cuttings, 1858 to 1878.

Passenger Safety Certificates.

Papers of the Rope family of Blaxhall, Orford and Leiston, relating mainly to the activities of Mingay and Rope in the mid nineteenth century, although there are earlier papers for a Thomas Rope, and later ones when George Rope was trading on his own. They include bills of sale for vessels owned by the firm, receipts and bills incurred during trading, as well as letters from Rope to Mingay, reporting on vessel's movements. There are also letters from vessel's masters reporting on their progress.

Signals Collection comprising two East India Company signal books. The first is a printed signal book of 1783 entitle 'A Collection of Signals for the use of the ships in the Service of the United East India Company'; a sheet of coloured flags has been loosely inserted, but the book was not issued. There is also a manuscript volume of signals issued by Captain Alexander Montgomerie to the fleet under his command, St Helena to England, 1794.

153 volumes of sailing and fighting instructions include the majority of those listed in Sir Julian Corbett, Signals and instructions (Navy Records Society, 1908). In addition, there are many examples of those issued to smaller squadrons rather than fleets. The earliest is a printed copy of 1673 issued to James Duke of York (1633-1701). There is a copy of 1691 by Admiral Russel (1653-1727), issued in 1702. Subsequent sets show the development which took place up to the Seven Years War. From 1756 onwards additional and supplementary instructions became more numerous. The collection also contains several versions of instructions for ships in convoy, 1708 to 1815. In addition to these single items, there are sets in the personal collections. The most extensive, of thirty-four volumes, is that of Admiral Duncan (q.v.), 1760 to 1799, including signals and instructions issued during the American War, convoy instructions for 1782 and a number of sets from the 1790s. Other sets of significance include those of Vice-Admiral Duff, 1748 to 1762, including convoy instructions, 1756 and 1758, and printed instructions for disembarking and re-embarking troops, which were issued by Admiral Rodney (1719-1792) for the landings at marinique, 1762; of Rear-Admiral Clements, 1758 to 1770; and of Captain Lord Longford, 1779 to 1780.

120 printed and manuscript signal books and signal logs. 1711 to 1816. The earliest signal book is a manuscript volume compiled between 1710 and 1711. This contains additional signals made by Sir John Norris (c 1670-1749) in the RANELAGH. The format of this volume is very similar to the printed signal book of 1714 by Jonathan Greenwood. There are some manuscript examples produced privately by individual officers usually with a thumb index for quick reference, dating from the mid-eighteenth century. There are also printed signal books for 1790, 1793, 1795, 1798 and The General Signal Book of 1799, 1808 and 1816. During the 1790s the printing of signal books became general practice. There are various examples (which include day and fog signals), night signals, instructions and additional instructions, which were usually issued in sets. For example, the collection has a set issued in 1793 by Admiral Lord Hood to the Mediterranean fleet. There is a similar set issued by Sir John Jervis in 1794 while in the West Indies. Most of the printed books which were issued have additional signals inserted in manuscript. The manuscript signal books are copies kept by officers who were not issued with a printed signal book, and preferred their own copy for easy reference; they are therefore usually pocket size. This practice was forbidden because of the danger of the code falling into enemy hands. However, there are a number of these in the collection and they often contain additional information, such as orders of battle and sailing, keys to both the British and French systems of coastal signals, pendant lists, etc. Many are finely executed and some are illustrated. There is a manuscript signal book used at the battle of the Nile, based on the 1795 edition entitled 'Day and Night Signal Book, Horarry, Fog etc.' by Midshipman (later Commander) Charles Claridge (fl 1798-1823) in the DEFENCE. This has a short diary at the back of the volume describing the battle and an order of battle and an order of battle and sailing. A manuscript copy of Lord Howe's (q.v.) code of 1793 is also included; this contains a list of signals for identifying coasts and headlands, caricatures, a sea song and drawings of naval vessels. The collection contains a group of signal books issued for use in a particular area; they include volumes for Barbados, 1820, Plymouth, 1797 and St Helena, 1817. There are also three signal logs, one of which was kept in the VICTORY, 1804.

Over half the signal books in this category are French; the other nations represented are Spain, the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, Sweden and Turkey. There are eighteen volumes, 1754 to 1885, the majority of which are printed with manuscript annotations. Of the French volumes, the earliest is a signal book kept in 1754 by the pilot of LA ROSE, in the squadron of Le Comte de Gallissoniere (1693-1756). The volume has a thumb index of coloured flags and is illustrated with watercolours of fleet manoeuvres. There is also an English translation of the signal book issued by the Comte D'Ache (1700-1775) to his fleet while in the East Indies in the ZODIAQUE, 1757 to 1759; a signal book issued by the Comte D'Orvilliers (1708-1792) in 1779; and a printed signal book of 1787 issued by the Marquis de Nieul, in which the names of the vessels in the squadron have been scratched out, but the twenty flags and ten pendants have been coloured. The Revolutionary War period is represented by three signal books issued for the navy of the Republic in 1799 and 1801. Only one has actually been issued and gives a key to the flags. In addition, there is a handbook for a coastal semaphore between Bayonne and Flushing; published in 1807, the system was invented by an artillery officer named Depillon and built ca.1803. The category also includes two signal books for the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies; one was issued in c 1784 by John (later Sir John) Acton (1736-1811), the other in 1816; a Spanish book of signals and instructions printed in Cadiz in 1765 and issued by the Marques de la Victoria; another Spanish volume for 1781 for the fleet of Don Luis de Cordova; and two Swedish volumes, 1795 and 1796. The Turkish signal book is naval, 1885, and the format is similar to a French or an English volume. There is also a Dutch volume of flags rather than signals which was compiled c 1687; it is described on the title page as 'The Flagbook of Captain Paulus van der Dussen' (1658-1707).

Seven volumes concerned with naval signalling, telegraphic and merchant shipping codes, 1787 to 1822. The earliest volume is by Captain (later Admiral) Phillip Patton (1739-1815); in 1787 he published 'A system of signals combining the method commonly used in theBritish Navy...with a numerary method'. As far as is known this was never used, since preference was given to the code invented by Lord Howe. Patton employed two methods: one was the old idea of the meaning of the flag being governed by the position of the hoist and the other gave each flag a fixed numerical value. A new arrangement of Howe's day and night signals and instructions was made in 1792 by John McArthur (1755-1840), while secretary to Lord Hood, and printed in 1793. McArthur also published a comprehensive plan in c 1804, entitled 'Thoughts on several plans combining a system of Universal Signals by day and night', of which there is also a copy. There is a lithographed copy, made in 1822, of 'Practical Rules for making Telegraphic Signals with a description of the two-armed telegraph invented in 1804' by Lieutenant-Colonel Pasley (1780-1861); he put forward a system of sending messages by land using a pole with two moveable arms. A similar manuscript of ca.1820 is by Lieutenant (later Commander) Poynter Crane (1782-1879).

Papers of Frank Clarke Strick comprising minutes of the Board of Directors' and General Meetings, profit and loss accounts and annual returns of the numerous companies which made up the Strick group, 1896 to 1974. These include Frank C. Strick and Company Limited, 1903 to 1965; Anglo-Algerian Steamship Company (1896) Limited, 1896 to 1922; London, Paris and Marseilles Steamship Company Limited (later London and Paris Steamship Company Limited -- later London and Paris Steamship and Investment Company Limited), 1920 to 1965; Strick Line Limited, 1915 to 1970; Strick Line (1923) Limited, 1924 to 1958; the Shahristan Steamship Company Limited, 1923 to 1971; the Dwina Limited, 1908 to 1965; Strick, Gorchs and Company Limited, 192] to 1965: the North Devon Steamship Company Limited (later Frank Strick and Company (South Wales) Limited), 1923 to 1965; United Ship Supplies Limited, 1930 to 1965; Strick, Scott and Company Limited, 1921; Frank Strick and Company (Glasgow) Limited, 1920 to 1971, (Newcastle) 1931 to 1976 and (Liverpool) 1954 to 1974. There are ships' voyage accounts and cargo documents for a number of ships from 1969 to 1971; six freight contracts of 1914 and the 1922 management agreement between Strick's and Gray Dawes; and two letterbooks with out-letters to Government Ministries and Departments, 1909 to 1918. Finally, there are some technical records and publicity and personal material relating to Strick; included here is a memorandum on 'Ormuz' Red Oxide ore which gives details of rates and shipments, 1906 to 1942.

Papers of Sir Cecil Fiennes Thursby. The papers include a number of official orders and reports, some relating to Thursby's time as Captain of HMS SWIFTSURE in 1909. Many more concerned with the Dardenelles campaign, especially the Gallipoli landings and subsequent evacuation. Also present in the collection are British Adriatic Reports for 1916-17, reports on the 1917 Conference of Corfu, letters to Thursby during his time in the Eastern Mediterranean and reports on the use of submarine chasers.

Papers of the South Eastern Gas Board. They consist of a number of Portage Bills and disbursement accounts, 1959 to 1970; a file of the case histories of casualties; certificates issued by Lloyds for engines and boilers, freeboard, anchors and chain cables and classification: a series of Chief Officers' and Chief Engineers' log books, 1961 to 1970: and specification plans and technical data, 1925 to 1959. In addition there is an extensive photographic record of the fleet and a number of charts, surveys of wharves and ships' plans.