Guide to the Records of the Royal Marines Museum (as filmed by the AJCP)

To David Collins at Botany Bay re political events in England, 27 July 1789 (Item)

Diary on board HMS Garnet (64p.), 1 February 1892 - 28 December 1893 (Item)

Places visited include: Pitcairn Island (shown round settlement by Martha Christian); South American coast.

Diary on board HMS Dublin (72p.), 13 May 1841 - 29 January 1845 (Item)

Places visited include: Oahu, Tahiti (visited on board by Queen Pomare).

Diary of voyage to Australia via Panama in Stirling Castle with returning Australian and New Zealand troops, 18 June 1945 - 1 July 1946 (Item ff.99-118)

Subjects include: ill discipline of Australian troops; reception at Wellington given by acting New Zealand Prime Minister; Duke of Gloucester comes on board at Darling Harbour to welcome Australian troops; journey to Newcastle to camp at Gan Gan; news of atom bomb at Hiroshima; description of Gan Gan camp inhabited by kookaburras; change in orders due to collapse of Japan; camp struck and handed over to Australian Army; return to Aden; recall to Australia to evacuate camp at Moore Park; sailed to United Kingdom on Arawa.

Diary on board Constance and Trincomalee (120p.), 18 August 1846 - 14 June 1855 (Item)

Constance: 1846-1849; Trincomalee: 1852-1855.

Places visited include: 1846-1849 Falkland Islands; Valparaiso (played cricket against local team); Sandwich Islands (June 1848); description of Honolulu Harbour, native dress, food, levee held by Kamehameha III - presented gifts from Danish King, local produce, American visitors; Vancouvers Island; 1852-1855 St. Vincente; Valparaiso; Vancouvers Island; Honolulu (Oct. 1854) - American ships in harbour; Valparaiso.

On La Virginie in East Indies, 9 November 1799 - 14 February 1802 (Item ff.41-72)

Places visited include: Straits of Malacca - recaptured merchant ship from French; Prince of Wales Island; Malacca; voyage through Celebes - trading with natives food for buttons and old iron; captured Dutch ship; Amboyna - description of island - natural resources, monsoon, marriage ceremony; nutmegs, cloves; Bouro Bay - vegetation, white ebony trade, natives, flora and fauna; Ternate; Amboyna - relief convoy arrives (21 Nov. 1800); expedition against Ternate (Feb. 1801); Kema Roads - fertility of soil, local intoxicating drink, native customs; return to Amboyna; met with French expedition of discovery under M. Baudin - had explored North West coast of New Holland (23 Oct. 1801); Timor; voyage to Macao; Malacca; Prince of Wales Island - natural resources, bird nests harvested by Chinese; Madras.

Diary of service in Malaya. (47p.), 28 January 1951 - 15 October 1951 (Item)

Subjects include: Stationed at Ashby Road camp, Ipoh, Perak; his job as Intelligence Corporal of 42 Commando; the Ibans of Sarawak; air strike on bandit camp in Juang area; eruption of Mt. Lavington; disciplining troops; malaria; farewell speech by Brigadier Hardy; exercise Memory II; rain; jungle operations; his philosophy of life.

Letters written from HMS Galatea (33p.), 4 May 1869 - 3 January 1871 (Item)

Subjects include: Visits to Nelson, Christchurch and Auckland - impressions of New Zealand; game introduced on Kawon Island; visit to Tahiti - native ceremonies, visit from Queen Pomare; Sandwich Islands - comparison with colourful Tahiti; Japan; Hong Kong; Singapore; cricket match at Penang; Calcutta; Wellington - Parliament sitting, discussion of Maori problem; Sydney.

(Poor xerox of typescript.)

Journal on Thetis on Pacific Station and to end of journal. (28p.), 13 May 1879 - 1883 (Item)

Places visited include: Pitcairn Island; Tahiti; Sandwich Islands.

Scrapbook from HMS Cambrian, c.1908-1913 (Item)

Photographs of Mt. Wellington; Brighton, New Zealand; La Perouse; Sydney; Hobart; and crossing line ceremonies in HMS Devonshire 1908.

Includes: press cuttings re Cambrian and Commander G. King-Hall's farewell on leaving Australian stations, 4 Oct. 1913.

(Some very faded photographs.)

Correspondence, 14 October 1786 - 9 March 1787 (Item ff.345-402)

Subjects include: That over two hundred men have volunteered to go to Botany Bay; disquiet among men that Admiralty consider it might be necessary to call upon officers on half pay list; Lt. Creswell to go to Botany Bay; withdrawal of arms for the detachment; embarkation has gone smoothly.

(33p.)

Collins to Admiralty re request for Lt. Pownoll to serve in New South Wales. (1p.), 20 May 1789 (Item f.640)

The Officers belonging to the Botany Bay expedition to receive the arms of the said detachment from the Quartermaster tomorrow morning. (1p.), 19 February 1787 (Item)

The formation of the Botany Bay Detachment (1p.), 7 March 1787 (Item)

Details of names, pay, ships allocated to, supplies.

Detachment for Botany Bay to embark tomorrow morning at 10 o'clock (1p.), 8 March 1787 (Item)

Admiralty letters to Plymouth Division, 8 October 1786 - 11 June 1787 (Item ff.128-186)

Subjects include: formation of an establishment of Marines to accompany ships to Botany Bay 'for the protection of the settlement intended to be made there as well as for preserving good order and regularity amongst the convicts'; the taking of wives and children to Botany Bay; that the officers chosen to go are not to exchange without permission of Admiralty; Captain Coutts to go to Botany Bay; firearms; Lt. Creswell has volunteered; Lt. J. Furzer has volunteered; allotment of Marines to ships; supplies of checked shirts; issuing of light clothing; that Marines are to embark before convicts; desertion of Lt. James Morrison.

Admiralty to Collins, 13 May 1789 (Item)

That a 1st Lt. is to proceed to New South Wales in Guardian to replace Lt. Maxwell who has to return to England for his health.

Admiralty to Collins, 22 May 1789 (Item)

That a New South Wales Corps. is to be raised to relieve the Marines.

Admiralty to Collins, 1 August 1792 (Item)

Encloses a copy of: 28 July 1792: Major Ross (London) to Admiralty re court martial of Captain James Meredith at Port Jackson. (2p.)

HMS Nelson at Suva (Item f.53A)

A chapter of accidents and a strange deliverance: the true story of a day's shooting in Moreton Bay, Queensland (Item f.53B)

(Rescue of two Italian fishermen whose boat had capsized at mouth of Brisbane River.).

HMS Nelson in Australia, 5 November 1884 - 22 January 1889 (Item ff.60-130)

Sketches include: Scenes on board; German Squadron at Madeira; ceremonies of crossing the line; arrival of new Commander in Chief, Australian station Sydney, 22 Jan. 1885; race between Hanlon and Clifford on Parramatta River, 7 Feb. 1885; departure of New South Wales Contingent for the Soudan (sic.); return and reception of New South Wales Contingent, 23 June 1885; Australian Squadron at Brisbane; visit of Sir Anthony Musgrove to HMS Nelson; Waitangi Falls; Maoris on board; arrival of Rear Admiral Fairfax; German Squadron entering Sydney Harbour; torpedo practice, Jervis Bay; officers of Nelson and Opal leaving for Jubilee Ball, Adelaide 21 June 1887; camp of New South Wales Forces at National Park; Lord Howe's Island; Norfolk Island; panoramic views of Havannah Harbour, Sandwich Island, New Hebrides; French camp at Port Sandwich; counter mining practice in Sydney Harbour; naval and military procession at opening of Jubilee Exhibition, North New Zealand; opening of Calliope Dock, Auckland, 16 Feb. 1880; sporting pursuits on Mud Island, Moreton Bay; gold mine, Ballarat; ruins of Port Arthur; HMS Calliope at Apia; Australian Squadron in a gale off Cape Howe, 1888; HMS Nelson leaving Sydney, 3 Sept. 1888; North East coast of Queensland - Thursday Island; New South Wales Lancer in full dress, 1885.