Lieutenant John Dennis Hickley journal kept while serving on various ships Included in his journal are feathers from his bird hunting and his account of the operations on the Benin River in August and September 1894. Also is all the loose items from the journal such as notes, photos, letters, plants and feathers which he collected during his travels.

Administrative / biographical background
Lieutenant John Dennis Hickley was the son of Admiral Henry Dennis Hickley, born on 13 January 1862. He began his career in the Navy in 1874, coming top of his naval cadet class at the Royal Naval College, Greenwich. He became a Midshipman in October 1876 and served on HMS BELLEROPHON, MINOTAUR, and HI MALAYA. He was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant in Her Majesty's fleet on the 31 December 1884 and gained further qualifications whilst stationed at Portsmouth, obtaining two First Class certificates for Instruction in Gunnery and Torpedoes in 1892. Hickley was subsequently involved in operations against Chief Nana of Bohemia on the Benin River, West Africa and was awarded the Distinguished Service Order for his services. Whilst in Africa with HMS PHOEBE in February 1895. Hickley drowned in a lagoon close to Lorenzo Marques during an unsuccessful duck-hunting trip.