The material relating to Vice-Admiral Cedric Swinton Holland consists of his certificates of service, 1906-1933; midshipman's journals, 1906-1909; private journals, 1914-1936; and some official papers relating to wartime events, including the bombardment of the French Fleet at Mers-el-Kébir in 1940. Holland, who was opposed to the use of force against the French, was sent in as chief negotiator and these documents contain valuable information relating to the negotiations, the controversy surrounding the British action and the attitude of the French Navy. The collection also has some papers relating to Holland's role as naval representative of the Supreme Allied Commander, South-East Asia during the Japanese surrender in September 1945. There are also some photographs, press cuttings, letters, lecture notes and ephemera that document his career.

Administrative / biographical background
Cedric Swinton Holland (affectionately known as ‘Hookey’) was born at Alverstoke in Hampshire in 1889, the only son of Admiral Swinton Colthurst Holland and Eva Amy Holland née Williams. He joined HMS BRITANNIA as a cadet in 1905 and went to sea as a midshipman on HMS SUFFOLK, HMS IRRESISTIBLE and then HMS BULWARK between 1906 and 1909. He passed for lieutenant in 1911 and served on the cruiser HMS SHANNON with the Grand Fleet at Scapa Flow in 1914. He then specialised in signals and his later appointments included being wireless officer on the staff of Admiral David Beatty on HMS QUEEN ELIZABETH between 1917 and 1919, and squadron wireless officer on HMS REVENGE in the First Battle Squadron during the Greco-Turkish War in 1920. He was promoted to the rank of commander in 1924 and was executive officer of HMS KENT in China, South-East Asia and Japan between 1928 and 1929. He was promoted to captain in 1932 and commanded the destroyer HMS KEMPENFELT in the Mediterranean between 1934 and 1936. He was naval attaché in Paris from 1938 to 1940 and then in command of the aircraft carrier HMS ARK ROYAL. In 1940 he was selected to undertake the role for which he is chiefly remembered, that of conveying British terms to the commander of the French fleet at Mers-el-Kébir to ensure that the vessels didn’t fall into enemy hands. Between 1941 and 1942 Holland held the post of chief of staff to Lord Gort at Gibraltar and was then director of Naval Communications at the Admiralty. While in the latter post he was promoted to the rank of rear-admiral. Holland was principal administrative officer for the Navy in South-East Asia between 1943 and 1945, the first appointment of this kind ever made. He was promoted to vice-admiral in 1945 and later in the same year from his flagship HMS SUSSEX commanded the force that re-occupied Penang and Singapore. For his war service Holland was made a Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB). His activities during retirement included being chairman of King George’s Fund for Sailors, and the shipbuilding and engineering company Vospers Ltd. He died in London in 1950.