Notebook containing a journal written by James Kenneth Brook on the steel three masted ship LADYE DORIS (1901), owned by W. Montgomery & Co Ltd, London, covering the period 7 November 1906 to 15 February 1907. It describes a voyage with a cargo of coal fuel from Port Talbot to Iquique in Chile. With poems and an article on the humorous side of life as an apprentice on a sailing ship.

Administrative / biographical background
Brook was born at Ryde on the Isle of Wight in 1889. He started his career on sailing vessels, being a cadet on HMS WORCESTER (1860) at Greenhithe, an apprentice on the three masted ship LADYE DORIS (1901), then second mate on the barque MARIAN WOODSIDE (1891). He qualified as master in 1914 (certificate numbers 041566 and 008213). Brook also trained as an officer in the Royal Naval Reserve and in 1919 received the DSO for his services in action with enemy submarines. After demobilization he worked on vessels belonging to Andrew Weir & Co (Bank Line) and was engaged as master from 1922 onwards. During the Second World War he was awarded the CBE and mentioned in despatches for his outstanding devotion to duty as a Commodore of Ocean Convoys. Brook retired from the Bank Line in 1950 and died at Ryde in 1976. His service record can be found under the reference ADM 340/18/1 at The National Archives.