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The Battle of Navarino and an interesting find
Among the manuscripts held by the Caird Library and Archive is a file containing Lieutenant John Harvey Boteler's observations of the Battle of Navarino. However his account contains much more information than simple notes on his role.
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British colonial life in the East Indies: the diaries of Lady Dorothy Fullerton
The personal diary of a Royal Navy commander's wife offers a striking insight into the lives of the British ruling classes in 1920s India and Sri Lanka.
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The Five Women who made it into “Letters to W.S. Lindsay from Men of his time’’
William Schaw Lindsay (or W.S. Lindsay) was British merchant and ship owner. He was a liberal MP for Tynemouth and North Shields, as well as Sunderland.Many of his papers and correspondences were purchased by the National Maritime Museum in 1988. The collection consists of nearly all of the papers Lindsay left to him family.
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The Royal Humane Society and the gift of lifesaving
In 1909, naval seaman Thomas Bouttell risked his own life to save a passenger who was fleeing a ship that was ablaze off the coast of Malta. For his bravery, he was awarded with the Royal Humane Society's Stanhope Gold medal, which was donated to the National Maritime Museum some 60 years later. The accompanying certificate is part of the Caird Library's manuscript collection.
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New discoveries from the wrecks of HMS Erebus and Terror
Archaeologists exploring the shipwrecks of HMS Erebus and Terror have recovered over 350 objects from the lost Franklin expedition.
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Dealing with self-isolation: a desert island guide from the real Robinson Crusoe
Think you're struggling with social distancing? At least you haven't started singing to goats... Curator Jeremy Michell uncovers the remarkable real-life story of island isolation which inspired Daniel Defoe's Robinson Crusoe.
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Shipwreck, sickness and pirates: the dangers of working for the East India Company
In this blog we uncover some of the stories which our archives can tell us of the dangers of working in the British Empire in the service of the East India Company
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VE Day 2020: searching Second World War Merchant Navy records
Merchant Seamen death records are key resources for anyone hoping to understand the history of the Merchant Navy during the Second World War.
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Migration Terms and Definitions
Migrants, refugees and asylum seekers – what's the difference? Find out more about the terminology of migration.
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Windrush passenger lists in the National Maritime Museum collection
At the end of the Second World War Britain was busy rebuilding a nation that was shattered by the war. The British government recruited workers from the Caribbean to cope with the shortage of labour in some British industries.