The material relating to Admiral Swinton Colthurst Holland consists of certificates of service, letters and certificates of appointment, midshipman's journals, logs and private journals. There is a private journal recording the International Naval Review at New York in 1893, some printed ephemera, and personal items including a portrait photograph.

Administrative / biographical background
Swinton Colthurst Holland was born at Dumbleton in Gloucestershire in 1844, the third son of Edward Holland and his first wife Sophia Holland née Isaac. He joined the Navy as a cadet in 1857 and went to sea as a midshipman on the wooden screw ship HMS MARLBOROUGH, flagship of the Mediterranean Fleet. From 1865 onwards he served as a lieutenant on HMS WIVERN, HMS MALACCA, HMS DONEGAL and then the survey ship HMS SYLVIA in the Far East. In 1876 he was appointed flag lieutenant to Vice-Admiral Sir Astley C. Key, commander-in-chief of the North America and West Indies station. From 1878 onwards Holland served with the rank of commander on HMS THUNDERER, HMS ROYAL ADELAIDE, and then the Royal Yacht VICTORIA AND ALBERT. He was promoted to captain in 1884 and while studying at the Royal Naval College in the following year was awarded the prize for steam and naval architecture. Holland was then appointed flag captain to Rear-Admiral Sir Edmund R. Fremantle in the Channel Squadron. While in command of the cruiser HMS AUSTRALIA he attended the International Naval Review at New York in 1893. Later in that year he took charge of the Fleet Reserve at Chatham. Between 1896 and 1899 he was commodore-in-charge at Hong Kong and was promoted to rear-admiral. After returning from the Far East he became admiral superintendent of Chatham Dockyard for three years, his last appointment on the active list. He was promoted to vice-admiral in 1903 and to admiral in 1907. He died at Chichester in 1922. He was buried at sea in the Solent, his body being conveyed on the destroyer HMS TARPON.