Begun in 1919 these unfinished memoirs cover Ballard's naval career from his time as a cadet through to his participation in the Third Anglo-Burmese War 1885. Among the many personal anecdotes Ballard included various technical descriptions on the ships in which he served and life in the navy during a period of transition from sail to steam. The first chapter describes his preparation for his entrance exams at Dr Burney's academy at Gosport and gives a detailed account of life as a cadet in the training ship BRITANNIA at Dartmouth. Chapter two covers his first commissions in HMS RESISTANCE, and HMS ACHILLES spent mainly in the Dardanelles due to tensions over Russo-Turkish war. The third chapter covers his time in HMS TOURMALINE as part of the Flying Squadron on a voyage around the world. After visiting Uruguay and the Falklands the squadron was diverted to South Africa on account of First Boer War. They then visited Australia, Fiji, China, Japan and Singapore before returning to Britain. Chapter four begins with his time on the Sub-Lieutenants course at Greenwich Royal Naval College and on gunnery and torpedo courses at Portsmouth. It then moves on to his time in HMS HECLA and involvement in the Suakin Expedition of the Mahdist War. This chapter includes an extensive description of the campaign in Sudan and the Battle of Tamai in which he participated as part of a naval brigade. Chapter five covers his service in HMS TEMERAIRE in the Mediterranean and his sudden appointment to HMS WOODLARK in Burma. The memoirs conclude with chapters six and seven covering events of the Third Anglo-Burmese War in 1885 and describe the British campaign up the Irrawaddy River and capture of Mandalay.