Uncatalogued: March, Edgar J, Maritime Author, Fl. 1952-1970

Papers, notebooks, illustrations collected by March for inclusion in his works on the Irrawaddy Flotilla of the Burma Steam Navigation Company, circa 1860-1940; two sets of notebooks on Royal Navy destroyers from circa 1900 - 191945; notes on British coastal vessels; submarine cables; notes and letters on March's book 'Sailing Barges.'

Box 1: notes, photographs, images and diagrams relating to early cable laying. Various booklets include 'Echo Sounding Instruments, n.d.; two volumes entitled 'reciprocating engines and boilers' handwritten by Edgar March, Science Museum, 1967; 'reciprocating engines and boilers', Admiralty Library, December 1967'; 'The Chernikeeff Log' n.d.

Box 2: Notebooks: includes series of booklets on destroyers: 'INA Papers'; 'Turbines and Boilers, 1959'; 'Destroyers I'; 'Destroyers II, 1914 - 1918 and 1939-1945; 'Construction.' Four booklets on '1804-1805 Enquiry.' Twelve notebooks on subjects including 'Destroyer Particulars, 27 knotters to 'R' class, 1941'; construction of ships, several notebooks on ships' covers.

Box 3: Twelve manuscript drafts of chapters relating to destroyers: presumably for his publication 'British Destroyers: A History of Development, 1892-1953.' The booklets cover chapters 1 to 63.

Box 4: Notes relating to cable laying and includes photographs of cable-laying ships and an original oil painting of the AGAMEMNON by Henry Clifford, Engineer on 21 June 1858.

Box 5: chapters 13 to 26, a continuation of notebooks from box 1: drafts for the publication on destroyers.

Box 6: various journals, ZODIAC and SHIPBUILDER, 1924 to 1925.

Box 7: various notebooks includes the subject of sailing trawlers and fisheries.

Box 8: various notes including the subjects of rigs and barge specifications.

Box 9: cable-laying: includes notes, sketches, images from ILLUSTRATED LONDON NEWS; watercolour by Henry Clifford, of Runswick near Whitby, April 1984. Notes cover the period 1857 to 1858 cable-laying and 1865 to 1866 and includes notes relating to repair and cable-laying in India. Some of the material contains envelopes addressed to Lady Bright and perhaps some of this material was originally Henry Cliffords research papers and sketches.

Box 10: notes and sketches relating to barges; notebook contain research on destroyers.

Box 11: research notes mostly concerning barges.

Box 12: Notes on 'Shetland Sixerns'; 'yachts'; 'Oyster Dredgers, Whitstable/Falmouth'; 'fishing craft'; 'barges';Block Making Machine and Rope Making at Portsmouth'; 'rough notes, fishing smacks and drifters.'

Box 13: Typescripts for 'Irrawaddy Flotilla Co. Ltd' by Captain H. Chubb and C Duckworth; NMM lists for Irrawaddy Flotilla material in other collections, mostly photos and plans; correspondence between Chubb and David Lyon.

Box 14: Notebooks: Sailing Trawlers, Plates 1 to 85, February 1952; newspaper cuttings of vessels (2 volumes); sailing barges, 1945; original tracings for sailing drifters.

Box 15: research folders entitled 'Tenby: Mumbles Oyster Dredger and Morecombe Bay Shrimpers'; 'Cobles'; 'Beer Luggers, Olferro Gaffers, Plymouth Hookers, Portland Lerrets, Clovelly'; 'Pilot Boats'; 'Colne Smacks'; 'Deal Luggers'; 'Itchen Boats, Portsmouth Wherry'; 'Newquay Pilot Gigs'; 'Hastings Beach Boats, Folkstone, Eastbourne, Brighton and Emsworth.'

Oversize folder: notes and extracts from journals on cables and 'electrical working of cables' for the GREAT EASTERN.

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Administrative / biographical background
March authored several books sailing craft, including barges, drifters and trawlers. His works include 'Spritsail Barges of the Thames and Medway', 'British Destroyers: A History of Development, 1892-1953', 'Inshore Craft of Great Britain in the Days of Sail and Oar', 'Sailing Drifters: The Story of the Herring Luggers of England, Scotland and the Isle of Man' and Sailing Trawlers: The Story of Deep Sea Fishing.'