The collection includes Penney's service certificates and references; letters to his mother circa 1920; photographs of HMS BARHAM and other ships and men; Christmas cards; printed material including Osborne and Britannia magazines; framed photograph of the gunroom officers in the BARHAM, 31 May 1916, on the eve of the Battle of Jutland.

Administrative / biographical background
Penney entered into the Royal Naval College, Dartmouth as a naval cadet in 1910. He attained the rank of midshipman in 1914 and joined the CARNARVON which captured a German merchant ship at Cape Verde, and later led cruisers at the Battle of the Falkland Islands on 8 December 1914. Penney took part in the Battle of Jutland in 1916 on board the BARHAM, which received three hits and fired 337 shells. Penney was promoted to acting sub-lieutenant in 1916, sub-lieutenant in 1917, acting-lieutenant in 1918, and lieutenant in the same year. In 1922 he was placed on the Retired List, due to a surplus of officers. He was promoted to the rank of lieutenant commander on the Retired List in 15 April 1926, and promoted to commander in 1937. He was released on 1 October 1946. His full service record is available at the National Archives (ADM 196/146 and ADM 196/120).