The collection includes logs kept by Hereford on HMS TRAFALGAR, HMS HAWKE and HMS ACORN, 1851-1857, which are illustrated; together with logs kept on HMS ARROGANT, 1859-1862, and HMS COLUMBINE, 1872-1873. There are also watch, station and quarter bills; commissions and testimonials; an illustrated notebook of gunnery instructions; gunnery notes and a list of medals. Hereford's later employment as a Mercantile Marine superintendent on the River Clyde is represented by a series of letterbooks, 1881-1903.

Administrative / biographical background
Hereford was born at Tenby in Pembrokeshire in 1837 and entered the Navy in 1851. He was a midshipman on the wooden first-rate HMS TRAFALGAR (1841) during the bombardment of Sevastopol in 1854. He served as mate on the brig HMS ACORN (1838) and then lieutenant on HMS CALCUTTA (1831), taking part in the action at Fatshan Creek and the landing of the naval brigade at Canton in 1857. He passed for lieutenant in 1858 and then served on HMS NANKIN (1850) at Hong Kong before training at HMS Excellent at Portsmouth to be a gunnery lieutenant. Hereford then joined the wooden screw frigate HMS ARROGANT (1848) on the west coast of Africa. During this appointment he was employed in the suppression of the slave trade on the west coast of Africa and on various expeditions. He was a lieutenant on HMS BRITANNIA (1820) and her tender HMS DAPPER (1855) for the instruction of cadets between 1863 and 1868, at which point he was promoted to the rank of commander. His last seagoing appointment was command of the wooden screw sloop HMS COLUMBINE (1862) in the East Indies between 1872 and 1874. He was promoted to the rank of captain after his retirement. Between 1881 and 1903 he was employed by the Board of Trade as superintendent of the Clyde River staff and the Mercantile Marine Office at Gourock. He died at Chertsey in Surrey in 1921. Hereford's record of service in the Royal Navy can be found under the reference ADM 196/70/430 at The National Archives.