The collection consists of logs, 1868 to 1870 and 1872 to 1873, two workbooks, 1897, out-letterbooks, 1898 to 1901, and loose papers which relate to the expeditions in Africa, 1895 to 1897. There is also a typescript, 'Yarns from an Admiral's Reminiscences', as retold to his son Commander Rowland E. Stokes-Rees.

Administrative / biographical background
Stokes Rees entered the Navy in 1866 and served on the Mediterranean Station in the ROYAL OAK from 1868 to 1870. In 1872 he was in home waters in the PEMBROKE and the BELLEROPHON and then went out to the Pacific in the REPULSE until 1873. He became a lieutenant in 1877 and specialized in gunnery. Promoted to Commander in 1891, he went, in 1894, to the St GEORGE, flagship at the Cape of Good Hope, and took part in the Brass River (1895), M'Wele (1896), Ashanti (1896), Zanzibar (1896) and Benin expeditions (1897). Having become a captain in 1897, Rees took command of the THETIS in the Mediterranean, 1898 to 1900, and then on the Cape Station until 1901. After some short commands followed by two years as senior officer in Australia (1904 to 1906), he retired as a Rear-Admiral in 1910 and rose to Admiral on the retired list.