This is a black cloth covered album with a weak spine, containing 182 photographs glued to 30 leaves. Most of the photographs have been captioned.

This album compiled by Lt Commander Alan Dixon relates to the wartime service of armed merchant cruiser HMS Himalaya (1892) from 1914-1918. Ships include HMS Ocean (1898), HMS Minerva (1895), HMS Chelmer (1904), French Dessaix (1901) and Montcalm (1900), Port Macquarie (1912), Wiegand (1902).

Places represented include Maldives, Bombay, Aden and Suez. Also illustrated are scenes on board – coaling, crew members etc.

Himalaya was built for the P&O Line in 1892 and requisitioned by the Admiralty as an armed merchant cruiser 6th August 1914. She helped repulse the Turkish attack on Suez, 3rd February 1915. In 1916 she was sent to Simonstown and was re-armed with eight 6-inch guns and had an aircraft deck fitted for a Short 827 seaplane. She was employed on convoy duties off East Africa until the end of the war. She was repurchased by P&O in 1919 and broken up in 1922. See ‘Armed Merchant Cruisers 1878-1954’ by Osborne, Spong and Grover.

Captain Alan Dixon OBE (1880-1948) entered the Navy in1896, promoted to Midshipman 1897, Lieutenant 1902, Lt Commander 1910, Commander 1915, Captain (retired list) 1925. He commanded HMS Himalaya (1892) from 13th August 1914 and HMS M29 in 1918. He was awarded the OBE and the Order of St Anne. His service record describes him as ‘a man of uncertain temper’ but then he did suffer from dyspepsia.