Original pre-war / Second World War Royal Navy and Royal Marines personal archive relating to Band Corporal Charles A. Gray, who served aboard HMS Manchester.

The collection has clearly remained together and provides an unusually good piece of named provenance relating to one serviceman and one significant Royal Navy cruiser.

Included are:

• Original illustrated HMS Manchester East Indies Station / Crossing the Equator certificate, issued to Band Corporal Charles A. Gray, dated 8 June 1939
• Original illustrated HMS Manchester certificate dated 27 November 1940, recording his service aboard the ship during the action against the Italian Fleet off Cape Spartivento
• Globe Trotters Club, Ceylon certificate/proclamation with signatures and period annotations
• Selection of original black-and-white military photographs relating to Charles Gray, including uniform portraits
• At least one photograph personally inscribed/signed on the reverse "With Love, Charlie"
• Vintage Royal Marines swagger/walking stick, with wooden shaft and metal-mounted end displaying the Royal Marines globe, laurel, crown and Gibraltar / Per Mare Per Terram insignia
• Daily Mirror wartime-themed newspaper. Please note that this appears to be a later anniversary reproduction of the September 1939 edition, rather than the original 1939 newspaper
• Additional associated paperwork shown in the photographs

The HMS Manchester paperwork is particularly interesting. HMS Manchester served on the East Indies Station in 1938–39 before returning to Britain after the outbreak of war. On 27 November 1940 she took part in the Battle of Cape Spartivento during Operation Collar, exactly matching the date and action recorded on Charles Gray's certificate.

The documents are now approximately 85 years old and show corresponding age and wear. There are folds, creasing, edge wear, dog-eared areas and some tears to the certificates and papers. Please study the photographs carefully.

The photographs also show age-related wear but retain considerable historical interest.

The Royal Marines stick is in particularly good condition compared with the paperwork, with the mounted badge remaining well defined. I have not described the metal mount as sterling silver as no hallmark has been established.

A fascinating, completely named Royal Marines / Royal Navy wartime group with strong HMS Manchester provenance.