Wooden box to hold ship's books : HMAS Australia II

Wooden box constructed from five layers of wood/ply glued together to form a single piece 12 mm thick. The sides of the box are dovetailed. The 73 mm deep lid is attached to the box by two steel hinges. A two pin brass lock secures the front opening (key missing). Beneath the lock is a heavy duty fixed brass handle attached to the box on each side by three screws. There are two impressed brass plates below the handle, each attached with a single screw at either end. The upper plate has rounded ends and is impressed 'H.M.A.S. AUSTRALIA'; the lower, smaller, plate has squared ends and is impressed 'SHIP'S BOOKS'.

This box originally held the ship's books of the County class heavy cruiser HMAS Australia II, amassed between c 1929 and 1954. The 'books' were actually a series of papers, bound together periodically for convenience, which documented equipment modifications and changes made to the ship. The commanding officer was responsible for ensuring that a record of any change made was documented. These papers are now held in the Memorial's archival collection at AWM35 3/1.