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Collection of research material undertaken by Captain Francis Joseph Bayldon relating to marine disasters

Date1905 - 1947

Object numberANMS0276

NameArchive series

MediumPaper

ClassificationsEphemera

Credit LineANMM Collection Gift from Mary Bayldon

Terms

DescriptionThis collection of research material undertaken by Captain Francis Joseph Bayldon includes newspaper clippings, letters, books and labels relating to shipwrecks and maritime disasters.HistoryCaptain Francis Joseph Bayldon (1872-1948) was born in England and educated at King Edward VI Grammar School in Spilsby before he was apprenticed to Devitt & Moore in 1887. His sea career began as a cadet officer in their passenger ships RODNEY, HARBINGER and ILLAWARRA, sailing to Australia. In 1898 Bayldon was commissioned in the Royal Naval Reserve and was promoted lieutenant in 1907. He was published by both the British Astronomical Association and the American Lick Observatory for his work on the zodiacal light. He retired from the merchant service in 1910, and opened the Sydney Nautical Academy. Bayldon continued to contribute to journals and publications and remained active in a variety of societies until his death in 1948. The Australian National Maritime Museum holds in its collection a range of objects relating to Captain Francis Joseph Bayldon, including a variety of nautical instruments and equipment, as well as photographs, scrapbooks and testimonials representing Captain Bayldon's life and career. Nan Phillips, 'Bayldon, Francis Joseph (1872 - 1948)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 7, Melbourne University Press, 1979, pp 217-218.SignificanceThe Bayldon collection details the life of a master mariner from his early career through to his ongoing interests in maritime history.