Subjects covered include: life on board ship; his work on Committee and opinions of other members of the Committee; detailed descriptions of his visits (including observations on British policy and defences) to St Vincent, Sierra Leone, Ascension Island, St Helena, Simonstown, Cape Town and Mauritius; a description of "crossing the line" [the equator]; and criticism of his father-in-law's sale of the family estate in Cape Town. Also includes seven photographs documenting the Owen Committee's visit to Sierra Leone, the Ascension Islands and 'crossing the line'.