Two Royal Navy Photograph Albums, 1930s and Second World War, Including The Battle of Crete Anonymous

Two albums compiled by the same person, who appears to come from Wem in Shropshire. The first bound in dark-blue faux leather, roughly 28.5 by 21.5cm, containing approximately 133 photos, spread over 28 thick grey card sheets. Covering the pre-WW2 period of his naval service, chiefly in the waters around North and South America, and domestic affairs continuing into WW2, including many shots of married couples in the service. Also pasted in are the cloth cap ribbons with the names of ships on which he served, with captions giving the duration of service on each, from March 1937 to April 1942, On HMS Drake, Defiance, Apollo, Jackal and HMS Valiant, and below these a further list of subsequent service up until demobilisation, without accompanying ribbons. The photographs are captioned in blue ink. The other album is slightly larger, roughly 33.5 by 24.5cm, bound in blind-patterned burgundy coloured cloth, containing approximately 125 photos, on 21 dark grey thick card sheets, most interspersed with protective spider-web patterned tissue guards. The pages and some individual photos are captioned in white ink. This album is devoted to the unknown sailor's active Naval service during WW2 on the Royal Navy Queen Elizabeth class battleship, HMS Valiant, from Nov. 25th 1939 until being paid off on April 14th 1942. It contains numerous photographs of various engagements and actions, including 5 aerial photos of the attack on the Italian fleet during the Battle of Taranto in Nov. 1940; The Bombardment of Bardia on Jan. 3rd 1941, action in the Middle East at Tobruk and Alexandria, and 13 photos of the Battle of Crete during May 1941, including some spectacular shots of the invasion by German "Parashot" Troops, headlined as an "exclusive". Both albums are slightly bumped, rubbed and marked, the card sheets are all still firmly attached. A particularly good pair of albums, the second containing some excellent images of action taken from the deck of HMS Valiant, both albums recoding off duty pastimes and visits ashore, and the first preserving a poignant record of a number of wartime marriages.