Making Donations

Venture Fund

The World Ship Society is always looking at ways to provide a better service to its members, but many times is foiled in its attempts by a shortage of available funds. We always welcome financial donations to the Society to enable us to publish more shipping books, acquire important and historic photograph collections, maintain our Chatham Library, run more specialist meetings, support beneficial research projects and acquire additional computer hardware and software as and when appropriate.

You can help the Society by donating cash, books and photographs or making sure that your will is up to date with a clause or two indicating your exact wishes for the disposal of your maritime material, rather than having them deposited in the bin by some uncaring executor or relative.

Monies donated to the Society will be placed in our Venture Fund, which was established in 1980 to provide a source of funds for World Ship Society projects. At that time, the Society’s major source of income was the membership fee, which was expected to pay for the printing…

Legacies and Donations to the WSS

As a charity, legacies and donations will help us ensure that the Society will continue to flourish and be enjoyed by all those who have an interest in ships and the sea. Leaving us a gift in your Will means that this task is made somewhat easier.

If this is something you are thinking about, your solicitor or attorney will be able to give you all the help and advice you need.

Most of the legacies we receive are for general purposes, allowing us to use the funds where they’re needed most. You can either leave a specific amount of money, which is known as a Pecuniary Bequest, or a share of what’s left over after all your wishes have been carried out, which is a Residuary Bequest.

The following wording may be helpful should you be thinking of making such a bequest:

I bequeath to the World Ship Society Limited (“the Society”) of Mayes House, Vansittart Estate, Arthur Road, Windsor, Berkshire, SL4 1SE, United Kingdom,  registered charity number 1139902, my collection of maritime books/photographs/slides/prints/pictures* to be used by the Society at its absolute discretion.

I also bequeath the sum of £_______* (for a pecuniary bequest), or: the residue of my estate *(for a residuary bequest) to be used by the Society at its absolute discretion.   *Please delete as necessary.

Making Donations to the WSS

The World Ship Society has benefited greatly from donations and bequests which have enhanced its library, archives and its collection of negatives, prints and slides, and recognises the generosity of members and their families which has made this possible. Books, journals, magazines and photographs are accepted on the understanding that the WSS is free to sell or dispose of those which duplicate ones already in our collection. However, in the case of those more recently published, we are experiencing a build-up of multiple copies well in excess of what we can reasonably expect to sell. We would therefore ask members who wish to make bequests or donations to consider carefully which items come to us and offer the guidelines below.

The WSS welcomes:

Photographic material including members’ collections of negatives, prints, slides, and digital images, especially those of members own taking. In all cases these should be clearly identified with names of vessels featured, date and location of photograph and photographer’s name.

Books, journals and magazines not already in our collection. In general, we already have copies of most if not all ‘Lloyd’s Registers’, enthusiast magazines and shipping books published since the Second World War. Again, the WSS is pleased to offer advice on what we seek.

Archival material resulting from members’ researches which will be of significant use to other researchers within the WSS. As this may be difficult to assess, it is strongly recommended that the WSS is consulted before arrangements are made to donate or bequeath it.

Members should also recognise that collection of any of the above material may be significantly expensive. The cost of removing collections that are donated to the Society to the most suitable archive site (usually our Library and Archive in the Historic Dockyard at Chatham) is not inconsiderable and members who wish to make such bequests are kindly requested to consider this cost as part of their donation.

Notice of any bequests to the Society or queries should in the first instance be directed to:

Mr.J.A. Poole,
Hon. General Secretary WSS,
49 Mount Road,
Mitcham,
Surrey, CR4 3EZ,
United Kingdom

Email: secretary@worldshipsociety.org