an original pest control inspection report book, for the Cunard liner 'Queen Elizabeth' covering the period September 1952 to April 1956 and December 1962 to January 1967.
folio [32x20cm]. light wear to the board covers. hinges weak. internally clean. legibility variable.
this rare survival is a hand-written inspector's report book recording the results of detailed inspections of all areas of the ship, presumably carried out when she was in port and between voyages.
Although titled 'Rodent Book' to the inside front cover, there are fortunately very few observations about the presence of rats, but the 1950's reports identify multiple infestations of cockroaches.
There are also references to bed bugs, fleas, moths, flies, blackbeetles, weevils.....the kind of fellow travellers that the well-heeled passengers might well not wish to know about
