These items were originally created by A N Drury, FRS, Chairman of the Medical Research Council Blood Transfusion Committee. Drury worked with the committee and other allied bodies, engaging in the organisation and development of the Blood Transfusion Services necessary as part of the war effort. In 1943 he became Director of the Lister Institute. These files were accumulated by him in his continuing involvement in the Blood Transfusion Service, in the running of which the Ministry of Health, the Medical Research Council and the Lister Institute were co-operating.
Ieuan Ellis studied dentistry at the University College of Wales, Aberystwyth, and qualified in 1941.
Dr Dobbie qualified in medicine in 1933. He was (presumably during and just after the war) in the RAMC, in which he reached the rank of Lieutenant Colonel, and was O.C. Medical Division 117 and 77 General Hospital, BAOR. He was subsequently in practice in Bromley. Although his entry disappears from the Medical Directory in 1987 it has not been possible to trace any obituary.
Born 1937; Anthony Angel studied physiology at University College, London, and went on to teach the subject at the University of Sheffield, where he was appointed Professor.
The 11th International Veterinary Congress was held at Central Hall, Westminster in 1930. It was the first congress meeting since 1909.
For background information consult histories of Guy's Hospital in the Wellcome Library.
Baynes entered the Navy in 1810, serving in the BLAKE under Sir Edward Codrington (q.v.) and in the TONNANT and TARTER in North America. He was commissioned as lieutenant in 1818, serving as First Lieutenant in the VIGO in South America until 1826 when he joined the ASIA, flagship of Admiral Sir Edward Codrington (q.v.). It was in the Asia that he was present at the Battle of Navarino. In 1828 he was promoted to captain. After ten years on half-pay he joined the ANDROMACHE in Nova Scotia during the rebellion in Canada, after which he commanded on the Cape Station, 1840 to 1841. In 1847 he was in the BELLEROPHON off the coast of Tuscany, when Leghorn was taken by the Austrians, and in 1855 was on Particular Service with the blockading fleet in the Baltic. He became Commander-in-Chief in the Pacific in 1857, remaining there until 1860 and was promoted to admiral in 1865.
Oliver entered the Navy in 1779. He served in the West Indies and was promoted to lieutenant in 1790, commander in 1794 and captain in 1796. After the battle of Trafalgar he was appointed to the MARS, whose captain, George Duff, had been killed. He continued to serve until 1814 and was promoted to rear-admiral in 1819, vice-admiral in 1830 and admiral in 1841.
Oliver entered the Navy in 1869. He served in the BRISTOL, 1870 to 1871, and was rated midshipman in 1871. He was in the Mediterranean from 1871 to 1874, in the ARIADNE and then for two years in the flagship LORD WARDON. From 1874 to 1876 he served in the AUDACIOUS, flagship on the China Station. He was promoted to sub-lieutenant in 1876 and served in the SHANNON, 1877 to 1880, on the same station. In 1880 he was promoted to lieutenant and appointed to the PELICAN, Pacific Station, 1880 to 1882. From 1882 to 1884 he was in the Indian troopship JUMA and served in operations in the Sudan in 1884. Between 1885 and 1887, Oliver served in three Coast Guard ships based at Southampton, the HECTOR, NORTHAMPTON and INVINCIPLE. He returned to China in the WANDERER between 1888 and 1891. During the 1890s Oliver served in various posts, in a training ship, in the dockyard reserve and the coastguard. He retired with the rank of commander in 1900.
Oliver was the son of Admiral Robert Oliver. He entered the Navy in 1825 and became a lieutenant in 1838. He was in the QUEEN in the Mediterranean from 1842 to 1844 and was promoted to commander in 1844. In 1847 he was appointed to command the FLY in Australian and New Zealand waters. Following his return home in 1851 he served during the Crimean War and was promoted to captain in 1854 but from then had no further service. He retired in 1864 and rose to the rank of admiral on the retired list.
Blane studied medicine in Edinburgh and, in 1779, sailed to the West Indies. It was during this and subsequent expeditions to the West Indies that he impressed upon the Admiralty the importance and the success of anti-scorbutic measures. He was appointed Physician Extraordinary to the Prince of Wales in 1785, the year in which he produced the first edition of his work on the diseases of seamen. From 1795 until 1803 he was one of the Commissioners for Sick and Wounded Seamen. See Christopher Lloyd ed., The Health of Seamen (Navy Records Society, 1965), pp. 132-211.
Bond spent the whole of his seafaring career in the employ of the British India Steam Navigation Company. He joined as a cadet in 1918 on the ship CHAKRATA. His next ship was the CHUPRA, carrying troops from India home and from London to New Zealand. He next served on the Indian coast until 1925. He passed for Second Mate in Bombay and did tours of duty in several ships. After passing as mate, he returned to indian waters as Second Officer of the SIRDHANA, and remained in her for three and a half years. He got his Master's Certificate in 1930. His first command of a ship was in 1938, and in December 1939 was given command of the VASNA, in which he remained for the whole of World War Two. The VASNA was fitted-out in Bombay as a naval hospital ship and served in Indian Waters, with the Home Fleet in the Mediterranean, with the Eastern Fleet and with the Pacific Fleet. In 1945, the VASNA was sent to Tokio Bay to help in the repatriation of prisoners of war from Japanese camps and as a Fleet hospital ship, and was the sole British Hospital Ship in Japanese waters. Capt Bond was awarded the OBE for his services during the war. In 1947, Bond was given command of the SANGOLA and in1949 the EMPIRE TROOPER, in which he stayed for over five years. In 1956, he took command of the NEVASA, which was hired by the Ministry of Transport as a troopship. He retired in June 1962 at the age of 60.
Bridge joined the Navy in 1851, was commissioned lieutenant in 1859 and from 1874 until 1877, when he was promoted to captain, served in the AUDACIOUS on the China Station. He went to Australia in command of the ESPIEGLE, 1881 to 1885, and when he was promoted to rear-admiral in 1894 became Commander-in-Chief there. As a vice-admiral he was Commander-in-Chief of the China Station, 1901 to 1904, during which time the Anglo-Japanese treaty was signed. At the end of this commission he retired. He published Some Recollections (London, 1918).
Robert Edward Barker (c 1820-1910) served with the General Steam Navigation Company before becoming a customs official in 1866.
Brown entered the Navy in 1894 as an engineer student at Devonport Dockyard, qualifying in 1899 as a Probationary Assistant Engineer. Be became an engineer lieutenant in 1900, engineer lieutenant-commander in 1912, engineer commander in 1917 and engineer captain in 1924. Between 1921 and 1925 he was Assistant Naval Attache in Washington. In 1930 he became engineer rear-admiral and in 1932 was appointed vice-admiral and Engineer-in-Chief of the Fleet, until his retirement in 1936.
Son of Captain Alfred Burton (q.v.), Burton was commissioned as first lieutenant in 1853. He served in the WINCHESTER and CALCUTTA from 1853 to 1858 and took part in the Second China War. In 1858 he was temporarily attached to the Canton Constabulary. On his return home he was stationed at Plymouth, 1859 to 1860. Burton was promoted to captain in 1861 and to major in 1862. He served in the PHOEBE in the Mediterranean from 1862 to 1865 and was in the marine battalion in Japan attached to the IRON DUKE, flagship on the China Station, 1870 to 1873. He retired in 1884 with the rank of Major-General.
Royal Navy: Administration - Volumes relating to central administration
Abdy began his career by serving in the East India Company's ships TRUE BRITON, 1750 to 1752, on a voyage to China and Stafford,1753, to India. He then entered the Navy and was commissioned as lieutenant in 1758. He was promoted to commander in 1761 and served in the BEAVER, 1761 to 1766, in home waters and then in the West Indies. In 1766 he was promoted to Captain of the ACTAEON in the West Indies, but he returned home before the end of the year and did not serve again because of ill-health.
Henry Caldwell, grandson of Sir Benjamin Caldwell (q.v.), entered the Navy in 1828 as a volunteer on board the DARTMOUTH and became a midshipman in the PRINCE REGENT in 1830. He served for the next five years on the coast of South America in the CLIO, SPARTIATE and HORNET and then in the PEMBROKE and VANGUARD on the Mediterranean Station. After this he spent three years in the brigs PANTALOON and RAPID, tenders to the Royal George yacht. Caldwell was promoted to lieutenant in 1841 and for two years attended courses in the EXCELLENT on gunnery and at the Royal Naval College on steam. He then served in the INCONSTANT on the Mediterranean Station from 1843 until 1846, when he joined the EXCELLENT and PRINCE REGENT, home waters. From the latter ship he was promoted to commander in 1847. In 1848 he joined the POWERFUL on the Mediterranean Station and returned to the PRINCE REGENT in 1851. He was promoted to captain in 1853 and after studying steam at Woolwich dockyard, became Flag Captain to Rear-Admiral Hon. R.S. Dundas (1802-1861), Commander-in-Chief Baltic, in the DUKE OF WELLINGTON, and remained in her until 1857. Caldwell joined the MERSEY in 1859 for three years, serving in the Channel and on the North American and West Indies Station. After a short period in the ROYAL ADELAIDE at Devonport, he joined, in 1864, the ASIA, guardship of the steam reserve at Portsmouth. Finally Caldwell was aide-de-camp to Queen Victoria from 1866 until his death.
Sir Benjamin Caldwell entered the Navy in 1754 and was made a lieutenant in 1760. After service in the Channel during the Seven Years War, he became a commander in 1762 and a post captain in 1765. He then commanded the ROSE in North America, 1768 to 1771, and the EMERALD, 1775 to 1779, on that station and on convoy duties. He was appointed in 1780 to the HANNIBAL and convoyed the East India Company ships home. In April 1781 he was transferred to the AGAMEMNON in the Channel; she then sailed with Admiral Rodney (1719-1792) to the West Indies and was present at the battle of the Saints, 1782. The Agamemnon remained on the West Indies and North American Stations until 1783. Caldwell commanded the ALCIDE in 1787 and the BERWICK during the mobilization of 1790. In 1793 he was promoted to rear-admiral and served in the CUMBERLAND under Admiral Howe (q.v.). He transferred his flag in 1794 to the IMPREGNABLE and took part in the battle of First of June. In July of the same year he became a vice-admiral and was sent to the Leeward Islands in the Majestic under Admiral Jervis (q.v.); shortly after this Jervis returned home and Caldwell acted as Commander-in-Chief. His active career ended in 1795 and he was promoted to admiral in 1799.
Henry Osborn served in the Mediterranean before becoming a lieutenant in 1717. In 1718 He took part in the action off Cape Passaro in the Mediterranean and the following year served in a squadron on the north coast of Africa. His first command was the Squirrel in 1728. In 1734 he commanded the Portland in the Channel and in 1738 the Salisbury in the Mediterranean. He was appointed to the Prince of Orange in 1740, returning to England in the Chichester in 1741, when he moved to the Princess Caroline, Channel, until 1743. Osborn was promoted to rear-admiral in 1747 and in 1748 was appointed Commander-in-Chief, Leeward Islands; in the same year he became a vice-admiral. He was promoted admiral and appointed Commander-in-Chief, Mediterranean, in 1757 but after blockading the French fleet in 1758, he suffered a stroke and saw no more active service. Osborn was Member of Parliament for Bedfordshire, 1758 to 1761.
Caldwell entered the Navy in 1754 and was made a lieutenant in 1760. After service in the Channel during the Seven Years War, he became a commander in 1762 and a post captain in 1765. He then commanded the Rose in North America, 1768 to 1771, and the Emerald, 1775 to 1779, on that station and on convoy duties. He was appointed in 1780 to the Hannibal and convoyed the East India Company ships home. In April 1781 he was transferred to the Agamemnon in the Channel; she then sailed with Admiral Rodney (1719-1792) to the West Indies and was present at the battle of the Saints, 1782. The Agamemnon remained on the West Indies and North American Stations until 1783. Caldwell commanded the Alcide in 1787 and the Berwick during the mobilization of 1790. In 1793 he was promoted to rear-admiral and served in the Cumberland under Admiral Howe (q.v.). He transferred his flag in 1794 to the Impregnable and took part in the battle of First of June. In July of the same year he became a vice-admiral and was sent to the Leeward Islands in the Majestic under Admiral Jervis (q.v.); shortly after this Jervis returned home and Caldwell acted as Commander-in-Chief. His active career ended in 1795 and he was promoted to admiral in 1799.
Lieutenant-Commander Cazaly was the Officer Commanding, 11th LCT flotilla during the latter half of the Second World War, taking part in Operation "Husky" (The allied invasion of Sicily in 1943) and then Operation "Neptune" (the naval element of the D-Day landings in 1944). On D-Day, Cazaly was responsible for landing Duplex-Drive Sherman tanks of the Canadian 10th Armoured Regiment (Fort Garry Horse) on to Nan Sector of Juno beach, in order to give support to the 8th Canadian Infantry Brigade. Like other LCT commanders on D-Day, Cazaly took the decision that due to the rough seas, he would take the tanks right onto the beach, as opposed to letting them off of the landing craft out from the beach and letting them swim in, as was the plan.
Coles entered the Navy in 1838 and was promoted to lieutenant in 1846. He served in the Mediterranean and was made a commander in 1854 and a captain in 1856. His experiences in the Crimean War led him to experiment with defensive armour and turrets for ships, which he developed often at his own expense. HMS CAPTAIN, launched in 1869, was a low feeboard turret vessel built to Coles's design against the views of the Surveyor of the Navy. On trials, the CAPTAIN capsized off Cape Finisterre in 1870, drowning her designer and almost 500 other officers and crew.
The partnership of Devitt and Moore was started in 1836 by Thomas Henry Devitt (1800-1860) and Joseph Moore (fl 1836-1870). They began as trading brokers for a number of merchants who owned sailing vessels on the Australia run. On the death of Thomas H Devitt in 1860 his eldest son, Thomas Lane Devitt (1839-1923), who had joined the company in 1855, and Joseph Moore Jr became partners with Joseph Moore Sr. Under the direction of Thomas L Devitt, the business was greatly expanded and in 1863 the company purchased their first sailing ships and began their long association with the passenger and cargo trade to Australia. In 1870 they purchased their only steamship. In December 1878 Devitt and Moore joined with F Green and Co of London. As the importance of the sailing ship in the Australian trade began to decline the company turned its attention to the training of sea cadets, and The Ocean Training Scheme, devised by Lord Brassey and Thomas Lane Devitt, was begun in 1890. Known as the 'Brassey Scheme', its vessels were owned jointly by Lord Brassey and Devitt and Moore but managed by the latter company. The object was to develop a method of training officers for the Merchant Marine. Apart from practical seamanship, training instructions were provided on board the vessels to teach the cadets arithmetic, algebra, geometry, navigation and nautical astronomy. The first vessels acquired for the new scheme were the iron ships Harbinger and Hesperus. The four-masted barque PORT JACKSON was acquired in 1906. Another four-masted barque, the MEDWAY, was purchased in 1910 and the training scheme extended under a new company, Devitt and Moore Ocean Training Ship Ltd. The MEDWAY remained in service until 1918. In 1917 Devitt purchased 'Clayesmore', a large country house near Pangbourne and, together with his youngest son Philip Henry Devitt (1876-1947) founded the Nautical College. In 1929 the firm of Verne, Son and Eggar took over the shipbroking and chartering business of Devitt and Moore. In 1931 the company was reconstructed and renamed Devitt and Moore Nautical College Ltd.
Domvile entered the Navy in 1892 and served in the SOVEREIGN in the Channel. From 1895 to 1897 he went to the CRESCENT, flagship in North America, followed by a period in the ACTIVE, Training Squadron. After promotion to lieutenant in 1898, Domvile was in the REVENGE in the Mediterranean before taking the specialist gunnery course in EXCELLENT, after which he was a staff officer there. From 1903 to 1907 he was on the Mediterranean Station, firstly as gunnery officer in the MONTAGU and then in the LEVIATHAN. His next appointment was with the Home Fleet, from 1907 to 1901 It was at this time that he ran foul of Sir John (later Lord) Fisher (1841-1920) over an essay which won the Gold medal of the Royal United Service Institution in 1907. Promoted to commander at the end of 1909, Domvile commanded the destroyers BONETTA and RATTLESNAKE in home waters, 1910 to 1912, after which he became Assistant secretary to the Committee on Imperial Defence until 1914. He spent the whole war with the Harwich Force in command of the MIRANDA, LIGHTFOOT, ARETHUSA, CARYSFORT, CENTUAR and CURACAO, the latter four being Admiral Tyrwhitt's (1886-1951) flagships. Domvile was Director of the Plans Division at the Admiralty from 1919 to 1922, then Chief of Staff to the Commander-in-Chief, Mediterranean between 1922 and 1925. He commanded the ROYAL SOVEREIGN in the Atlantic Fleet, 1925 to 1926. In 1927 he reached flag rank and became Director of Naval Intelligence from 1927 until 1930. After commanding the Third Cruiser Squadron in the Mediterranean between 1931 and 1932, he ended his service career as President of the Royal Naval College, Greenwich, 1932 to 1934. Subsequently he became known for his pro-German views and in June 1940 was detained under the Defence Regulations. He was released from Brixton Prison in 1943. Domvile wrote two autobiographical works: 'By and large' (London, 1936) and 'From admiral to cabin boy' (London, 1947).
The naval school of navigation, HMS Dryad, was founded in 1903. It was based at Portsmouth until 1941 when it moved to Southwick near Fareham in Hampshire. In 1974 it became the School of Maritime Operations, though retaining the name of Dryad. See B B Schofield, The Story of HMS Dryad (Havant, Hampshire,1977).
In the early years of the nineteenth century Zachary MacAulay and William Wilberforce established a fund for the relief of distressed seamen. The committee appointed to manage the fund met for the first time on 8 March 1821 and from this meeting was formed the Seamen's Hospital Society. The purpose of the new society was the establishment of a hospital solely for seamen. The 48 gun GRAMPUS was loaned by the Admiralty for conversion as a hospital ship and she was moored at Greenwich in October 1821.
Within the next ten years it became clear that the accomodation in the GRAMPUS could not meet the demand and in 1831 the Admiralty agreed to replace her with a larger hulk, the DREADNOUGHT, previously used by the Royal Navy as a hospital ship at Milford Haven. In 1833 the hospital was incorporated by Act of Parliament as 'The Seamen's Hospital Society'.
In 1832 the high incidence of cholera prompted the Central Board of Health to convert the DOVER as an isolation hospital and she joined the DREADNOUGHT at Greenwich. The Society took over the maintenance of this ship in 1835, also taking responsibility for other ships as time went on to combat outbreaks of disease. The DREADNOUGHT in turn proved inadequate to cope with the numbers, principally merchant seamen, requiring medical treatment and in 1857 she was replaced by the 120 gun CALEDONIA, renamed DREADNOUGHT by special permission of the Admiralty.
Debate arose in 1860 as to whether the hospital ship should move to a more convenient mooring or whether a new base should be sought ashore. Application was made to the Admiralty for the tenancy of the then little used Greenwich hospital, and in 1867 it was agreed that part, at least, of the building should be made available. After further negotiations, the Admiralty in 1870 leased the Infirmary, together with Somerset Ward to the Society at a nominal rental. The DREADNOUGHT hulk remained in use at Greenwich until 1872 as isolation accomodation.
The Society continued to expand, opening branch hospitals and other establishments including, in 1877, the Dreadnought School for Nurses. With the advent of the National Health Service in 1948 the hospital and its branches were handed over to the Minister for Health, the Dreadnoght Hospital itself surviving as a hospital for seamen, administered by the Seamen's Hospital Management Committee until 1974. This committee was succeeded by the Greenwich and Bexley Area Health Authority and later, in 1982, by the Greenwich Health Authority. The hospital was closed in 1986.
Bibliography:
McBride, A. G, 'The History of the Dreadnought Seamen's Hospital at Greenwich', Seamen's Hospital Management Commitee, Greenwich, 1970.
Plumridge, J. H 'Hospital Ships and Ambulance Trains', London 1975.
(Both of these volumes are available in the Library as PBN7334 and PBB4449 respectively)
Doughty entered the Navy as a cadet in 1847 in the VICTORY. He went to the Mediterranean in the Rodney and remained there firstly in the HOWE and then in the BULLDOG. From 1850 to 1854 he was in the PORTLAND on a voyage to Pitcairn Island and, still on the Pacific Station, he joined the CENTAUR in 1855, the year in which he became a lieutenant. From 1860 Doughty was in the Mediterranean as First Lieutenant of the FOXHOUND until 1864. He was appointed to command the WEAZEL in 1866 on the China Station and returned to the Shannon in 1868 to take up coastguard duties in the VALIANT. His next commission was to the East Indies in the MAGPIE, 1870 to 1872, and he was promoted to captain in 1875. Between 1878 and 1881 he commanded the CROCODILE, an Indian troopship, until he was sent to the Constance on the Pacific Station, 1882 to 1886, during which time he court-martialled his first lieutenant. The REVENGE, the flagship at Queenstown, was his last command, in 1887, and he was placed on the retired list as rear-admiral in 1890.
Duckworth went to sea in 1759 and became a lieutenant in 1771. He saw service in North America during the War of American Independence. He was made Commander of the ROVER in 1779 and a captain in 1780, serving in the West Indies until 1781. He commanded the BOMBAY CASTLE during the mobilization of 1790. In 1793 be was appointed to the ORION, under Lord Howe (q.v.) in the Channel fleet, and fought at the battle of the First of June 1794. In 1795 he returned to the West Indies as Captain of the LEVIATHAN and commanded the fleet for a time in 1796. After a short period in home waters, he joined Earl St. Vincent (q.v.) in the Mediterranean and was in command of the naval forces at the capture of Minorca, 1798. He was promoted to rear-admiral in 1799 and continued to serve in the Mediterranean until 1800. He then took command of the blockading squadron off Cadiz, captured a Spanish convoy, and in the same year was appointed Commander-in-Chief, Leeward Islands Station. He received a knighthood for his services against the colonies of the Northern Confederation in 1801. In 1803 he was appointed Commander-in-Chief, Jamaica, and brought about the surrender of the French army in San Domingo. He was promoted to vice-admiral in 1804. After Trafalgar, he was ordered to join Collingwood (q. V.) in the blockade of Cadiz and when there, heard that a French squadron had escaped; he defeated it at San Domingo on 6 February 1806. Afterwards he returned to Cadiz and the Mediterranean. In February and March 1807 he commanded the squadron which forced the passage of the Dardanelles. The ineffectual outcome of this mission caused Duckworth to be severely criticized. He was ordered to join the Channel fleet. Subsequently he remained in home waters until 1810 when he was promoted to admiral and appointed Commander-in-Chief and Governor of Newfoundland, returning home in 1813. He was elected Member of Parliament for New Romney in 1812. Shortly before his death he was appointed Commander-in-Chief at Plymouth.
Gilbert Elliot was the eldest son of Gilbert Elliot, first Earl of Minto (q. v.) and was trained for the diplomatic service. He was a Member of Parliament for Ashburton, 1806 to 1807 and for Roxburghshire, 1812 to 1814. He supported the Whigs and in 1832 was appointed Ambassador to Berlin. In 1835 he succeeded Lord Auckland as First Lord of the Admiralty and served as such until 1841. In 1846 Minto became Lord Privy Seal. He left office in 1852, after which he took no further part in politics.
Flinders joined the Navy in 1790 and went on the second bread-fruit voyage in the PROVIDENCE from 1791 to 1793. On his return, Flinders went to the BELLEROPHON and was present at the battle of the First of June 1794. He then served in the RELIANCE, taking the new Governor to New South Wales and used the opportunity to explore the coastline firstly in the TOM THUMB and then in the FRANCIS with the surgeon, George Bass (d c 1812). They charted the coast of Van Diemen's Land (Tasmania) between 1798 and 1799 in the NORFOLK and proved that it was an island. On his return home in 1800 Flinders convinced Sir Joseph Banks (1743-1820) of the need to chart the whole of Australia; he was promoted to commander and sent out in the INVESTIGATOR, 1801, with a team of scientific assistants. While surveying the southern coast of Australia as far as Port Phillip (the site of Melbourne), Flinders encountered the French ships LA GEOGRAPHE and LA NATURALISTE which were also engaged in charting the continent. He later travelled northwards, amplifying and correcting the work of Cook, but had to abandon his work in 1803 as the INVESTIGATOR appeared to be rotten. On his return voyage to England he was detained at Ile de France (Mauritius) by the French governor there and held prisoner for over six years. He was released in 1810 and survived only long enough to complete and publish, in 1814, his Voyage to Terra Australis. Flinders also made an important contribution to the knowledge of the variation of the mariner's compass. Among the many biographies written about Flinders, the latest is by James Decker Mack, Matthew Flinders (London, 1966).
Eldest son of Admiral Sir Edmund Robert Fremantle, Sydney Fremantle entered the Navy in 1881. He was promoted to lieutenant in 1887, to commander in 1889 and to captain in 1903 After a distinguished career afloat he was made Head of the War Division at the Admiralty in 1910 and President of the Signal Committee at Portsmouth in 1912. He became a rear-admiral in 1913 and was made Head of the Signals Division at the Admiralty in 1914. He was second-in-command of the Third Battle Squadron in 1915, and was appointed to command the Ninth Cruiser Squadron in 1916 and the Second Cruiser Squadron in early 1917. In August of that year he was in command of the British Aegean Squadron. In January 1918 he was made Deputy Chief of Naval Staff, was promoted to vice-admiral and in May 1919 was appointed to command the First Battle Squadron. Fremantle was promoted to admiral in 1922 and was Commander-in-Chief, Portsmouth, from 1923 to 1926. Ho retired in 1928. See Fremantle's autobiography, My Naval Career (London, 1949).
Miss Cicely Fox Smith, who had travelled in Canada and Africa, wrote a number of popular books on sailing ships of the last century. She was also a contributor to Punch for many years and well known for her attractive verses.
For some fifty years George H. Gabb (fl 1880-1930) built up a collection not only of manuscripts relating to science, but also of scientific instruments.
Geary entered the Navy in 1727, became a lieutenant in 1734, a captain in 1742 and served through the War of Austrian Succession. During the early part of the Seven Years War he was in North America and then returned, in 1757, to take command at the Nore for a few months, in the PRINCESS ROYAL. In 1758 he moved into the LENOX, Channel Fleet, and in the following year served on the same station in the RESOLUTION and then in the SANDWICH. It was in the latter ship that he hoisted his flag in 1759 as rear-admiral and commanded detached squadrons in the Channel until late in 1760. After this he became Commander-in-Chief at Portsmouth until 1762, when he became vice-admiral. His next service was in the same command between 1769 and 1771. Having been promoted to admiral in 1775, in 1780 he took up his last appointment as Commander-in-Chief of the Channel Fleet.
Greene entered the Admiralty as a Higher Division Clerk in 1881 From 1887 to 1892 he was Private Secretary to successive First Lords and became Principal Clerk in the Secretary's department in 1902. He was Assistant Secretary of the Admiralty, 1907 to 1911, in which year he became Permanent Secretary Considerable changes in the constitution of the Admiralty Board and other departments were made in 1917 and Greene became Secretary of the Ministry of Munitions, which post he held until his retirement in 1920.
Greet entered the Navy in 1867 and was promoted to midshipman in 1869. He served in the Pacific in the ZEALOUS and FAWN and was made a sub-lieutenant in 1874 He served in the JUNO, China Station, 1876 to 1877, and was promoted to lieutenant in 1878. He then spent the usual period at the Royal Naval College, Greenwich, before his appointment to the Tenedos in 1882. In 1887 he served in the IRON DUKE, Channel, and in the following year he was appointed to the CHAMPION, Pacific Station. He was promoted to commander in 1891, served in the Channel and, from 1896, at a training establishment, and was promoted to captain in 1897. He retired with the rank of rear-admiral in 1907 and became an admiral on the retired list in 1916.
Gould entered the Navy in 1906 and was promoted to lieutenant in 1911. He served on the China Station and in the Mediterranean, but was invalided from active service in 1915. In 1916 he was appointed Naval Assistant to the Hydrographer of the Admiralty, a post he held until 1927. In 1920 Gould offered to clean and reconstruct the four Harrison marine timekeepers belonging to the nation, now on display in the National Maritime Museum.
Gower entered the Navy in 1755. He was promoted to lieutenant in 1762 and took part in two voyages of circumnavigation early in his career. He was promoted to captain in 1780 and served on the East Indies and Newfoundland stations. In 1792 he was appointed to command the LION in which he took the embassy of Earl Macartney (1737-1806) to China In November 1794, he was appointed to command the TRIUMPH and was with Admiral Sir William Cornwallis (q.v.) during the 'Cornwallis retreat' in 1795. He was involved in the mutiny at the Nore when he commanded the NEPTUNE, one of the ships commissioned for the defence of the Thames, and continued to serve in her, in the Channel Fleet, until his promotion to rear-admiral in 1799. In 1804 Gower became a vice-admiral and in 1809 an admiral.
Grey was made a lieutenant in 1781 and served in the West Indies and in home waters In 1793 he was promoted to captain and commanded the BOYNE, in which Sir John Jervis had his flag. The BOYNE was lost through fire at Spithead in 1795 but Grey was acquitted of responsibility at his court martial. From 1795 to 1797 he was Captain of the VICTORY, in which Jervis again had his flag, and was present at the battle of Cape St Vincent in 1797. Later in the same year he took command of the VILLE DE PARIS but left the ship at the end of 1798. In April 1800 he returned to the VILLE DE PARIS, once again as Jervis' Flag Captain, and served in her until March 1801. He then commanded the Royal Yachts In 1804 he was appointed Commissioner of Sheerness Dockyard and in 1806 was transferred to Portsmouth Dockyard where he remained until his death. He was created a baronet in 1814.
Grant, son of an Aberdeen merchant, entered naval service as a clerk in 1778. In 1794 he was appointed to the LUTINE as Purser, and in 1795 to the DIDO. Two years later he was appointed to the GOLIATH and was present at the Battle of the Nile. In 1799 he applied for an exchange to home service for health reasons and returned with the GOLIATH at the end of the year. He remained in England until 1801 when he rejoined his ship and went to the West Indies. His health became so bad that he was invalided back to England.
Graves was the second son of Rear-Admiral Thomas Graves and first cousin to Admiral Samuel Graves (1713-1787) He was with his father in the NORFOLK at the attack on Cartagena in 1741 and went with him to the Mediterranean and transferred into the MARLBOROUGH in 1742. In 1743 he was appointed Lieutenant of the ROMNEY and was present at the action off Toulon in February 1744. In 1746 he was in the PRINCESSA at the attack on L'Orient and he then served in the MONMOUTH under Anson and Hawke in the Channel. Between 1751 and 1754 he made two voyages to Africa. In 1754 he was given command of the HAZARD in home waters. He was made a captain in 1755 and appointed to the Sheerness, but in 1757 was court-martialled for refusing an engagement with an enemy ship, which appeared to be of superior force, and sentenced to be reprimanded. Graves was appointed to the UNICORN in 1758 and served in the Channel under Anson and Rodney. In 1761, as Captain of the ANTELOPE, he was Governor and Commander-in-Chief, Newfoundland. On his arrival he found there had been a French invasion and he organized a relief expedition which drove them from the island. On his return home he was made Captain of the TEMERAIRE in 1764 and in 1765 was sent to the west coast of Africa to investigate charges of maladministration in the British forts. He served as Member of Parliament for East Looe, January to May, 1775. In 1778 he commanded the CONQUEROR in North America and the West Indies, returning home the next year on his promotion to rear-admiral when he served as second-in-command of the Channel Fleet. He was sent to America as Commander-in-Chief in 1780 and led the British fleet at the action off the Chesapeake in March 1781 which resulted in the surrender of Cornwallis at Yorktown. Graves sailed for home from the West Indies in 1782 but lost several ships in a storm He was made a vice-admiral in 1787 and in 1788 Commander-in-Chief, Plymouth. He hoisted his flag in the CAMBRIDGE in 1790. In 1793 he was appointed second-in-command of the Channel Fleet under Lord Howe. He was promoted to admiral in 1794. He was raised to the Irish peerage for his part in the battle of the First of June 1794 but received a wound which forced him to give up his command and he saw no further service.
The yard at Halifax was established in February 1759. A Storekeeper had been stationed there since 1756, a Master Attendant since 1757 and the Admiralty ordered the construction of a careening wharf and other facilities for refitting ships in 1758. By 1774 there were two careening wharves, and these facilities remained largely unaltered until the mid-nineteenth century. Between 1881 and 1897 coaling facilities, a graving-dock and a torpedo boat slip were added. In January 1907 the yard was handed over to the Canadian Government and it remains the principal Atlantic base of the Canadian naval force.
Hamond was the son of Captain Sir Andrew Snape Hamond (1738-1828), Controller of the Navy. He entered the Navy in 1785, was promoted to lieutenant in 1795 and commander in 1798. He served during the French wars but was invalided in 1814. His next appointment was in 1824 to the Wellesley and in 1825 he conveyed the British ambassador, Sir Charles Stuart (1779-1845), later Lord Stuart de Rothesay, to Brazil. While there Hamond was promoted to rear-admiral. He was ordered home in the SPARTIATE and on the way he delivered the Treaty of Separation between Brazil and Portugal to the King of Portugal. From 1834 to 1838 he was Commander-in-Chief on the South American Station; this was his last employment. Hamond became a vice-admiral in 1837, an admiral in 1847 and Admiral of the Fleet in 1862.
Lee was a civil lawyer, and admitted as an advocate in Doctor's Commons in 1729. He was Member of Parliament for Brackley, 1733 to 1742, and afterwards represented Devizes, 1742 to 1747, Liskeard, 1747 to 1754, and Launceston, 1754 to 1758. In 1742 he was on the Board of Admiralty but in 1744 followed Lord Carteret (1690-1763) out of office. His connection with the Navy ceased from this time.
Hinde went to sea in July 1829 in the ATHOLL, Capt Alexander Gordon, possibly a friend of the family, seeing service on the West Coast of Africa. In 1831, while Midshipman in the DRYAD, Capt John Hayes, he was officially reported for the conduct he displayed in her tender, the BLACK JOKE, at the capture by boarding of a slave vessel of superior force. In December 1831 he moved from the BLACK JOKE into the FAIR ROSAMOND until July 1832 when he returned home in the DRYAD. In the two tenders he saw a good deal of action which he describes in his letters. Between 1833 and 1836 Hinde served aboard the SERPENT in the West Indies. The ship was not a happy one but apparently one of the more efficient sloops on the station. She cruised unsuccessfully for slavers, carried troops to various places in cases of insurrections by freed slaves and went to Para to watch British interests. Hinde was promoted Lieutenant in 1844, Commander in 1857 but never served at that rank. He retired in 1867 and died in 1869.
Hammill entered the Navy in 1865, was made a lieutenant in 1871 and a commander in 1881. At the bombardment of Alexandria, 1882, he commanded the MONARCH and then the Naval Brigade. He later served with the Naval Brigade at Port Said. Hammill again served with a Naval Brigade during the Sudan Campaign of 1884 to 1885, when he accompanied the Nile Expedition despatched for the relief of General Gordon. He commanded the naval force south of Wadi Halfa during the passage of the steamers through the Second Cataract and served with the Nile Flotilla in surveying the Upper Nile. For these services he was promoted to captain in 1885. Hammill held various posts at the Admiralty between 1886 and 1892. He then returned to service afloat until his early death.
See sub-fonds level descriptions for individual biographies.
John Hamilton, elder brother of Archibald Hamilton, and nephew of Alexander Montgomerie, first went to sea in the service of the East India Company. He took command of the BOMBAY CASTLE for three voyages between 1795 and 1801, when the ship was managed by Alexander Montgomerie. The first two of these voyages were to Bombay and China. The destination of the third was to China direct and it was during this voyage, when the BOMBAY CASTLE was one of six East Indiamen under convoy of Captain Rowley Bulteel (fl 1780-1820) in HMS BELLIQUEUX, that three French frigates and a prize schooner were sighted off the coast of Brazil. La Medee was captured by Hamilton and by Captain Meriton (H.E.I.C.) of the Exeter and command of her was given to John's brother, Archibald Hamilton.
Archibald Hamilton, younger brother of John Hamilton, served in the East India Company's ship, BOMBAY CASTLE as Fourth Mate in 1798. He was given command of a French prize LA MEDEE, which was captured off Brazil in 1800. He then succeeded his brother in the command of the BOMBAY CASTLE, 1802, and made two voyages in her to Bombay and China. His ship was one of the East India Company's China fleet under Sir Nathaniel Dance (1748-1827) when the French squadron was beaten off in 1804, off Pulo Aor, in the Straits of Malacca. A court of enquiry into charges of misconduct was held during the final voyage of the BOMBAY CASTLE. Her successor, the BOMBAY, made four voyages with Hamilton commanding between 1810 and 1820; the first two were to China and the latter two to Bombay and China.