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.
Brown entered the Navy in 1890 and served in the DREADNOUGHT in the Mediterranean until 1893, when he joined the TOURMALINE in the West Indies. He then joined the VOLAGE in the Training Squadron and took part in the summer cruise of 1896. His next ship was the TRAFALGAR, Mediterranean and Channel Stations, and between 1900 and 1902 he served in the ARGONAUT on the China Station. Brown was promoted to commander in 1905, to captain in 1912 and held a succession of cruiser appointments during the First World War. He then served as head of the naval mission to Greece between 1917 and 1919 and was made rear-admiral in the Royal Hellenic Navy in 1918. In 1922 he was promoted to rear-admiral, placed on the retired list and in 1927 was advanced to vice-admiral.
David Beatty entered the navy in 1884 as a cadet on board the BRITANNIA. Two years later he was posted as a midshipman to the ALEXANDRA, flagship of Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh, Commander-in-Chief of the Mediterranean Fleet, after which he served in the CRUISER and TAMAR. As an acting Sub-Lieutenant, he underwent training between 1890 and 1892 at Portsmouth and at the Royal Naval College, Greenwich. Promoted Lieutenant in 1892, he spent most of the next four years in the RUBY corvette, and battleships CAMPERDOWN and TRAFALGAR. Between 1896 and 1898, in the efforts to retain the Sudan under Egyptian control, he distinguished himself in operations involving a flotilla of gunboats on the Nile; in addition in 1898 he commanded a rocket battery on shore. For these services he was promoted Commander in November 1898 (see BTY/1/2 and BTY/24/1-6).
The following year, Beatty went as commander in the BARFLEUR to China, then in the throes of the Boxer rebellion. Again he distinguished himself in reinforcing the garrison at Tientsin and in leading sorties against the besieging rebels (see BTY/1/3). Although only 29, in November 1900 he was promoted captain. Between 1902 and 1910, Beatty commanded the cruisers JUNO, ARROGANT, DIANA and SUFFOLK and the battleship QUEEN. Memoranda survive relating to his command of the JUNO (BTY/2/1). In 1910 Beatty was promoted Rear-Admiral, the youngest flag-officer for over a hundred years, at 39. In 1911 he was offered a Flag post in the Atlantic Fleet, which he refused (see BTY/2/2), and after Winston Churchill became First Lord of the Admiralty in October 1911, he chose Beatty for his naval secretary (see BTY/2/3). To test Beatty's aptitude for sea command, Churchill gave him commane of a cruiser squadron during the manoeuvres of 1912 (see BTY/22/1). In 1913 Churchill gave Beatty command of the battlecruiser squadron based at Scapa Flow, with his flag in the LION (see BTY/2/4). Beatty took a leading part in the naval operations of the Grand Fleet throughout the First World War Admiral Sir John Jellicoe became first Sea Lord and Beatty as Commander-in-Chief and Jellicoe's subordinate, the correspondence with Jellicoe is a key source for the history of naval operations for the whole war (see BTY/13/21-23).
Other important correspondence is that between Beatty and Sir Rosslyn Wemyss (1864-1933) (see BTY/13/39, 40). In 1901 Beatty married Ethel (1874-1932), daughter of Marshall Field of Chicago and former wife of the american, Arthur Tree. They had two sons, David (1905-1981) and Peter (b 1910). Their correspondence (BTY/17 and 18) is an important source for the war as well as for pre- and post-war periods, extending from 1900 to 1927. In 1919 Beatty succeeded Wemyss as first sea lord at the Admiralty, a post he held until 1927. Beatty's correspondence with W H Long (1854-1924), then First Lord, covers the terms of his appointment and his first three years at the Admiralty (BTY/13/28). Dominating his first three years at the Admiralty was the controversy over what actually happened at the battle of Jutland, and the succession of efforts to produce a version of events for public comsumption. Particularly important are the memoranda relating to the production by Captain J E T Harper (1874-1949) of the 'Official Record' of the battles and the decision not to publish it (BTY/9/2 and 3). In 1927 Beatty was elevated to the peerage and took his place in the House of Lords. He died in 1939 and was buried in St Paul's Cathedral.
Alfred Burton was commissioned as first lieutenant in the Royal Marines in 1806. From 1811 to 1812 he served in the ROTA in the Channel. He was promoted to captain in 1827 and served in the Mediterranean in the Alfred, 1831 to 1834.
Son of Captain Alfred Burton (q.v.), Cuthbert Ward 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.
Burton was commissioned as first lieutenant in the Royal Marines in 1806. From 1811 to 1812 he served in the ROTA in the Channel. He was promoted to captain in 1827 and served in the Mediterranean in the ALFRED, 1831 to 1834.
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.
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.
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 ACTEON in the West Indies, but he returned home before the end of the year and did not serve again because of ill-health.
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.
Established in 1950 from the Association Amicale des Capitaines au Long Cours Cap Horniers which was created in St Malo in 1936. The association aims to encourage friendships between the mariners who have voyaged around Cape Horn in sailing ships. The association also aims to promote interest in the ships and sailors of previous generations and, in doing so, inspire and support younger sailors.
When he entered the Navy, in 1747, Philip Carteret joined the Salisbury and then served from 1751 to 1755 under Captain John Byron (1723-1786). Between 1757 and 1758 he was in the Guernsey on the Mediterranean Station. As a lieutenant in the Dolphin he accompanied Byron during his voyage of circumnavigation, 1764 to 1766. On his return Carteret was commissioned for another exploratory voyage, this time commanding the Swallow, which expedition was led by Captain Samuel Wallis (1728-1795) in the Dolphin. The ships separated early in the voyage and Carteret made many independent discoveries. When he returned home he was on half-pay for a time and joined the movement pressing for an increase in the half-pay allowance. In 1779, Carteret was appointed to the Endymion and after a few months in the Channel went to the west coast of Africa before sailing for the West Indies to join Admiral Rodney's (1719-1792) fleet. He returned to England in 1781, had no further employment and was made rear-admiral in 1794.
Sir Philip Carteret Silvester was the son of Rear-Admiral Philip Carteret (q.v.) and adopted the name of Silvester in 1822. He entered the Navy in 1792 and joined the Lion under Captain Sir Erasmus Gower (q.v.) on Lord Macartney's Embassy to China. He continued to serve under Gower in the Triumph in 1795 in the Channel and was promoted to lieutenant in that year. He then served in the Imperieuse, Channel and North Sea, 1795 to 1796, in the Greyhound, 1796 to 1798 in the Channel and the Cambrian, 1801, to St. Helena. His first command was the Bonne Citoyenne in the West Indies in 1802. In 1804 he was appointed to the Scorpion, North Sea, until 1806, after which she went to the West Indies until 1807. In 1809 Carteret commanded the gun boats in the Walcheren Expedition. Carteret was given command of the Naiad for a year in 1811 and then the Pomone, 1813 to 1814, both on the Lisbon Station. After the war he commanded the Active on the Jamaica Station but saw no further service after 1817.
When he entered the Navy, in 1747, Carteret joined the SALISBURY and then served from 1751 to 1755 under Captain John Byron (1723-1786). Between 1757 and 1758 he was in the GUERNSEY on the Mediterranean Station. As a lieutenant in the DOLPHIN he accompanied Byron during his voyage of circumnavigation, 1764 to 1766. On his return Carteret was commissioned for another exploratory voyage, this time commanding the SWALLOW, which expedition was led by Captain Samuel Wallis (1728-1795) in the DOLPHIN. The ships separated early in the voyage and Carteret made many independent discoveries. When he returned home he was on half-pay for a time and joined the movement pressing for an increase in the half-pay allowance. In 1779, Carteret was appointed to the ENDYMION and after a few months in the Channel went to the west coast of Africa before sailing for the West Indies to join Admiral Rodney's (1719-1792) fleet. He returned to England in 1781, had no further employment and was made rear-admiral in 1794.
Carteret was the son of Rear-Admiral Philip Carteret and adopted the name of Silvester in 1822. He entered the Navy in 1792 and joined the LION under Captain Sir Erasmus Gower on Lord Macartney's Embassy to China. He continued to serve under Gower in the TRIUMPH in 1795 in the Channel and was promoted to lieutenant in that year. He then served in the IMPERIEUSE, Channel and North Sea, 1795 to 1796, in the GREYHOUND, 1796 to 1798 in the Channel and the CAMBRIAN, 1801, to St. Helena. His first command was the BONNE CITOYENNE in the West Indies in 1802. In 1804 he was appointed to the SCORPION, North Sea, until 1806, after which she went to the West Indies until 1807. In 1809 Carteret commanded the gun boats in the Walcheren Expedition. Carteret was given command of the NAIAD for a year in 1811 and then the POMONE, 1813 to 1814, both on the Lisbon Station. After the war he commanded the ACTIVE on the Jamaica Station but saw no further service after 1817.
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.
As an historian, he published nine principal naval works and three works of fiction (The fall of Asgard, 1886, For God and Gold, 1887 and Cophetua the Thirteenth, 1889.) Between 1898-1914, he edited five historic works for the Navy Records Society. Serving for many years as Vice President of both The Navy Records Society (NRS) and the Society for Nautical Research (SNR), he was also a member of the Editorial Boards of both societies. In addition, he wrote two articles for the Mariner's Mirror between 1913 and 1921. Amongst his other major titles he was an Honorary Fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge, The Director of the Historical Section of the Committee of Imperial Defence, Lecturer at the Royal Naval War College, Lectured at Oxford, Cambridge and London and was the Official Naval Historian of the Great War.
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.
Chatham was formally established as a Royal dockyard by Queen Elizabeth I in 1567, although for some time there had been an establishment at Gillingham. It assumed importance because of its strategic position in the Dutch wars and by the late seventeenth century it was the largest of all the yards. From that time, although it grew in area and in the size of its workforce, it lost its predominance to Portsmouth and then to Plymouth, partly because the main naval enemy was then France and the Western approaches became the main theatre of operations, and partly because the Medway silted and navigation became more difficult. Chatham thus became a building yard rather than a refitting base. In the eighteen-sixties there was a large building programme and St Mary's basin was constructed for the steam navy. With the closure of Deptford and Woolwich in 1869, it again became relatively important. During the mid to late twentieth century Chatham was redeveloped for the fitting and maintenance of nuclear submarines. The last warships built were conventional submarines. Many of the eighteenth-century yard buildings survive today, and the yard remained operational as H.M. Naval Base, Chatham, under the command of Flag Officer, Medway until 1984. The yard is now a tourist attraction, owned by the Chatham Historic Dockyard Trust.
Chatfield attended the School of Naval Architecture at Portsmouth. He was Assistant Master Shipwright at Deptford, 1848 to 1853, and Master Shipwright between 1853 and 1860. He was a member of the Dockyard Committee of Enquiry, which concluded its report in 1861 and to which he attached a minority report.
Childers, first cousin of Hugh Childers (1827-1896), the politician, entered the Navy as a cadet in 1850 on board the Queen. From 1852 he was in the Britannia at the Crimea until late 1854, being present at the battles of Alma and Sebastopol. He then joined the Tribune, Mediterranean Station, and was in her in 1857 at the beginning of the Second China War, when she went to the Canton River, before crossing the Pacific to British Columbia in 1859. In 1860 he became a lieutenant and served in the Victorious and Firebrand, both in the Channel Fleet. Between 1861 and 1863 Childers went round the world in the Charybdis. After a gunnery course and a short period in the Canopus in 1867, he was appointed Transports Officer for the Abyssinian expedition in the Black Prince. His final appointment was the command of the Flirt in the North Sea, 1868 to 1869
Sir Hugh Cloberry Christian, father of Hood Hanway Christian, entered the navy in circa 1761, being promoted to Lieutenant in 1771. Serving mostly in the Channel and Mediterranean, in 1778 he was appointed Captain of HMS SUFFOLK, which carried Commodore Rowley's broad pennant to North America, seeing action of Grenada in 1779 and Martinique in 1780. Moving on to the HMS FORTUNEE he participated in the actions off the Chesapeake, 1781, St Kitts and Dominica in 1782. He returned home during the peace, and did not find employment again until 1790, as second captain on board the HMS QUEEN CHARLOTTE with Lord Howe. In 1795 he was advanced to Rear-Admiral of the Blue, and appointed Commander-in-Chief of the West Indies Station, with his flag in the HMS PRINCE GEORGE, but the fleet was scattered in a storm and limped back to Spithead. He did not arrive in Barbados until April 1796, having been invested with the Order of the Bath, where he undertook the conquest of St. Lucia with Sir Ralph Abercromby. In 1797 he was sent to the Cape of Good Hope as second in command, being promoted to commander-in-chief in 1798, a few months before his death. Hood Hanway Christian was the eldest son of Sir Hugh Cloberry Christian. He joined the navy in 1792 as a volunteer and served on the ships of his father until 1798, serving in both the West Indies and the Cape of Good Hope. He then moved on to HMS GARLAND, HMS BOADICEA (taking part in the attack on the Spanish batteries of the Isle d'Aix) in 1799, and on to HMS QUEEN CHARLOTTE, the flagship of Lord Keith in the Mediterranean. He was promoted to Lieutenant in 1800, serving onboard HMS PHEONIX, taking part in the reduction of Genoa. In 1806, after serving with distinction in Rear Admiral Rainier's flag ship HMS TRIDENT, he received a post dated commission, returning home to captain HMS HEROINE, which was part of the Walcheron expeditionary armament. From 1811 to 1814, he was the captain of HMS IRIS, which was based off northern Spain, and from which he actively helped Spanish patriots. This culminated in the capture of the fortress at Castro, of which he was appointed governor. From 1824 to 1828 he served as Commodore on the Cape of Good Hope Station.
Sir Hugh Cloberry Christian, father of Hood Hanway Christian (q.v), entered the navy in c 1761, being promoted to Lieutenant in 1771. Serving mostly in the Channel and Mediterranean, in 1778 he was appointed Captain of HMS SUFFOLK, which carried Commodore Rowley's broad pennant to North America, seeing action of Grenada in 1779 and Martinique in 1780. Moving on to the HMS FORTUNEE he participated in the actions off the Chesapeake, 1781, St Kitts and Dominica in 1782. He returned home during the peace, and didn't find employment again until 1790, as second captain on board the HMS QUEEN CHARLOTTE with Lord Howe. In 1795 he was advanced to Rear-Admiral of the Blue, and appointed Commander-in-Chief of the West Indies Station, with his flag in the HMS PRINCE GEORGE, but the fleet was scattered in a storm and limped back to Spithead. He didn't arrive in Barbados until April 1796, having been invested with the Order of the Bath, where he undertook the conquest of St. Lucia with Sir Ralph Abercromby. In 1797 he was sent to the Cape of Good Hope as second in command, being promoted to commander-in-chief in 1798, a few months before his death.
Hood Hanway Christian was the eldest son of Sir Hugh Cloberry Christian (q.v). He joined the navy in 1792, as a volunteer, and served on the ships of his father until 1798, serving in both the West Indies and the Cape of Good Hope. He then moved on to HMS GARLAND, HMS BOADICEA (taking part in the attack on the Spanish batteries of the Isle d'Aix) in 1799, and on to HMS QUEEN CHARLOTTE, the flagship of Lord Keith in the Mediterranean. He was promoted to Lieutenant in 1800, serving onboard HMS PHEONIX, taking part in the reduction of Genoa. In 1806, after serving with distinction in Rear Admiral Rainier's flag ship HMS TRIDENT, he received a post dated commission, returning home to captain HMS HEROINE, which was part of the Walcheron expeditionary armament. From 1811 to 1814, he was the captain of HMS IRIS, which was based off northern Spain, and from which he actively helped Spanish patriots. This culminated in the capture of the fortress at Castro, of which he was appointed governer. From 1824 to 1828, he served as Commodore on the Cape of Good Hope Station.
Chambers entered the Navy in 1823 and served in the West Indies from 1824 until 1829, the year in which he became a lieutenant. He went again to the West Indies in 1833 when he was appointed First Lieutenant of the RACER and in 1836 was given charge of the Portuguese prize brigantine VIGILANTI. In 1837 he transferred to the WELLESLEY, flagship in the East Indies, and in 1840 was acting captain firstly of the ALLIGATOR, then of the PELORUS which was stationed at Port Essington, Australia. When the PELORUS was sold at Singapore in 1841, Chambers returned to the WELLESLEY as her First Lieutenant and took part in the latter stages of the First China War, 1839 to 1842. For this service he was promoted to commander and became captain in 1846.
Captain John Christopher joined the Royal Navy in June 1839 and served as a seaman on board HMS CAMBRIDGE until November 1841. In March 1842 he commenced a career of over thirty years in the Merchant Service. In 1850 he made a successful claim for a Master's Certificate of Service (his application form is among the papers of the Registrar General of Shipping and Seamen at the Museum). He served in a number merchant ships including the barque MINMANUETH of Scilly 1865 to1872 in the American trade. In 1872 he left the sea due to ill health although he served as Mate in the REAPER in 1876. He then turned his attentions to shipowning. In 1875 he purchased shares of the schooner LIZZIE MORTON of St Ives in 1879. He also became involved in the foundation of the Hain Steamship Company of St Ives in 1879. The Christopher family continued to play a leading part in the Hain Steamship Company; John Christopher's grandson Sir George P Christopher becoming Chairman and Managing Director and his grandson Captain J Christopher becoming the Company's Marine Superintendant.
Chatfield entered the Navy in 1886, was promoted to lieutenant in 1894 and to captain in 1909. He was captain of the Medina during the Royal Tour of King George V and Queen Mary to India, 1911 to 1912, and later Flag-Captain to Admiral Beatty (1871-1936), 1913 to 1919, combining this duty with responsibility for fleet gunnery in the Queen Elizabeth, 1917 to 1919. He was a delegate to the Washington Naval Conference of 1920, becoming a rear-admiral in that year and he subsequently held a variety of Admiralty and sea-going appointments. He was promoted to vice-admiral in 1926. In 1929 he was Commander-in-Chief of the Atlantic Fleet and of the Mediterranean Fleet from 1930 to 1932. He was First Sea Lord, 1933 to 1938, became Admiral of the Fleet in 1935 and was made a baron in 1937. He was appointed Minister of Co-ordination of Defence, with a seat in the War Cabinet, by Neville Chamberlain in 1939, after serving as chairman of a committee which reported on the defence of India. In April 1940 he resigned as he felt the post was rendered redundant. During the rest of the war he was appointed to various civil defence committees. He wrote two autobiographical works: The navy and defence (London, 1942) and it might happen again (London, 1947).
Clarke, a graduate of Trinity College, Dublin, held livings in Ireland in which he was non-resident. He was a confidant of Nicholas Vansittart, Lord Bexley (1766-1851), and tutor to the Duke of Cumberland's illegitimate son, George Fitzernest. Clarke was appointed Auditor of the Naval Asylum at Greenwich, which position he held from 1805 to 1821. His appointment and those of the Secretary and Chaplain were later criticized by Sir Charles Pole (q.v.) in the House of Commons on the grounds that none of them had ever had any sea service.
Between 1748 and 1749 Clements served in the East Indies in the SYREN. He was in the UNICORN firstly in the Mediterranean and later in the Western Squadron, from 1755, when he became a lieutenant, until 1757, when he was promoted to captain and given command of the London buss. In 1758 he was posted into the ACTAEON in home waters and from 1759 to 1763 he commanded the PALLAS, at first under Admiral Hawke (q.v.) in the Channel and later in the Mediterranean. He was at Portsmouth in the DORSETSHIRE in 1770 and in the Channel in the VENGEANCE in 1778. He became a rear-admiral in 1790.
Thomas Clifford was born at Chudleigh, near Exeter, Devon on 1 August 1630. He matriculated at Exeter College, Oxford in 1647 and then entered the Middle Temple in the following year to complete his education. In November 1664, on the eve of the Second Dutch War, Clifford was made a Commissioner for Sick and Wounded Seamen and Prisoners of War. On 14 January 1665, he was appointed as Sub-Commissioner for Prizes for the Port of London, rising to the position of General Commissioner on 24 March. In the same year, Clifford also received a knighthood and joined the English Fleet at sea participating, with the Duke of York, in the Battle of Lowestoft on 3 June. On 28 June, Charles II granted him the prize ship the PATRIARCH ISSACK, captured from the Dutch, for attention to his duties as Sub-Commissioner for Prizes for the Port of London. In August of that year he was again at sea as Captain of the REVENGE, serving under the Earl of Sandwich at the Battle of Bergen. On 29 August 1665, Clifford was appointed, with Sir Henry Coventry, as Extraordinary Envoy to Sweden and, with Sir Gilbert Talbot, as Extraordinary Envoy to Denmark, to settle questions of commerce and navigation. Sir Clifford was to see direct action again in the Second Dutch War, between 1 and 4 June 1666, when he participated in the Four Days' Battle, and on 25 July 1666 at the St James Day Battle. On 8 November that year, he was appointed Comptroller of the Household and on 5 December he was placed on Charles II's Privy Council. As one of the King's most trusted advisors, he subsequently received a number of high profile appointments, the first in 1667, when he was asked to serve on the Commission of the Treasury. In October 1667, he was requested to assist in the preparation of a report on the English Fleet at war. He was made Treasurer of the Household on 14 June 1668. In 1670, Sir Clifford was responsible, with other ministers including the Earl of Arlington, for the negotiation of the Secret Treaty of Dover of June 1670 with Louis XIV of France, urging Charles II to go to war with the United Provinces. Two years later, during the absence of Coventry and Arlington in Sweden and Holland, Clifford was appointed as Principal Secretary of State. In April 1672, he was created 1st Baron Clifford of Chudleigh and on 28 November was appointed as Lord High Treasurer. The same year he was also made Treasurer of the Exchequer, and was a principal promoter of the Declaration of Indulgence of 1672, suspending penal laws against dissenters and Catholic recusants. Clifford was a member of the Cabal, a group of inner advisers to Charles II, which included Clifford, Ashley (Lord Shaftesbury), Buckingham (George Villiers), Arlington (Henry Bennett) and Lauderdale (John Maitland). Their initials form the word, although the origin of the term is much earlier. Although never a working ministry, one or more of this group was to dominate Court policy from 1667-1673. After the Test Act of 1673, Clifford as a Roman Catholic was forced to resign his role as Treasurer and in June he left the Privy Council. He died, possibly by his own hand, in September of the same year
Collinson entered the Navy in 1823. From 1831 to 1833 he served in the survey ship AETNA off the west coast of Africa and in the Mediterranean. He was commissioned as lieutenant in 1835 and in September of that year was appointed to the SULPHUR, surveying vessel, PACIFIC, under Captains Frederick Beechey (1796-1856) and Edward Belcher (q.v.). He was promoted to commander in 1841 and the following year was appointed to the PLOVER, surveying vessel, in which he made the first survey of the China coast. He remained in the PLOVER until 1846, having been promoted to captain in 1842. Collinson is known chiefly for his voyage of 1850 to 1855 in the ENTERPRISE, during which he spent three years exploring the Arctic beyond Point Barrow in a fruitless search for Sir John Franklin (q.v.) and his ships the EREBUS and TERROR. It was, however, his second-in-command, Robert McClure (q.v.), who went ahead in the INVESTIGATOR, who, while equally unsuccessful in the Franklin search, achieved the transit of the North West Passage, the goal of British Arctic exploration since Elizabethan times; though losing his ship in the process, he received the major share of public acclaim. Collinson was annoyed that his work had not received more attention and that he was not given any official reward. He never again applied for employment under the Admiralty, although he attained his flag in 1862, became vice-admiral in 1869 and an admiral on the retired list in 1875. He was an Elder Brother and Deputy Master of Trinity House, 1862 to 1883, and an active member of the Royal Geographical Society.
The volumes in this collection were originally part of one formed at Clumber House by Henry Pelham, fourth Duke of Newcastle (1785-1851).
The Chine Shipping Company of Cardiff was incorporated as a public company in 1934 with a capital of £20,000. Until the Second World War the Company operated in a modest way with second-hand ships. During the war, and after the loss of its last ship, the Company operated various vessels on behalf of the Ministry of War Transport. In 1944 it was taken over by the Anglo-Danubian Transport Company, which had its headquarters in London. This company, founded in 1928 by George Bischoff (d 1963), had operated a fleet of tugs and barges in the Danube before the war. Bischoff decided to go into deep sea shipowning with the purchase of the Chine Shipping Company. In 1945 he also purchased the Gryfevale Steamship Company and the Rodney Steamship Company. In addition, he owned the Anglo-Continental Inland Waterways Ltd operating barges on the Rhine. From this time the Chine Shipping Company became the most active interest in the group, operating a small number of bulk carriers mainly engaged in the transport of phosphate rock from Spain to Billingham. The depressed state of the tramp freight market, however, led to the liquidation of the Company in 1968.
Cunningham entered the Navy in 1898. He became a lieutenant in 1904, a commander in 1915, captain in 1919, rear-admiral in 1934, vice-admiral in 1936, admiral in 1941 and Admiral of the Fleet in 1943. He was Deputy Chief of Naval Staff, 1938 to 1939, Commander-in-Chief, Mediterranean, 1939 to 1942 and 1943, naval Commander-in-Chief, Expeditionary Force, North Africa, 1942, and First Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Staff, 1943 to 1946. He was created a viscount in 1946. See Cunningham's autobiography, A Sailor's Odyssey, (London, 1951) and Oliver Warner, Cunningham of Hyndhope, Admiral of the Fleet, (London, 1967).
Cockburn went to sea in 1786, became a lieutenant in 1793 and then served in the Mediterranean under Lord Hood (q.v.) and Nelson (q.v.). He was promoted to captain in 1794. In 1796 he commanded the MINERVE and was sent to relieve the garrison at Elba; he continued in the Mediterranean until 1802. His next command was of the PHAETON in which he went to North America and India. He returned to England in the Howe in 1805. Afterwards he served in the CAPTAIN, ABOUKIR and POMPEE, playing a major part in the reduction of Martinique, 1809, and then returning to England in the BELLEISLE. At the taking of Flushing, 1809, he was in the PLOVER and commanded a flotilla as the army retreated from the Scheldt. Then he resumed his command of the Belleisle. In 1810 Cockburn was active off the coasts of France and Spain in the IMPLACABLE and was later appointed a commissioner in what resulted in an attempt to mediate between Spain and her South American colonies. He was promoted to rear-admiral in 1812 and hoisted his flag in the MARLBOROUGH; in her he was sent to North America, 1813, where he was engaged in the destruction of shipping and the harrying of the settlements of the south and middle states and also took part in the burning of Washington. When the peace was concluded he returned to England. After the battle of Waterloo, 1815, Cockburn conveyed Napoleon to St. Helena in the Northumberland and stayed there as Governor and Commander-in-Chief of the Cape Station until 1816. He was made vice-admiral in 1819, admiral in 1827 and Admiral of the Fleet in 1851. He also held the posts of junior Lord of the Admiralty, 1818 to 1830, 1834 to 1835, and First Naval Lord, 1841 to 1846. He was a Member of Parliament for various constituencies, 1818 to 1828 and 1841 to 1847.
Sir Edward Codrington entered the Navy in 1783 and served in the LEANDER, AMBUSCADE and FORMIDABLE in North America and the Mediterranean until 1791. In 1794 he was Earl Howe's (q.v.) Flag Lieutenant in the QUEEN CHARLOTTE and subsequently commanded the fireship COMET and the sloop LA BABET in home waters. In 1796 he was appointed captain of the DRUID, again in home waters, but was unemployed from 1797 until 1805. In this year he commissioned the ORION and was present at Trafalgar. From 1807 he commanded the BLAKE for six years in the Mediterranean, during the Walcheren expedition, 1809, and off the coast of Spain. He was then appointed to the TONNANT, going to the North American Station where he organized the supplies of the army at the capture of Washington. He was promoted to rear-admiral in 1814, remaining on the station until 1815. It was not until 1826 that he again saw active service when he was appointed Commander-in-Chief, Mediterranean, flying his flag aboard the ASIA, and during this command he undertook operations against the pirates in the Levant. He subsequently took a leading part in the interpretation of allied policy in the Greek War of Independence. These operations culminated in the Battle of Navarino, 1827; this secured Codrington's fame while it also ensured his recall in 1828. After a short period of unemployment, he was appointed to command the Channel Squadron in 1831. He then became Member of Parliament for Devonport, 1832 to 1839, when he was appointed Commander-in-Chief, Portsmouth, a post he held until 1842. The papers have been used by Lady Bourchier, Codrington's daughter, in Memoir of the life of Admiral Sir Edward Codrington (London, 1873, 2 vols) and in C.G. Pitcairn Jones, ed. , Piracy in the Levant (Navy Records Society, 1934).
Sir Henry John Codrington, third son of Sir Edward Codrington (q.v.), joined the Navy in 1823 and spent the early years of his service in the Mediterranean, being Signal Midshipman in his father's flagship, ASIA, at the battle of Navarino, 1827, where he was severely wounded. He was made a lieutenant in 1829 and commander in 1831. His first command was the ORESTES, Mediterranean Station, 1834 to 1836. As Captain of the TALBOT he took a leading part in the operations culminating in the siege of Acre, in 1840. In 1846 he was again sent to the Mediterranean in the THETIS where the circumstances leading to the revolutions of 1848 involved him in various diplomatic missions. At the outbreak of the Crimean War, 1854, Codrington was in the Baltic in the Royal George, moving to the Algiers after the war. He became a rear-admiral in 1857 and was Admiral Superintendent of Malta Dockyard, 1858 to 1863. He was Commander-in-Chief at Plymouth, 1869 to 1872, but never hoisted his flag afloat. He was made Admiral of the Fleet in the year of his death. The papers have been used by Lady Bourchier, Codrington's sister, in Selections from the letters, private end professional, of Sir Henry Codrington Admiral of the Fleet (London, 1880).
Codrington entered the Navy in 1783 and served in the LEANDER, AMBUSCADE and FORMIDABLE in North America and the Mediterranean until 1791. In 1794 he was Earl Howe's (q.v.) Flag Lieutenant in the QUEEN CHARLOTTE and subsequently commanded the fireship COMET and the sloop LA BABET in home waters. In 1796 he was appointed captain of the DRUID, again in home waters, but was unemployed from 1797 until 1805. In this year he commissioned the ORION and was present at Trafalgar. From 1807 he commanded the BLAKE for six years in the Mediterranean, during the Walcheren expedition, 1809, and off the coast of Spain. He was then appointed to the TONNANT, going to the North American Station where he organized the supplies of the army at the capture of Washington. He was promoted to rear-admiral in 1814, remaining on the station until 1815. It was not until 1826 that he again saw active service when he was appointed Commander-in-Chief, Mediterranean, flying his flag aboard the ASIA, and during this command he undertook operations against the pirates in the Levant. He subsequently took a leading part in the interpretation of allied policy in the Greek War of Independence. These operations culminated in the Battle of Navarino, 1827; this secured Codrington's fame while it also ensured his recall in 1828. After a short period of unemployment, he was appointed to command the Channel Squadron in 1831. He then became Member of Parliament for Devonport, 1832 to 1839, when he was appointed Commander-in-Chief, Portsmouth, a post he held until 1842. The papers have been used by Lady Bourchier, Codrington's daughter, in Memoir of the life of Admiral Sir Edward Codrington (London, 1873, 2 vols) and in C.G. Pitcairn Jones, ed. , 'Piracy in the Levant' (Navy Records Society, 1934).
Codrington, third son of Sir Edward Codrington (q.v.), joined the Navy in 1823 and spent the early years of his service in the Mediterranean, being Signal Midshipman in his father's flagship, Asia, at the battle of Navarino, 1827, where he was severely wounded. He was made a lieutenant in 1829 and commander in 1831. His first command was the ORESTES, Mediterranean Station, 1834 to 1836. As Captain of the TALBOT he took a leading part in the operations culminating in the siege of Acre, in 1840. In 1846 he was again sent to the Mediterranean in the THETIS where the circumstances leading to the revolutions of 1848 involved him in various diplomatic missions. At the outbreak of the Crimean War, 1854, Codrington was in the Baltic in the ROYAL GEORGE, moving to the Algiers after the war. He became a rear-admiral in 1857 and was Admiral Superintendent of Malta Dockyard, 1858 to 1863. He was Commander-in-Chief at Plymouth, 1869 to 1872, but never hoisted his flag afloat. He was made Admiral of the Fleet in the year of his death. The papers have been used by Lady Bourchier, Codrington's sister, in Selections from the letters, private end professional, of Sir Henry Codrington Admiral of the Fleet (London, 1880).
Collingwood entered the Navy in 1760 and was promoted to lieutenant in 1775. After serving in the Mediterranean and in American waters, he spent most of the American War in the West Indies, becoming a captain in 1780. He did not return to England until 1786. It was during this period that he became a firm friend of Nelson. From 1793 to 1795 he commanded the PRINCE and took part in the battle of the First of June 1794. He was then in the EXCELLENT, 1795 to 1798, Mediterranean Fleet, distinguishing himself at the battle of St. Vincent in 1797. Between 1799, when he became rear-admiral, and 1802 he was in the Channel in the TTRIUMPH and the BARFLEUR, returning there on the renewal of the war in 1803. After Trafalgar, 1805, when he was second-in-command to Nelson (q.v.), he succeeded to the command of the Mediterranean Fleet, which appointment he held until his death. Among a number of biographes there are G.L. Newham Collingwood, A selection from the private correspondence of Vice-Admiral Lord Collingwood (London, 1828) and Oliver Warner, The life and letters of Vice-Admiral Lord Collingwood London, 1968). The papers have been used in Edward Hughes ed.,The private correspondence of Admiral Lord Collingwood (Navy Records Society, 1957).
Edward Owen, elder son of Commander William Owen, entered the Navy in 1786, was made a lieutenant in 1793 and a commander in 1796. In 1797 he commanded a division of gun-brigs at the Nore. He was promoted to captain in 1798, commanding several ships in home waters during hostilities with France. In 1809, in the Clyde, he commanded the Brouershaven Squadron during the Walcheren expedition. From 1822, when he was promoted to rear-admiral, to 1825, he Commander-in-Chief, West Indies. In 1827 he was Surveyor-General of the Ordnance and from March to September, 1828, was a Member of the Council of the Lord High Admiral. Between 1828 and 1832 he was Commander-in-Chief in the East Indies. He was appointed vice-admiral in 1837. From 1841 to 1845 he was Commander-in-Chief, Mediterranean, and he became admiral in 1846. Owen was Member of Parliament for Sandwich from 1826 to 1829.
Younger son of Commander William Owen, W F Owen entered the Navy in 1788 and served on the Home and West Indies Stations. He was in the Culloden at the battle of the First of June 1794 and became a lieutenant in 1797. In 1803 he went to the East Indies where he surveyed the Maldive Islands and assisted at the capture of Batavia in 1806. He was a captive of the French in Mauritius from 1808 to 1810 during which time, in 1809, he was promoted to commander. In 1811 he commanded the BARRACOUTA at the capture of Java. He became a captain and was posted to the CORNELIA, East Indies Station, in 1812. From 1815 to 1816 Owen was engaged in a survey of the Great Lakes and from 1821 to 1826 in the LEVEN, with the BARRACOUTA, conducted the first survey of the coasts of Africa. In the Eden he founded a colony on Fernando Po in 1827 and then served on the coast of South America until 1831. His only other command was the COLUMBIA, North America, in 1847. He returned to England at the end of the year on his promotion to rear-admiral. Owen became a vice-admiral in 1854 and retired in 1855.
Cochrane entered the Navy in 1888 and first went to sea in the BELLEROPHONE in 1890, going to North America and the West Indies. He then joined the Channel Squadron in the ROYAL SOVEREIGN, 1892 to 1893, and went out again to the West Indies in the VOLAGE until 1894. Later he served in the Mediterranean and the Home Fleet and was on the China Station when war broke Out in 1914. In 1918 he was promoted to captain and retired with the rank of rear-admiral in 1929.
Andre De Coppet (d 1953) was of Huguenot descent and was a prominent figure on the New York Stock Exchange. Andre De Coppet (1892-1953) was an American broker and collector of Americana. He was born in New York in 1892 to Edward J. and Pauline De Coppet. A 1915 graduate of Princeton University, he inherited a position in the family stock exchange firm of De Coppet and Doremus after the death of his father in 1916. In 1920 he wed Clara Barclay Onativia in New York. In the mid-1920s he took an interest in Haiti and invested in a sisal plantation there. Through the 1920s and 1930s, De Coppet amassed a significant collection of European and American manuscripts. The intention behind his collection was to bring together original documents illustrating the history of Europe from the twelfth century onwards. His particular interest was cultural history.
Cornwallis entered the Navy in 1755 and served in the Newark in North America and the Dunkirk in the Channel, 1759 to 1760. He became a lieutenant in 1761 and a commander in 1762, the year he took the SWIFT to the West Indies where he remained until 1765, when he was promoted to captain. His next ship was the GUADELOUPE, Mediterranean, to which he was appointed in 1768, going in her to Newfoundland in 1769 and thence to the West Indies until 1773. From 1774 to 1776 he went on two commissions to West Africa and Jamaica in the Pallas. Between 1777 and 1778 he commanded the Isis in North America and in 1779 was appointed to the LION, remaining in her until 1781, in the West Indies. He was present at the battle of Grenada, 1779, and was at both the battles of St. Kitts, 1782, and the Saints, 1782, in the Canada. In 1788 he became Commander-in-Chief, East Indies, in the Crown and towards the end of his command reduced Pondicherry. He was promoted to rear-admiral in 1793 and to vice-admiral in 1794, when he was appointed to the EXCELLENT in the Channel, from which he moved quickly to the CAESAR and then to the ROYAL SOVEREIGN. In 1796 he commanded an expedition to the West Indies but after a collision Cornwallis turned back: he was court-martialled but acquitted. In 1799 he was made an admiral and in 1801 succeeded Earl St. Vincent to the command of the Channel Fleet. With the exception of the period of peace he maintained the blockade of Brest in the Ville de Paris until he was superseded by St Vincent in 1806. He saw no further active service. Cornwallis was Member of Parliament for Eye in Suffolk from 1768 to 1774, 1782 to 1784 and 1790 to 1807 and for Portsmouth from 1784 to 1790. The papers were used by John Leyland ed., Dispatches and letters relating to the blockade of Brest Navy Records Society, 1898, 1901). There is a biography by G Cornwallis-West, The life and letters of Admiral Cornwallis (London, 1927).
Cowan entered the BRITANNIA as a naval cadet in 1884. He was promoted to lieutenant in 1892 and commanded the REDBREAST between 1893 and 1895 in the Red Sea. In 1895 he was appointed to the BARROSA, Cape Station. He saw active service during the Brass River and Benin expeditions in 1897 and in 1898 commanded the gunboat flotilla on the Nile during the operations in the Sudan. Cowan was promoted to commander in 1901 and to captain in 1906. After almost two years in the post of Assistant to the Admiral of Patrols, Cowan was sent in 1914 to the Zealandia, Grand Fleet. He joined the PRINCESS ROYAL in 1915 and in her was present at Jutland, 1916. He was appointed Commodore commanding the First Light Cruiser Squadron, Grand Fleet, in 1917 and reappointed after his promotion to rear-admiral in 1918. He continued to command it as well as the naval force in the Baltic during the anti-Bolshevik operations in 1920, for which he became well-known. In 1921 he took command of the Baltic Cruiser Squadron. After a year as Commanding Officer on the coast of Scotland, Cowan became, in 1926, Commander-in-Chief, North America and West Indies, and it was during his two years there that his Station was extended to include South America. Cowan was promoted to admiral in 1927, was appointed First and Principal Aide-de-Camp to the King in 1929 and retired in 1930. At the age of sixty-eight, he persuaded the Admiralty to employ him for the duration of the war in the rank of commander. He served as liaison officer with a commando brigade in the eastern Mediterranean during 1941 and was then attached to an Indian regiment in the Western Desert. He was captured at Bir Hakeim in 1942 and repatriated the following year. After further active service he retired in 1945. See Lionel Dawson, Sound of the guns (Oxford, 1949) and Geoffrey Bennett, Cowan's war (London, 1964).
Cope-Cornford was an architect who turned to writing. His contributions to the National Observer attracted the attention of Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936), who was to remain a lifelong friend. In 1905 he went to Berlin to gather material on the Imperial German Navy. He became naval correspondent and leader writer of for the Old and, on its demise, joined the staff of The Morning Post as naval correspondent, becoming second leader writer in 1915. He was a critic of Admiral Fisher's (1841-1920) policies. He wrote many articles for Punch, edited the Memoirs of Admiral Lord Beresford by himself (London, 1914) and wrote a number of books on naval and maritime subjects.
The Canadian Pacific Railway Co was incorporated in 1881. Its prime responsibility was to build a transcontinental railway from Montreal to Vancouver. This was completed in 1885. In the meantime, in 1883, the company built three steamers for use on the Great Lakes and to assist in the construction of the railway. During the latter half of 1886, seven sailing vessels were chartered to bring tea and other goods from China and Japan to Port Moody, near Vancouver. Early in the next year, more vessels were chartered for a regular service and in 1889 orders were placed for three 6,000 ton vessels, the EMPRESS OF INDIA, the EMPRESS OF JAPAN and the EMPRESS OF CHINA. In 1902 C P R bought out the Canadian interest in the Elder Dempster Co, the Beaver Line, and started their first transatlantic service. With the entry of the C P R into the North Atlantic service, competition soon became very keen with the Allan Line. In 1915 the Allan Line was taken over by the C P R and a new company, the Canadian Pacific Ocean Service took over the operation of the two fleets.
Dr Edward Hodges Cree was born on January 14th 1814, Devonport. He studied medicine at Dublin and Edinburgh Universities, graduating from the latter in 1837, receiving his M.R.C.S and M.D ten years after. Cree entered the Navy in 1837 where the journals begin, which subsequently continue until 1861. Cree's first appointment began in 1837 as assistant surgeon to the ROYAL ADELAIDE, ordered to do duty at the Naval Hospital, Stonehouse. He then establishes his career as a surgeon on board His Majesties vessels VOLCANO, CEYLON, FIREFLY, RATTLESNAKE, VIXEN, FURY, SPARTAN, EAGLE, RUSSELL, ORION and SATURN. Throughout his career he visited many parts of the world, including the Far East, where he witnessed actions in the First Opium War of 1839-42. His service led him to take action against piratical Chinese fleets, engagements and actions against the Russians in the Baltic; and was involved in the final stages of the Crimean War, being present at the Capture of Sebastopol and Kinburn. The water-colour illustrations and sketches contained within his journals create and rich and colourful depiction of the period whilst serving in the Navy. In addition, the book entitled The Cree Journals: The Voyages of Edward H Cree, Surgeon R.N., as related in his private journals, 1837-1856, edited by Michael Levien; is a useful supplement to the collection.