Anne Dixon was the sister of Admiral Lord Gardner.
Edgell was promoted to lieutenant in 1828, to commander in 1837 and to captain in 1846. He was appointed to command the TRIBUNE in 1855 when she was in the Crimea. During this commission she went to the Pacific and finally to China. In 1857 Edgell was the Senior Naval Officer at Hong Kong and he transferred into the BITTERN tender commanding the gun boats on the Canton River during the hostilities with the Chinese. In 1858 be was given command of the squadron in Indian waters, during which time he commanded the CHESAPEAKE and later the RETRIBUTION. The latter returned to England and was paid off in 1860. Edgell had no further active employment and was promoted on the retired list, reaching the rank of vice-admiral in 1871.
Born in Bristol, Eggins spent several years at sea and in 1922 gained a master's ticket. In that year he became a Falmouth pilot, retiring in 1958.
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Foley entered the Navy in 1770 and after early service in Newfoundland and the West Indies was promoted to lieutenant in 1778. During the American War he saw service in the Channel, North America and the West Indies. In 1782 he was promoted to commander and in 1790 to captain. After a period on the Home Station, he was Flag-Captain in the BRITANNIA at the battle of Cape St Vincent, 1797, and in the GOLIATH he led the Fleet into action at the Nile, 1798. In 1800, Foley was appointed to the ELEPHANT in the Channel Fleet, going later to the Baltic, where he served at the battle of Copenhagen, 1801. Foley 'was then ill and unfit for service for several years until his appointment as Commander-in-Chief in the Downs from 1811 to the peace, 1815. He had been promoted to rear-admiral in 1808, became a vice-admiral in 1812 and in 1825 an admiral. In 1830 he was appointed Commander-in-Chief at Portsmouth, where he served until his death. There is a privately printed biography by John Beresford Herbert, The life and services of Admiral Sir Thomas Foley, G.C.B., Rear-Admiral of Great Britain (Cardiff, 1884).
Fraser was a marine painter who collaborated extensively with the Commendatore Eduardo de Martino (1838-1912), Marine Painter-in-Ordinary to Queen Victoria. Martino also enjoyed special favour with Edward VII, who never went to sea without him, but although Fraser hoped to succeed to this position at Martino's death, he was disappointed.
Fullerton entered the Navy in 1895, became a lieutenant in 1900 and a commander in 1910. In 1908 he married Dorothy Fisher, daughter of Admiral Sir John (later Lord) Fisher (1841-1920). At the beginning of the First World War he commanded monitors off the Belgian coast; for this he was specially commended and promoted to captain in 1914. As Senior Officer of the Monitor Squadron in 1915 he commanded the inshore operations in East Africa and took part in the destruction of the German cruiser KONIGSBERG. From 1916 to 1918 he commanded the ORION in the Grand Fleet as Flag Captain to Rear-Admiral Goodenough (1867-1945). Between 1921 and 1923 he was Captain of the Fleet on the staff of Admiral Sir Charles Madden in the Home Fleet, was then Commodore commanding the Royal Naval Barracks at Chatham and, for a few months in 1925, was aide-de-camp to King George V. Having been promoted to rear-admiral the previous year, in 1927 Fullerton was appointed Naval Secretary to the First Lord of the Admiralty, the Rt. Hon (later Viscount) W.C. Bridgeman (1864-1935), and in 1929 went out to the East Indies Station as Commander-in-Chief. On his return he was Commander-in-Chief at Plymouth, 1932 to 1935, was promoted to admiral in 1935 and retired the following year. During the Second World War Fullerton served in the Royal Naval Reserve between 1940 and 1942.
Furness Withy was incorporated as a company in 1891 upon the amalgamation of Christopher Furness' business in West Hartlepool and London with Edward Withy's shipbuilding yard in Hartlepool. By 1914 the company had acquired interests all over the world in liner and tramp shipping and in shipbuilding, but from 1920 they concentrated on liner services. In addition to the North Atlantic service, they developed other American routes based principally on New York and including Bermuda and the West Indies. The Furness Line to the Pacific coast of North America via Panama was started in 1921. An interest in the refrigerated meat trade with South America had begun before the First World War. The Argentine Cargo Line was formed in 1908 to acquire the freight contracts of the Anglo-Argentine Shipping Co. Two ships were managed by Birt, Potter and Hughes in agreement with Furness Withy and Manchester Liners, another subsidiary. The Line was amalgamated in 1912 with the newly formed British and Argentine Steam Navigation Co Ltd. In 1911 Furness Withy acquired a large holding in Houlder Brothers and the British and Argentine's vessels were operated in association with those of the Houlder Line. In 1914 the Furness-Houlder Argentine Lines was incorporated for the purpose of building a fleet of large, fast twin-screw steamers for the conveyance of chilled and frozen meat from the River Plate to London in conjunction with the Royal Mail Steam Packet Co, Furness Withy and Houlder Brothers. There were other additions to the company. The Prince Line was purchased in 1916 and with this services were developed to the Mediterranean and from New York to the Far East and the River Plate. The River Syndicate was incorporated in 1920 to acquire a controlling interest in the Danube shipping which had formerly belonged to South German, Austrian and Hungarian companies. The Syndicate (which formed the Danube Navigation Co Ltd in July 1920) went into voluntary liquidation in 1968. The break-up of the Royal Mail group in 1931 and 1932 led to the formation of a new company, Royal Mail Lines Ltd which became part of the Furness Withy Group. Later this was closely integrated with Furness Lines. In 1933 a substantial holding in the Shaw Savill Line was also acquired.
After serving an apprenticeship of seven years to William Brown of Gillingham, William Godden of Chatham became a Fisherman and Dredgerman of the City of Rochester in 1821.
Griffin served in the Baltic Fleet, 1716 to 1717, in the WEYMOUTH and then in the PANTHER. He became a lieutenant in 1718 and was in the BARLEUR and ORFORD, Mediterranean Station, until 1720; from 1727 to 1730 he served in the GIBRALTER, the PRINCESS LOUISA and the FALMOUTH on the same station. He was promoted to captain in 1731, served in the West Indies in the Shoreham from 1731 to 1733 and on the Channel Station under Sir John Norris (c 1670-1749) from 1735 until 1740 in the Blenheim, Oxford and Princess Caroline It was in the latter ship that he sailed to join Admiral Vernon's fleet in the West Indies in October 1740. During the abortive attack on Cartagena in 1741 he commanded the BURFORD. Griffin was then at Portsmouth until 1743 in the ST GEORGE. It was during his service in the Captain, 1744 to 1745, that he was accused of an error of judgement, court-martialled but acquitted. He was made rear-admiral, in 1747, when he hoisted his flag in the PRINCESS MARY and went to the East Indies. In the following year he was promoted to vice-admiral and, on his arrival back in England, found himself the object of criticism over an alleged failure to attack eight French ships: he requested a court martial, was found guilty of negligence and suspended from his rank. Although reinstated in 1752, he had no further active employment.
Baillie Grohman joined the Navy in 1903, becoming a lieutenant in 1909. He served in the Mediterranean and on the China station, and during the First World War on the east coast, in the Dover Patrol and in minesweepers In 1922 and 1923 he served in the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea, and was made commander in the latter year He then became Senior Officer, First Minesweeping Flotilla, 1923 to 1924. He was promoted to captain in 1930 and between 1931 and 1933 was Senior Officer of a British Naval Mission to China. He then served in the Mediterranean, commanded a training establishment and at the beginning of the Second World War was again in the Mediterranean. He was promoted to rear-admiral in 1941 and in the same year was attached to the staff of the General Officer Commanding, Middle East. In 1942 he was nominated as Naval Force Commander for the Dieppe Raid, but, although he took part in the planning of the raid, he did not command it. Afterwards he became Flag Officer, Harwich, and in 1943 was promoted to vice-admiral, retiring in 1946.
Graves was promoted to commander in 1709 and captain in 1713 In the summer of 1711 he was in command of the WINCHESTER for a few months. From 1711 to 1714 he commanded the DUNWICH, stationed mainly in home waters but was sent in 1713 to take news of the conclusion of the Treaty of Utrecht to Bermuda and the American colonies He was unemployed from 1714 to 1728, in which year be took command of the ASSISTANCE, guardship, at Plymouth In 1733 he was appointed to command the SWALLOW and the next year was with Sir John Norris (c 1670-1749) at the Tagus. In 1738 he was Captain of the PRINCESS LOUISA and in November of the same year commissioned the NORFOLK. In 1740 he was sent to the West Indies and took part in the attack on Cartagena. Still in the NORFOLK, he was ordered to the Mediterranean in 1742 where he transferred to the MARLBOROUGH. After 1743 he had no further service and became a rear-admiral in 1747.
Gretton joined the Royal Navy as a cadet at Dartmouth Naval College in 1926. His early service career included acting as a Midshipman on the battle cruiser RENOWN in the Mediterranean, 1930, as Sub-Lieutenant in the Royal Yacht VICTORIA AND ALBERT, summer 1934, in the aircraft carrier COURAGEOUS, and then in the cruiser DURBAN during the Abyssinian crisis and the Spanish Civil War. During the 1936 Arab Rebellion in Palestine, Gretton assisted the Army in protecting truck convoys and later aided police to contol the souk in Haifa, for which he was awarded the DSC. He was subsequently appointed Seamanship and Sports Officer at the boys' training establishment, HMS IMPREGNABLE, at Devonport, and then spent two years as a House Officer at Dartmouth. During Easter 1939, Gretton undertook an anti-submarine course at the Portland A/S HMS OSPREY, which was to have a profound effect on his later life. At the beginning of World War Two, Gretton was appointed 1st Lieutenant of the destroyer VEGA, escorting East Coast convoys. During the Norwegian campaign of 1940, he served as 1st Lieutenant of the destroyer COSSACK, which participated in the second battle of Narvick on 13 April. His first command was the destroyer SABRE, in which he escorted Atlantic convoys. After his promotion to Lieutenant-Commander in 1942, Gretton took command of the destroyer WOLVERINE. The ship rammed and sank the Italian U-boat DAGABUR during the PEDESTAL Convoy to Malta in August, for which Gretton was awarded the DSO. In December 1942, he was appointed to lead B7 Escort group in the destroyer DUNCAN, and in April 1943 they were involved in the battle surrounding Convoy ONS5. The actions of B7 led to extensive U-boat losses, forcing Admiral Doenitz to withdraw from the North Atlantic. In recognition, Gretton was awarded the first Bar to his DSO. After U-boats returned to the North Atlantic in the summer of 1943, Gretton's further actions led him to attain a second Bar to his DSO. From 1944-1946 Gretton served in the Admiralty Plans Division, he was promoted to Captain in 1948 and in the early 1950s he acted as Naval Assistant to the First Sea Lord, commanding the cruiser GAMBIA. He then became Chief of Staff to Admiral, the Joint Services Mission, Washington. From 1956-1957 he was Commodore in command of the Naval task group for 'Operation Grapple', the British atomic bomb tests at Christmas Island. In 1958 he was promoted to Rear-Admiral, served as Senior Naval Member of Directing Staff of Imperial Defence College, 1958-1960, and was Flag Officer, Sea Training, from 1960-1961. As Vice-Admiral, he acted as Deputy Chief of Naval Staff and Fifth Sea Lord from 1962-1963. He retired through ill-health in 1963. He subsequently became Domestic Bursar (1965-1971) and then Senior Research Fellow (1971-1979) of University College, Oxford. Gretton also acted as the Vice-President of the Royal Humane Society (Testimonial, 1940). He was awarded the OBE in 1941, CB in 1960 and KCB in 1963. His published works include: Convoy Escort Commander (1964); Maritime Strategy (1965); Former Naval Person - Churchill and the Navy (1968); and Crisis Convoy - The Story of HX231 (1974).
Fiott joined the Navy as a volunteer in 1798 and was present at the battle of Copenhagen, 1801. He took part in the Walcheren expedition of 1809 and in 1810 was made a lieutenant but court-martialled in the same year for using seditious language, dismissed his ship and put to the bottom of the Lieutenants' List. Soon afterwards, however, he was appointed to the MARLBOROUGH and served in the West Indies. After two years on half-pay he bought the QUEEN, a trading vessel, which was lost in 1818. From then until 1827 he owned the RETRENCH, sailing as master while still on half-pay until 1823. In this year the RETRENCH was attacked by Spanish pirates off Cuba. When he received a commission In 1823 to command HMS RENEGADE in the West Indies, he employed another half-pay naval captain on the Retrench, which was wrecked in 1824 but salvaged and, in 1827, sold In 1824 he was court-martialled again on various charges including that of mistreating his crew but was acquitted. From 1827 Fiott lived on the continent and remained there until his death.
Born John Fiott, brother of William Edward Fiott, Lee changed his name on inheriting property from his mother's family. In 1827 he also inherited the estate of Hartwell in Buckinghamshire. Lee was keenly interested in science and antiquities and was an active member of the Temperance Movement. The collection was used by E S Dodge, The Polar Roses (London, 1973).
See sub-fonds level descriptions for individual biographies.
Hawker, son of Captain James Hawker (c 1731-1787), went to sea in 1793. He joined the SWIFTSURE, home waters, in 1794, commanded by his brother-in-law, Captain Charles Boyles (q.v.), and was also with him in the West Indies when he was promoted to lieutenant in the RAISONNABLE. Again in the West Indies, 1803, Hawker commanded the prize brig, LA MIGNONNE, and in 1804, having been promoted to captain, was appointed to the THESEUS, flagship of the station. He then commanded the TARTAR, 1805 to 1806, and the MELAMPUS, 1806 to 1811, on the North America and West Indies Stations, engaged against the enemy's privateers. From 1813 to 1815, in the BELLEROPHON and then in the SALISBURY, he was Flag-Captain to Sir Richard Goodwin Keats (q.v.), Commander-in-Chief, Newfoundland. His last appointments were to the BRITANNIA, 1828 to 1829, and ST VINCENT, 1829 to 1830, flagships at Plymouth to the Earl of Northesk (1758-1831). He became rear-admiral in 1837, vice-admiral in 1847 and admiral in 1853.
Boyles became a lieutenant in 1777 and a captain in 1790. During the French wars he served in the West Indies, the Channel and the Mediterranean. He became a rear-admiral in 1809 and from 1810 to 1812 served in the Mediterranean, in the TRIDENT and the CANOPUS. He became a vice-admiral in 1814.
Henderson entered the Navy in 1859, served on the North America and West Indies Station, 1860 to 1864, in the NILE and the STYX and then joined the Channel Squadron in the PRINCE CONSORT. He became a lieutenant in 1866 and was at Portsmouth in the CROCODILE from 1867 until he took part in the voyage round the world of the Flying Squadron in the LIVERPOOL, flagship of Sir Geoffrey Phipps Hornby. From 1872 to 1875 he was in the PETEREL, Pacific Station, in the ECLIPSE in 1877 on the North America and West Indies Station, and was on 'particular service' in the HYDRA, 1878. He was promoted to commander in 1879 and to captain in 1886, after having been in Australia for four years, 1881 to 1885. Going to the East Indies in command of the CONQUEST, 1889 to 1892, Henderson was in the Naval Brigade under Sir Edmund Fremantle in the punitive expedition against the Sultan of Vitu, 1890. He then went out to the Mediterranean and later to China in the Edgar, 1894 to 1896, when he returned to Devonport to command the Fleet Reserve. From 1898 to 1900 he was Commodore and Naval Officer in command at Jamaica and was Admiral Superintendent of Devonport Dockyard, 1902 to 1906. At the end of this appointment he retired and occupied himself with voluntary work such as his service for the Metropolitan Asylums Board, 1909 to 1921. Always much interested in the professional education of naval officers, in 1913 he was one of those who founded the Naval Review, which he edited for several years.
James Martin Hilhouse took over the then almost new Hotwells dock on the banks of the Avon in 1772, following a transaction with the Merchant Venturers of Bristol. By the time members of the Hill family became employees of the company in 1810, it was a successful shipbuilders. Mr Hilhouse, having no sons with whom to leave his company, allowed the Hills to take more control of the firm, first changing its name to Hilhouse & Hill, then finally to Charles Hill & Sons, Ltd when full control was assumed in 1845. As the company grew, the Albion dockyard was opened for shipbuilding and company activities were also expanded to Cardiff in 1879. This same year, the Bristol City Line was established and became closely identified with the North Atlantic cargo trade for the next hundred years. The company was eventually sold in the 1970's, with the shipyard finally closing in 1979.
Hamilton spent some years in the army before marrying an heiress. From 1764 to 1800 he was Envoy Extraordinary to the Court of Naples. His first wife died in 1782 and in 1791 he married Emma Hart, formerly his nephew's mistress, who had been living with him since 1786. The Hamiltons enjoyed considerable influence with the Neapolitan royal family and succeeded in persuading them to ally Naples with Britain against the French, although this led to the flight of the government to Sicily in 1798 and 1799. In 1800 Hamilton was recalled. He travelled home across Europe with Lady Hamilton and Nelson and eventually settled with them at Merton, where he died.
Samuel Hood, elder brother of Viscount Bridport (q.v.) entered the Navy in 1741 and was made a lieutenant in 1746. His first command was in the Mediterranean in 1754. In 1757 he was at the blockade of Brest and was successful in a noteworthy single-ship action. Between 1760 and 1763 he served in the Mediterranean. He was employed during the peace and in 1767 was appointed Commander-in-Chief, North America, in the ROMNEY. From 1771 to 1776 he commanded the ROYAL WILLIAM, guardship at Portsmouth, and in 1778 was appointed Resident Commissioner at Portsmouth Dockyard. In the following year he was created a baronet and in 1780 promoted to rear-admiral, when he went in the BARFLEUR, with reinforcements to Rodney in the West Indies. Here he too part in the taking of St. Eustatius and the manoeuvering off Martinique. When Rodney sailed for England, Hood went to North America to reinforce Admiral Graves (q.v.) and commanded the rear squadron at the battle of Chesapeake in 1781. Early in 1782 Hood worsted De Grasse at Frigate Bay at St. Kitts, and soon afterwards took an important part in the battle of the Saints, the Ville de Paris surrendering to the BARFLEUR. As a result in 1782 Hood was raised to the Irish Peerage and was Member of Parliament for Westminster, 1785 to 1788 and 1790 to 1796 and for Reigate, 1789 to 1790. Between 1787 and 1788 he was Commander-in-Chief, Portsmouth, having been promoted to vice-admiral, and from 1788 to 1795 he served at the Board of Admiralty. At the beginning of the Revolutionary Wars, he was appointed Commander-in-Chief, Mediterranean, where he commanded the forces which took Toulon In August 1793. However, he had to withdraw to Corsica in December. In late 1794 he returned to England. He was promoted to admiral and in 1796 was appointed Governor of Greenwich Hospital, which post he held until his death. He was raised to the British peerage in 1796. See David Hanoi ed. , 'Letters of Lord Hood, 1781-82' (Navy Records Society, 1895).
Howe entered the Navy in 1740, was made a lieutenant in 1744 and a captain in 1746. After service on the Guinea coast, the West Indies, the Mediterranean and on the North American Station, he served in the Channel during the Seven Years War. He was elected Member of Parliament for Dartmouth in 1757, and succeeded his brother to the Irish peerage in the following year. He held his parliamentary seat until raised to the British peerage in 1782. In 1763 he was a Lord of the Admiralty and from 1765 to 1770 was Treasurer of the Navy. He was promoted to rear-admiral in 1770 and to vice-admiral in 1775. He was then appointed Commander-in-Chief, North America, but came home in 1778 and did not serve again until 1782. Howe became First Lord of the Admiralty in 1783, which position, apart from the period between April and December 1783, he held until 1788. He was created Earl Howe in this year. In 1790 he took command of the Channel Fleet during the Nootka Sound mobilization as he did later at the outbreak of war in 1793. During this time Howe continued reforms in signalling. In 1794 he commanded the fleet which brought the French to action at the battle of the First of June. He finally gave up the command after a long period of ill-health, in 1797. See George Mason, The life of Richard Earl Howe (London, 1803) and Sir John Harrow, The life of Richard Earl Howe E.G. Admiral of the Fleet and General of Marines (London, 1838).
Hope entered the Navy in 1811. He was promoted to lieutenant in 1817 and to commander in 1822 and commanded the BRISK, Nore, 1824 to 1826. He was promoted to captain in 1826. Between 1830 and 1834 he commanded the TYNE, South America. From January to July 1835 he commanded the DUBLIN, fitting out at Plymouth. Between 1841 and 1845 he was Senior Officer at Chusan during the First China War. He was made Superintendant of Sheerness Dockyard and captain of the MONARCH, guardship of the ordinary at Sheerness, 1851 to 1854. He was promoted to Rear Admiral and died in 1854.
Entered the navy in 1851 and later employed as Midshipman to the 120 gun vessel, TRAFALGAR, taking part in the bombardment of Sevastopol, October 1854. Served in China during 1857-8 in various parts of the Canton River at the action of Falshan and landed with the Naval Brigade at the taking of the Canton. Hereford was appointed Acting Lieutenant of the NANKIN on 22 August 1858 at Hong Kong, later being appointed Lieutenant of the VICTORIOUS on 26 April 1859 and the EXCELLENT on 5 May 1859. Appointed to the ARROGANT for gunnery duties, Hereford was actively employed in the suppression of the slave trade on the West Coast of Africa, on various expeditions up the Rivers Gambia and Congo and near Lagos. He was then appointed commander of the BRITANNIA on 4 August 1868 and her tender the DAPPER for the instruction of Cadets from 1863-8, at which point Hereford was promoted to Commander. Served in the East Indies from November 1872 until May 1874 when he retired.
Hulbert acted as an admiral's secretary and prize agent early in the nineteenth century. He served on the North American Station in 1804 as secretary to Sir John Borlase Warren (1753-1852) and between 1808 and 1809 exchanged with the secretary of Admiral Rowley (1765-1842) on the Jamaica Station. He served again with Warren, 1810 to 1814, on the North American Station, 1813 to 1814, when a large number of prizes were taken.
Lieutenant-Colonel John Huskisson was the youngest son of Captain Thomas Huskisson (q.v.). He was appointed a second lieutenant in the Royal Marines in 1833 and served in the CAMBRIDGE, Mediterranean Station, from 1840 to 1842, being promoted to first lieutenant in 1842. He served in HMS OCEAN from 1844 to 1847 and then became Quartermaster of the Chatham Division, rising to captain in 1852. The outbreak of the Crimean War led to his appointment to the NANKIN, East Indies in 1854. He rose to the rank of lieutenant-colonel, 1879, on the retired list and died ca.1889.
Thomas Huskinsson was a younger brother of William Huskinsson (1770-1830) the statesman. He entered the Navy in 1800 and served during the Napoleonic wars, being promoted to lieutenant in 1806 and captain in 1811. In March 1827 his brother appointed him Paymaster of the Navy and when this post was abolished in 1830 he was appointed one of the captains of Greenwich Hospital.
Lady Invernairn, nee Elspeth Tullis, married William (later Sir William) Beardmore (1856-1936), Chairman and Managing Director of William Beardmore and Co., Engineers and Shipbuilders, in 1902. He was created Baron Invernairn of Strathnairn in 1921. They both met Ernest (later Sir Ernest) Shackleton (1874-1922) in Edinburgh in 1905, not long after the latter's return from the Antarctic where he had taken part as a junior officer in the British National Antarctic Expedition, 1901 to 1904. In 1906 Shackleton entered Beardmore's employment at Parkhead, Glasgow. With Mrs Beardmore's encouragement, he planned his own British Antarctic Expedition in the NIMROD in 1907. Shackleton went south again in the ENDURANCE as leader of the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition, 1914 to 1917. See H.R. Mill, The Life of Sir Ernest Shackleton (London, 1923) and Margery and James Fisher, Shackleton(London, 1957).
Sir Henry Bradwardine Jackson entered the Royal Navy through HMS BRITANNIA in 1868, and as a Lieutenant specialised first in navigation and later in torpedoes. Promoted to Commander in January 1890, he began experimenting with radio waves and eventually succeeded in transmitting signal between ships over a distance of several hundred yards. Soon after promotion to Captain in June 1896, Jackson met Marconi and discovered that they had both been working along similar lines. Following Jackson's success in this area of communication, the Royal Navy placed contracts with Marconi in 1900 to supply radios in its ships, and in 1901 Jackson was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in recognition of his work. After serving as Captain of the torpedo school ship HMS VERNON in 1904, Jackson was promoted to Third Sead Lord and Controller in the new Board of Admiralty. He then commanded a cruiser squadron, represented the Admiralty at the 1911 International Conference on Aerial Navigation, and gained a position the newly created War College at Portsmouth, bfore he returned to the Admiralty in February 1913 as Chief of War Staff. On the Resignation of Lord Fisher in May 1915, Jackson took his place as First Sea Lord, but was himself superseded by Admiral Sir John Jellicoe in Decmber 1916, and appointed President of the Royal Naval College, Greenwich. In July 1919, he was promoted to Admiral of the Fleet and the following year, became Chairman of the Radio Research Board of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research.
Jenkins Jones became a lieutenant in 1813 and a commander in 1816, being appointed to the JULIA. She was wrecked on the island of Tristan da Cunha in 1817 but Jones was acquitted at the subsequent court martial. From 1822 to 1824 he commanded the SAPPHO on the Cork Station and in 1828 the GLOUCESTER. Soon after, however, he was promoted captain into the ROYAL ADELAIDE but remained on half-pay until he took command of the CURACOA in 1839, on the South American Station, remaining there until 1842.
Elphinstone entered the Navy in 1761, became a lieutenant in 1770 and in 1772, having been promoted to commander, went to the Mediterranean in the SCORPION, where he remained until 1775. As a captain he then went to North America and commanded, in succession, the ROMNEY, 1775 to 1776, the PERSEUS, 1776 to 1780, and the WARWICK, 1780 to 1782, being present at the reduction of Charleston in 1780. Between 1782 and 1793 Elphinstone was unemployed until he took command of the ROBUST during the occupation and evacuation of Toulon. He was promoted to rear-admiral in 1794 and served in the Channel Fleet until, in 1795, he was appointed to command the expedition against the Cape of Good Hope. After the successful capture of the Cape he returned home, to encounter a French invasion force in Bantry Bay. He also received a peerage as Baron Keith, 1797. His next task was to assist in suppressing the mutinies at the Nore and Plymouth. In 1799 he was second-in-command to Earl St. Vincent, Mediterranean Fleet, succeeding to the command in the same year and holding it until 1802. When war broke out again, in 1803, Lord Keith became Commander-in-Chief of the North Sea Station where, until 1807, his prime concern was the protection of the English coasts against invasion. From 1812 to 1814 he commanded the Channel Fleet and again took this office during the Hundred Days. Finally, he was responsible for organizing the safe passage of Napoleon to St Helena He was made Viscount Keith in 1814 The only biography is by Alexander Allardyce, Admiral Lord Keith (London, 1882). The Navy Records Society published 'The Keith Papers' in 1926 (ed W.G. Perrin), 1950 and 1955 (ed C C Lloyd).
John (known as 'Joe') Kelly, brother of Sir (William) Howard Kelly (q.v.), entered the Navy in 1884, became a lieutenant in 1893, commander in 1904 and captain in 1911, serving on the Australian, Cape and China Stations. In 1914 he was captain of the light cruiser DUBLIN in the Mediterranean and attempted to locate and attack the GOEBEN. The DUBLIN later went to the Dardanelles and was for a short time in the Adriatic. Subsequently Kelly commanded the DEVONSHIRE and WEYMOUTH on the South American Station and the PRINCESS ROYAL in the Grand Fleet. After the war he became Director of the Operations Division in the Admiralty and was made rear-admiral in 1921. As such he commanded a force in the Dardanelles and the Sea of Marmora before going back to the Admiralty as Fourth Sea Lord. Two years as second-in-command, Mediterranean, followed this appointment and then a similar period as Admiral Commanding Reserves. After this Kelly expected to retire but in 1932 he was called upon to take over the command of the Atlantic Fleet (which was renamed the Home Fleet during this time) after the mutiny at Invergordon. His final command was as Commander-in-Chief, Portsmouth, from 1934 to 1936.
Kennedy was first mate of the TIGRIS from 1845 to 1849 on three voyages from England to India and was also first mate of the MEDWAY from 1849 to 1852 during three voyages to Australia, taking emigrants to Port Phillip. He commanded the ARIES, going again to Australia, 1853 to 1854, the RACER, 1862 to 1863, London to Melbourne, to Calcutta and back and then home, the CANOPUS from England to India, 1864 to 4866 and the HORNET, 1866 to 1867 to India, Trinidad, home and back to India. The HORNET was burnt in 1868. Between 1868 and 1870 Kennedy carried mules and horses for the Abyssinian campaign in the Tynemouth and from 1871 to 1873 made five voyages to India in the Yorkshire. He gained his master's certificate in 1849 and an endorsement in steam in 1870.
Royal Navy: Administration - volumes relating to local administration
A M D Lampen was a cadet at the Royal Naval College, Dartmouth, c 1923.
Limpus entered the Navy in 1876. He served in the ALEXANDRA, in the Mediterranean, 1878 to 1879, in the BACCHANTE, Detached Squadron, 1880 to 1882, and the ALBACORE, again in the Mediterranean, 1884 to 1885. He was made a lieutenant in 1885 and a commander in 1898. He took a prominent part in the relief of LADYSMITH when he was second-in-command of the Naval Brigade during the Boer War. He was specially promoted to captain in 1900 for his efforts. In 1910 he was made rear-admiral, hoisting his flag in the JUPITER, Home Fleet. Between 1912 and 1914 he was Naval Adviser to Turkey and was made vice-admiral in the Turkish Navy. Between 1914 and 1916 he was Admiral Superintendent at Malta and was much concerned with the organization of supplies to the Dardanelles. He was President of the Shell Committee at the Admiralty in 1917 and retired in 1919.
As early as 1688 information of interest to all persons connected with shipping had been available from Mr Edward Lloyd of Lloyd's Coffee House in London. From September 1696 to February 1697 Lloyd published a small shipping and commercial chronicle called Lloyd's News. Gradually Lloyd's Coffee House became the centre for people interested in shipping especially underwriters. The first issue of Lloyd's List appeared in 1734. In 1760 the Society for the Registry of Shipping was founded. Copies of the register from 1764 have survived and after 1775 the register, known as the Green Hook or Underwriters Register, was published annually. By 1775 the classification of vessels was standardized. Roman capitals were used for the classification of the hull and numbers were used for the classification of the equipment. This was the first appearance of the 'A 1', the highest classification given to a vessel by Lloyd's. A new method of classification, introduced in 1797, gave a higher classification to London-built vessels and caused much dissatisfaction among shipowners. In 1799 a rival book, called The New Registry Book of Shipping was published by a Society of Merchants, Shipowners and Underwriters instituted in 1797. This book, also published annually, became known as the 'Red Book' or 'Shipowners Register'. The failure of either register, however, to gain sufficient support through subscription led to their amalgamation in 1834 and the foundation of 'Lloyd's Register of British and Foreign Shipping'. Rules for the classification of vessels and the names of recognized surveyors were printed in the register. Special rules for the classification of iron ships were introduced in 1855. By the middle of the nineteenth century provision had been made for the appointment of surveyors at foreign ports. The North American ports were the first to be given a full-time surveyor: Quebec in 1852; Saint John, New Brunswick in 1853 and Prince Edward Island and Miramichi, New Brunswick, in 1856. In the same year a surveyor was appointed at Antwerp for Holland and Belgium. In 1869 Amsterdam, Rotterdam and Veerdam were included and Italian, French, German, Danish and Australian ports were added from 1871. When the Register celebrated its Golden Jubilee in 1884 the number of surveyors had risen to sixty-six and was increasing steadily. Today it is still a world-wide organization with the majority of its surveyors abroad.
Merchant Shipping: Logs - East India Company
Thomas Louis entered the Navy in 1770, was promoted to lieutenant in 1777 and to captain in 1783. In 1794 he took command of the MINOTAUR, one of the ships in Nelson's squadron during the battle of the Nile, 1798; he continued under Nelson's orders in 1799, off the coast of Italy. Promoted to Rear-Admiral in 1804, Louis commanded the blockade off Boulogne, after which he hoisted his flag in the CANOPUS, off Toulon, in 1805. Still in the CANOPUS, Louis was second-in-command of the squadron which destroyed the French fleet at the battle of San Domingo, 1806; for this he was rewarded with a baronetcy. Later in 1806 he took charge of a small squadron in the Eastern Mediterranean and remained there until his death. See H.B. Louis, 'One of Nelson's Band of Brothers: Admiral Sir Thomas Louis, bart' (Malta, 1951). John Louis, son of Rear-Admiral Sir Thomas Louis (q.v.), entered the Navy in 1795, was promoted to lieutenant in 1801, to commander in 1805 and to captain in 1806. He served during 1810 off the coast of Ireland and off Cadiz, was in the Mediterranean in 1811 and then went out to the West Indies. After several years on half-pay, he served again in the West Indies, 1826 to 1830. In 1837 he was appointed Captain Superintendent of Woolwich Dockyard and also to the command of the WILLIAM AND MARY yacht. He was Superintendent of Malta Dockyard, 1838 to 1843, and of Devonport, 1846 to 1850. Louis became Rear-Admiral in 1838, Vice-Admiral in 1849 and Admiral in 1851.
Thomas Louis entered the Navy in 1770, was promoted to lieutenant in 1777 and to captain in 1783. In 1794 he took command of the MINOTAUR, one of the ships in Nelson's squadron during the battle of the Nile, 1798; he continued under Nelson's orders in 1799, off the coast of Italy. Promoted to Rear-Admiral in 1804, Louis commanded the blockade off Boulogne, after which he hoisted his flag in the CANOPUS, off Toulon, in 1805. Still in the CANOPUS, Louis was second-in-command of the squadron which destroyed the French fleet at the battle of San Domingo, 1806; for this he was rewarded with a baronetcy. Later in 1806 he took charge of a small squadron in the Eastern Mediterranean and remained there until his death. See H.B. Louis, 'One of Nelson's Band of Brothers: Admiral Sir Thomas Louis, bart' (Malta, 1951).
Terence Lewin was born in Dover in 1923. Educated at the Judd School in Tonbridge, he joined HMS BELFAST as a naval cadet shortly before the outbreak of war in 1939. After serving aboard the battleship HMS VALIANT, Lewin joined the destroyer HMS ASHANTI. In ASHANTI, he took part in convoys to Murmansk and later to the Mediterranean as part of Operation Pedestal, the vital convoys keeping Malta supplied. Lewin distinguished himself in action, being mentioned in dispatches 3 times and was awarded the DSC. After the war he rose to post rank and commanded the destroyer CORUNNA, before the Dartmouth Training Sqaudron, and then in the Indian Ocean in 1967, the aircraft carrier HMS HERMES in the lead up to the Arab-Israeli war. Lewin was made Rear Admiral in 1968 and by 1977 had become First Sea Lord. As Chief of Defence Staff, he played a prominent role in the decision to replace the Polaris missile system with the Trident system. Also as Chief of Defence Staff, he was Mrs Thatcher's main military adviser during the Falklands conflict (1982), for which, on his retirement, he was made a life peer (1982) and KG in 1983. In retirement he was as active as ever, patron of many societies and much in demand as a public speaker on naval and maritime subjects. He was Chairman of the National Maritime Museum between 1983 and 1995. He was also President of the George Cross Island Association and played a leading role in planning the 50th Anniversary of the siege of Malta and the giant memorial bell erected in its memory. He also became very interested in the explorations of Captain Cook and contributed to the foundation of a Cook museum in Middlesbrough. Lewin died in 1999, aged 78. See also Richard Hill's biography of the Admiral, Lewin of Greenwich (2000).
Commander W E May was a leading authority on the history and use of the compass. He was a founder member of the Royal Institute of Navigation and one of its first fellows. He joined the Royal Navy in 1912, being second in command of one of the gun turrets of HMS TEMERAIRE at the battle of Jutland. In 1923, he qualified as a navigating officer. He left the active list of the Royal Navy in 1927 and thereafter was engaged in various duties concerning compasses. During the latter part of World War Two he was responsible for all repairs to gyrocompasses throughout the Royal Navy. In 1951 Commander May was appointed Deputy Director of the National Maritime Museum and held the post until his retirement in 1968.
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Massie entered the Navy in 1818 and was in the ASIA, flagship of Sir Edward Codrington, at Navarino in 1827, the year he was promoted to lieutenant. Between 1831 and 1832 he was First Lieutenant of the CARYSFORT in the Mediterranean and was then in the SATELLITE, 1833 to 1836, on the South American Station. In 1838 he was made commander and the next year was sent to assist in organizing the Turkish Navy. He was appointed to the THUNDERER in 1840, took part in the capture of ACRE and was promoted to captain in 1841. In 1849 he was given the command of the CLEOPATRA, East Indies and China Station, and took part in the Second Burma War (1852-1853). He commissioned in 1854 the POWERFUL, which was on the North American and West Indies Station in the latter part of 1855 and during 1856. Massie saw no further service, was promoted to rear-admiral in 1860 and was placed on the retired list in 1866 as a vice-admiral, becoming an admiral in 1872.
As an infant, MacGregor was saved from the Indiaman, KENT, which caught fire in the Bay of Biscay in 1825. He was well known as Rob Roy MacGregor because of his pioneering zeal while travelling in his canoe, the Rob Roy. This was first launched in 1865 and he navigated a network of rivers, canals and lakes, including the Rhine, Danube and Seine and Lakes Constance, Zurich and Lucerne. His most demanding voyage was in 1868 when he went through the Suez Canal down to the Red Sea and from thence to Palestine, navigating the Jordan and Lake Gennesareth. He published ' A Thousand Miles in the Rob Roy Canoe' (London, 1866), 'A voyage alone in the Yawl Rob Roy' (London, 1867), 'The Rob Roy on the Baltic' (London, 1867) and 'The Rob Roy on the Jordan Red Sea and Gennesareth' (London, 1869). See also Edwin Hodder, 'John MacGregor ('Rob Roy')' (London, 1894).
McKinley entered the Navy in 1773, served in the West Indies during the campaign of 1778 and was promoted to lieutenant in 1782. He took part in the battle of the Saints and continued to serve during much of the peace. In 1798 he was promoted commander into the OTTER fireship, in which vessel he was present at the North Holland landing of 1799, when Enkhuisen was taken, and was also present at the battle of Copenhagen in 1801, the year he became a captain. He then commanded a succession of ships in the West Indies, including the GANGES, 1802 to 1803, in which he returned home. As Senior Officer at Lisbon in 1806, he was given command of the LIVELY until her wreck in 1810, off Malta. During this time she took part in the capture of Vigo Bay and Santiago, 1809, and in the evacuation of part of Sir John Moore's army. From 1811 to 1815 McKinley served in the Mediterranean and then in the North Sea. In 1818 he was appointed Third Captain of the Royal Hospital at Greenwich and in 1821 Governor of the Royal Naval Asylum; this appointment was combined with that of Captain Superintendent of Greenwich Hospital School in 1828. He was made rear-admiral in 1830 and vice-admiral in 1841.
McClintock entered the Navy in 1831. He served as a midshipman in the SAMARANG, South America, 1831 to 1835, then in the survey ship CARRON in the Irish Sea, 1835, and the HERCULES in the Channel, 1836 to 1837. From 1838 to 1841 he was in the CROCODILE on the North American Station. Between 1841 and 1842 he took courses in the EXCELLENT and at the Royal Naval College, Portsmouth. McClintock next served as mate of the GORGON, on the South American Station, 1843 to 1845. He received his promotion to lieutenant in 1845 and was appointed to the FROLIC, Pacific Station, where he remained until 1847. For the next twelve years he was almost continually in the Arctic regions, serving on expeditions searching for Sir John Franklin and his men. During 1848 and 1849 McClintock was in the ENTERPRISE. From 1850 to 1851 he was Lieutenant of the ASSISTANCE on the expedition led by Captain Horatio T. Austin (1801-1865). During the expedition of 1852 to 1854 he commanded the INTREPID, steam tender to the RESOLUTE, Captain Henry Kellett (1806-1875). On his return he was promoted to captain. Lady Franklin chose McClintock to command her private search expedition in the yacht FOX, from 1857 to 1859. This effort was at last successful in solving the mystery and many relics of the lost expedition and Franklin's final message were recovered from King William Island. McClintock was knighted on his return. He published an account of his expedition, The Voyage of the Fox in 1859.
In 1860 McClintock commanded the BULLDOG making soundings between Britain, Iceland, Greenland and Labrador, over the route of a proposed submarine telegraph cable. From 1861 to 1862 he commanded the DORIS in the Mediterranean, acting as escort to the Prince of Wales on his tour of the Near East, and from 1863 to 1865 commanded the AURORA, in the Channel and the North Sea during the Prusso-Danish War and later in the West Indies. Be was Commodore-in-Charge at Jamaica from 1865 to 1868, was promoted to rear-admiral in 1871 and from 1872 to 1879 was Admiral Superintendent of Portsmouth Dockyard, being appointed to vice-admiral in 1877. He sat on the organizing committee for the British Arctic Expedition of 1875 to 1876 led by Captain G S Nares. From 1879 to 1883 he was Commander-in-Chief on the North American and West Indies Station. He was promoted to admiral and retired in 1884. See Sir Clements Markham, Life of Admiral Sir Leopold McClintock (London, 1909).