The Middletons had been married for three years when they left Portsmouth on the ATLANTA to travel to Gibraltar, where Capt Middleton had been appointed to run the Navy Yard. Susannah Middleton's father John Martin Leake was Comptroller of Army Accounts and her brother William had been posted in 1805 from the Artillery to the Eastern Mediterranean. Robert Gambier Middleton was the son of George Middleton, former Comptroller of Customs for the port of Leith and elder brother of Sir Charles Middleton, Lord Barham and First Lord of the Admiralty. Robert Middleton had been taken under the wing of his uncle and entered the navy at the age of 12 seeing action with the Mediterranean fleet under Lord Hood. He was made post-Captain in 1794 and in 1803 he was placed in charge of the North Foreland District of the Sea Fencibles. In 1805 he was posted to Gibraltar as Superintendent of the Navy Yard. The Middletons remained in Gibraltar for three years before returning home in 1808. Susannah travelled home on the ILLUSTRIOUS in May 1808 prior to Capt Middleton who returned to England shortly after to take up a position in the Navy Board in London. In 1830 he was appointed Storekeeper-General to the Navy and retired in 1832 with the rank of Rear-admiral. Following their return to England, Susannah had the first of 10 children, 7 of whom reached adulthood.
In 1834 Meynell entered Henry Burney's Academy at Gosport and in 1836 joined the PARTRIDGE, home waters. From 1837 to 1839 he was in Australian waters in the ALLIGATOR and then took part in the China War, 1840 to 1843, in the CALLIOPE. Between 1844 and 1845 he was a mate in the PENELOPE during the anti-slavery operations off the west coast of Africa. In 1846 he was presented with a commission and re-appointed as additional lieutenant to the PENELOPE. He was unemployed from 1847 until 1853, when he joined the ROYAL GEORGE in the Baltic during the Crimean War. After 1855 he saw no further service.
Miller entered the Navy in 1880 and after service during the Egyptian campaign of 1882 went to the AUDACIOUS on the China Station until 1884. He was promoted to lieutenant in 1890 and then served successively in the PARTRIDGE in the West Indies, 1890 to 1892, the SPEEDWELL in the Channel, 1892, and the HOWE in the Mediterranean, 1893 to 1894. From 1894 until 1897 he was in the East Indies in the BONAVENTURE, from 1897 to 1900 on the North America and West Indies Station in the PEARL and from 1901 to 1903 on the China Station in the Talbot. He was promoted to commander in 1903 and to captain in 1908, serving subsequently on the Australian Station and in home waters. During the First World War he commanded ships in the Grand Fleet. He became a rear-admiral in 1920 and vice-admiral in 1922. He retired the same year and died in a motoring accident four years later.
Alexander Hood, younger brother of Samuel, Viscount Hood, entered the Navy in 1741 and was made lieutenant in 1746. During the Seven Year War he served in the Mediterranean and under Hawke in the Channel. He was made captain in 1756 and, after further service in the Channel and in the Mediterranean, was promoted to rear-admiral in 1780. From 1784 to 1790 he was a Member of Parliament for Bridgwater, after which he sat for Buckingham until 1796. In 1787 he was promoted to vice-admiral and in 1794 to admiral. In that year he was appointed second-in-command of the Channel Fleet, under Lord Howe, and took part in the battle of the First of June, after which he was given an Irish peerage. In the following year when Howe was ashore because of ill-health, he won a partial victory over the French Fleet. For this action, he was raised to the peerage of Great Britain. When Howe finally retired in 1797, Hood was made Commander-in-Chief of the Channel Fleet. In 1800 he was relieved by St. Vincent and accepted no further active command. He was created a viscount in the same year.
Mackay was in charge of the astronomical observatory at Aberdeen from 1781 to 1795. In 1793 he published The theory and practice of finding the longitude at sea or land (London, 2 vols). When the chair of Natural Philosophy at Aberdeen fell vacant in 1800, MacKay was proposed but the election was contested. In 1802, Nevil Maskelyne (1730-1811), the Astronomer Royal, suggested that he should go to Australia to join the expedition led by Matthew Flinders, as their astronomer had returned home early in the voyage. Mackay, however, still hoped that he might win the Aberdeen election and, in addition, felt the pay offered by the Board of Longitude was too small. In 1804, his hopes having failed, he came to London. He was appointed mathematical examiner to Trinity House in 1805 and to similar posts with the East India Company and Christ's Hospital during the year following. As well as teaching and examining, he published further works on astronomy, navigation and mathematics.
See sub-fonds level descriptions for individual biographies.
Milne, son of Admiral Sir David Milne, was entered on the books of the Leander in 1817 but probably did not go to sea until 1820, when he joined the Conway on the South American Station. Again on this station between 1824 and 1830, he served in the ALBION, 1824 to 1825, the GANGES, 1825 to 1827, and the CADMUS, 1827 to 1830. He became a lieutenant in 1827. In 1837 he was promoted to commander into the SNAKE, North America and West Indies Station, where he operated against slavers, and in 1839 was appointed Captain of the CROCODILE on the same station. He transferred to the CLEOPATRA for a brief period in 1841 and then returned home. Milne was Flag-Captain to his father from 1842 to 1845 in the CALEDONIA, Devonport, and from 1845 to 1847 was in the St. Vincent at Portsmouth. He was on the Board of Admiralty until 1859, having become a rear-admiral in 1858. During the American Civil War Milne was Commander-in-Chief, North America and West Indies. On his return, he again joined the Board of Admiralty until 1869 when he commanded the Mediterranean Station for a year. In 1872 he was appointed Senior Naval Lord and after his retirement in 1876 he continued to be called upon for important tasks, including membership of the Carnarvon Commission on Colonial Defence, 1879 to 1882.
Miles entered Britannia as a cadet in 1905. He went to sea the following year, as a midshipman, and by 1911 was a lieutenant. Miles served with submarines and destroyers during World War One, 1914-1918. His later appointments include Captain of HMS NELSON 1939-1941, which was one of the first ships to strike a magnetic mine; Head of the Military Mission to Moscow 1941-1943; Flag Officer Commanding Western Mediterranean 1944-1945; Commander-in-Chief Royal Indian Navy 1946-1947. He was made Rear-Admiral in 1941, Vice-Admiral in 1944 and Admiral in 1948. Miles was placed on the retired list in April 1948.
The moves which led to the formation of the Manchester Ship Canal Company and to the construction of the ship canal itself began to take practical shape in 1882, at a time when the commercial supremacy of Manchester appeared to be declining. It was thought that this decline was due in large part to the heavy cost of transit within the region, which led to the agitation for the building of a ship canal. The proposal encountered opposition from the railways and from powerful corporate interests in Liverpool and it was 1887 before work could begin. The task occupied six years and might never have been completed had not the city fathers come to the financial rescue of the promoters, lending them £3 millions in 1891 and a further £2 millions in 1893. The canal was opened to traffic in 1894.
Murray served as Base Intelligence Officer in the Iolaire, Stornoway, from 1914 to 1918, when he was given the rank of temporary sub-lieutenant in the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve.
Entering the Navy in 1799, Napier became a lieutenant in 1805, commander in 1807 and captain in 1809. Between 1811 and 1812 he served on the West coast of Italy and later in American waters. In 1833 he took service in the Portuguese navy and was victorious over the forces of Dom Miguel, who had seized the throne of Portugal from his niece, Maria, in 1828. As he had not sought permission to enter foreign service, Napier's name was removed from the Navy List hut was restored in 1836. In 1837 he was appointed second-in-command of the Mediterranean Fleet, taking a leading part in the Syrian campaign, 1839 to 1841, particularly at the bombardment of Acre and in the subsequent negotiations with Mehemet Ali. In 1846 he was promoted to rear-admiral and he took command of the Channel Squadron until 1849. He was promoted to vice-admiral in 1853 and commanded the Baltic Fleet in the 1854 campaign. In 1858 he was advanced to admiral. Napier was Member of Parliament for Marylebone, 1841 to 1847, and for Southwark, 1855 to 1860. There are two biographies: Major-General E. Napier, 'Memoirs and correspondence of Admiral Sir Charles Napier, K. C. B.' (London, 1862) and H. Noel Williams, 'The life and letters of Admiral Sir Charles Napier, K.C.B. (1736-1860)' (London, 1917).
See sub-fonds level descriptions for individual biographies.
George Nares, son of Sir George Strong Nares, was a midshipman in the CURACOA on the Australian Station from 1892 to 1893. He specialized in surveying and became a lieutenant in 1896.
North entered the Navy as an assistant clerk in 1854 and served in the Crimean War. He was promoted to Assistant Paymaster in 1860 and Paymaster in 1870. In 1878 he was appointed to the survey ship ALERT, under Captain Sir George Nares. The first season was spent surveying in the Magellan Strait and the surrounding area. In the spring of 1879 Nares was recalled and succeeded by Captain J.F.L.P. Maclear. The ALERT carried out survey work in the Pacific, the Torres Strait (Prince of Wales Channel) and the Indian Ocean (Amirante Islands) before arriving home in 1882. North was promoted to Fleet Paymaster in 1886 and he retired in 1895 as Paymaster-in-Chief.
Norris entered the Navy in 1889. In 1893 as a midshipman in the Nile, Mediterranean, he was an eye-witness of the collision between the VICTORIA and CAMPERDOWN. He was promoted to lieutenant in 1896, commander in 1907 and captain in 1914. During the First World War he commanded the ARLANZA , 1915, and then served at the Admiralty. In 1918 he was appointed Commodore of the Persian Gulf Squadron. He subsequently commanded British naval forces in the Caspian Sea and, in May 1919, with six armed merchant vessels, some coastal motor boats and an air unit, attacked thirty Bolshevik ships, fourteen of which were destroyed. He headed a naval mission to Persia, 1920 to 1921. During the next eight years Norris held several appointments afloat and ashore. He was promoted to rear-admiral in 1924 and retired on his promotion to vice-admiral in 1929. He was promoted to admiral on the retired list in 1933.
After serving as master in a number of ships in the East Indies and Australia trade, James Nourse (d.1897) had his own ship built in 1861. In 1865 he settled on shore to own and operate more ships. He built up a fleet of sailing vessels with which he specialized in carrying contract labour between India and Guiana, the West Indies, Natal and Fiji. This trade was carefully regulated by the British and colonial governments. The ships were well-found with a reputation for healthy voyages, and sailing ships were employed at a time when many other trades had turned to steam. Cargo was a secondary consideration, but iron rails and salt were carried from England to India, rice and gunny bags from Calcutta and rice from Rangoon, sugar from the West Indies and Cuba and general cargo from the United States to Europe. After Nourse's death, the fleet was operated by his executors until 1903 when a limited liability company was formed under the title of James Nourse Limited. The sailing ships were gradually disposed of and replaced by six steamships. In 1917 the shares of the Company were acquired by P&O. During the inter-war years the older ships were replaced by new larger steamers, but the carriage of Indian labour to the West Indies was not resumed despite the demand there in the early 1920s for extra labour. There were, however, return voyages for those people who wished to be repatriated to India. Cargo became more important and regular monthly sailings were maintained from Calcutta and Rangoon to the West Indies and Cuba via the Cape. The India-Caribbean trade was discontinued in 1959 and the company engaged in world-wide tramping. In 1964 the management merged with that of the Ham Steamship Co Ltd and traded as Hain-Nourse Ltd until the reorganization of the P&0 Group in 1971.
See sub-fonds level descriptions for individual biographies.
Ogle entered the Navy in 1697. He became a lieutenant in 1702 and a commander in 1703. He was posted in 1708 and served for the remainder of the war, mostly in the Mediterranean. He commanded the PLYMOUTH in the Baltic in 1716 and the WORCESTER in 1717. After service on the coast of Africa, for which he was knighted, in the Mediterranean and in the West Indies, he was promoted to rear-admiral in 1739. In 1740 he was sent out to join Vice-Admiral Edward Vernon with reinforcements and took part in the attack on Cartagena 1741. He took over the command when Vernon left in 1742 and returned to England in 1745, having been promoted to vice-admiral in 1743 and admiral in 1744.
Ogle was most probably a cousin of Admiral-of-the-Fleet Sir Chaloner Ogle (although the relationship is variously given as son, nephew or cousin). He became a lieutenant in 1745 and a captain in 1756. He saw active service during the Seven Years War and commanded a ship during the Falkland Islands crisis of 1770. In 1774 he was appointed to the RESOLUTION, guardship at Portsmouth. He sailed under Rodney to the relief of Gibraltar in 1779 and then went to America, being recalled on his promotion to rear-admiral in 1780. He became a vice-admiral in 1787 and admiral in 1794.
Ogle was the eldest son of Admiral Sir Chaloner. He entered the Navy in 1787 and became a lieutenant in 1793, commander in 1795, and captain in 1796. He served mainly in the Mediterranean, being Captain of the UNITE 1805 to 1806. From 1806 to 1815 he commanded one of the royal yachts. He succeeded to the baronetcy in 1816 and was promoted to rear-admiral in 1819. He was commander-in-chief, North America 1827 to 1830 and became a vice-admiral in 1830 and an admiral in 1841. He was commander-in-chief at Portsmouth 1845 to 1848.
Oliver entered the Navy in 1878 and passed for lieutenant in 1884. In 1903 he was promoted to captain and founded the navigation school in the Mercury. This school was later given the name HMS Dryad. Oliver became Naval Assistant to the First Sea Lord in 1908, and after a seagoing appointment became Director of Naval Intelligence in 1913. He was promoted to rear-admiral in the same year. In 1914 Oliver became Naval Secretary to the First Sea Lord. At the end of the war he commanded the First Battle Cruiser Squadron in the Grand Fleet, hoisting his flag in the REPULSE. In 1919 he was promoted to vice-admiral and in 1921 he was appointed Second Sea Lord. In 1923 he was made admiral. His last active employment was as Commander-in-Chief, Atlantic Fleet, in which post he remained until 1927. He was made Admiral of the Fleet in 1928 and retired in the same year. See Sir William James, A great seaman. The life of Admiral of the Fleet Sir Henry F. Oliver (London, 1956).
See sub-fonds level descriptions for individual biographies.
Geoffrey Phipps Hornby, son of Sir Phipps Hornby, entered the Navy in 1837 and became a lieutenant in 1844. In 1852 he was promoted to captain but remained on half-pay until 1858, after which he commanded the TRIBUNE, China, 1858 to 1860, NEPTUNE, flagship, Mediterranean, 1861 to 1862, and EDGAR, flagship, Channel, 1863 to 1865. In 1865 he was appointed Commander-in-Chief on the west coast of Africa. He was promoted to rear-admiral in 1869 and commanded the Flying Squadron in the LIVERPOOL on its voyage round the world, 1869 to 1871, and then the Channel Squadron from 1871 to 1874. Hornby was one of the Lords of the Admiralty from 1875 to 1877. He was promoted to vice-admiral in 1875. From 1877 to 1880 he was Commander-in-Chief, Mediterranean. He played an important part in the Balkan crisis of 1878, for which he was knighted and was promoted to admiral in 1879. He was President of the Royal Naval College, Greenwich, 1881 to 1882, and Commander-in-Chief, Portsmouth, 1882 to 1885. In 1885 he commanded an Evolutionary Squadron and became Admiral of the Fleet in 1888. See Mrs Frederick Egerton, Admiral of the Fleet Sir Geoffrey Phipps Hornby, G.C.B., a biography (London, 1896).
Sir Phipps Hornby (1785-1867) began his naval career in 1797, being promoted to Lieutenant in 1804 and to Captain in 1810. He was on half-pay between 1816 and 1832, and then held several posts ashore until his promotion to Rear Admiral in 1846. From 1847 to 1850 he was Commander-in-Chief of the Pacific Squadron, with his base at Valparaiso, where he established his wife and family. He served briefly as a Lord of the Admiralty, was promoted on retirement in 1854, and became Admiral in 1858.
Sir Geoffrey Thomas Phipps Hornby (1825-1895), son of Sir Phipps Hornby, entered the Navy in 1837, being appointed to the PRINCESS CHARLOTTE, flagship of Admiral Stopford. He was promoted to Captain in 1852 and commanded several vessels, including the EDGAR, flagship, Channel, 1863-1865. He was given command of the Channel Squadron from 1871 to 1874, and was Commander-in-Chief, Mediterranean from 1877 to 1880. He became Admiral of the Fleet in 1888.
Robert Stewart Phipps Hornby (1866-1956), younger son of Sir Geoffrey, entered the Navy in 1879, served in the Egyptian War in 1882 and became a Lieutenant in 1886. He was promoted to Captain in 1903 and commanded the DIANA in the Mediterranean, 1904 to 1906. From 1914 to 1915, he was Commander-in-Chief, North America and West Indies Station, and he was promoted to Admiral in 1922 on the retired list.
Windham Mark Phipps Hornby (1896-1987), son of Admiral R S Phipps Hornby, entered the Navy in 1909 and was promoted to Sub-Lieutenant in 1916. He joined the RAMILLIES in 1917, was promoted to Lieutenant in 1918, to Lieutenant-Commander in 1925 and retired in 1932.
Murray Thomas Parks, son of Commander Murray Thomas Parks, entered the Navy as a naval cadet in 1876. He served as midshipman in the RALEIGH under Captain Trewlawny Jago. He was midshipman in the INVINCIBLE and CRUISER 1881 to 1882. He was appointed to WATCHFUL, a gunboat, in 1884 and a commission lieutenant in 1885. In 1888 he was appointed to the COCATRICE in the Mediterranean. In 1892 he became lieutenant in the MEDEA and in 1893 transferred to the PHOEBE on the Cape Station. He was promoted commander in 1896 and in the same year appointed to the UNDAUNTED on the China Station. He was appointed commander of the BLANCHE on the Cape Station in 1900 and in 1903 joined the Coast Guard Service. He was promoted captain and retired in 1908.
The Prince Steam Shipping Company Ltd was formed in 1883 with a nominal capitol of £250,000. Further steamships were ordered and the first of these commenced trading in 1884. By 1886 the company's fleet comprised twenty sailing ships and seventeen ocean-going steamships. A year later the sailing vessels were sold and Knott applied himself to the development of a fleet of steamships engaged in world-wide trade. Among the earliest services advertised were those between the UK and Tripoli, Malta, Tunis, Egypt, Cyprus, Palestine and Syria. By 1888 the company was firmly established on routes from Europe and New York to Brazil and the River Plate and in the years leading up to the First World War, it had a large share in the coffee trade between Brazil and the USA.
With the opening of the Manchester Ship Canal in 1894, a service was instituted between Manchester and Alexandria for the importation of Egyptian cotton. Manufactured goods and machinery were exported through Manchester.
In 1895 a new company was formed, the Prince Line (1895) Ltd. Three years later the date was dropped from the title and the Prince Line Ltd absorbed the entire range of Knott's shipping interests, principally the Prince Steam Shipping Company Ltd and the Prince Steam shipping Insurance Association, founded in 1887. As older ships were replaced by new and larger tonnage a regular line was built on the carriage of Italian emigrants to New York. However , in 1917 the Italian Government restricted this trade to national flag carriers and the Prince Line's part in it came to an end.
In the early years of the twentieth century a service from New York to South Africa, India and the Far East was inaugurated. Later, in 1917, twelve steamers and the interests of James Gardiner and Company, Glasgow, were acquired to become the subsidiary company Rio Cape Line. The combination of these undertakings led to the development of a round the world service.
During the First World War nineteen ships were lost to enemy action. Following the death of two of his sons at Ypres and the Somme and the capture of a third at Gallipoli, James Knott, the founder of the company, sold his interests to Furness, Withy and Company Ltd in August 1916. He was created a baronet the following year. In 1919 the Furness family relinquished their interests in Furness, Withy and Company Ltd. and as result the offices of the company were moved from Newcastle to London.
The fleet and services were rebuilt between the wars despite the economic depression of the decades. The company's first motor ship, built in 1924 as the TRAMORE, was taken over from the associated Johnston Line in 1925 and renamed BRAZILIAN PRINCE. In 1929 four fast passenger-cargo motor ships of 10, 920 tons gross, carrying 101 passengers, were completed and named NORTHERN PRINCE, SOUTHERN PRINCE, EASTERN PRINCE and WESTERN PRINCE. These were employed on the well established New York- South American routes.
At the outbreak of war in 1939 the Prince Line and Rio Cape Line fleets together comprised twenty vessels, maintaining the four regular services- the Mediterranean, USA- South Africa, New York - South America and the Far East round the world service. Losses during the war totalled fourteen.
While the fleet was again rebuilt in the years after 1945 and the citrus trade with Israel continued to flourish, the entire operations of the company gradually contracted as a result of foreign competition and later, containerisation. Only a reduced Mediterranean service survived, and this was combined with Furness, Withy's other Mediterranean interest, the Manchester Liners service, as a joint operation.
The papers start with Platt serving aboard HMS PORTO (c 1780-1782). After PORTO, Platt served on various ships, including HMS ISIS, HMS EAGLE, and HMS CENTURION, mainly in the East and West Indies. He was promoted to Lieutenant on 7 November 1793 and then served on a number of ships, such as HMS ALLIGATOR and HMS ROYAL SOVEREIGN. During his career, Platt appears to have also served in the merchant navy, notably on the KATHARINE, COUNTESS OF EFFINGHAM, which carried Thomas, Earl of Effingham, governor of Jamaica, and his wife to Jamaica (1789-1790). Platt did not enjoy his time in merchant service and the collection includes an example of a reply from the Admiralty to Platt's letter, requesting employment. He also appears to have been involved with the Folkstone Sea Fencibles, with the collection including several documents relating to impressment. Platt was superannuated commander 2 December 1828 and can be found in the retired section of the Navy Lists for the years 1828-1832.
Parr was born on 14 June 1849 and entered the Royal Navy in 1863. He served in the 1875-1876 Arctic Expedition under Captain Sir George S Nares, and was promoted to Commander. In 1882, he participated in the Egyptian War (3rd Class Medjidie). Parr became a Captain in 1887, acted as Aide-de-Camp to Queen Victoria, 1900-1901, and was promoted to Rear-Admiral in 1901. From 1903-1905 he served as Vice-President of the Ordnance Committee, also gaining the rank of Vice-Admiral in 1905. Parr retired from the Navy in 1906, and was made Admiral (retired list) in 1908. He died on 20 February 1914.
Pryce-Cumby entered the Navy in 1784 and was promoted to lieutenant in 1792. Between 1795 and 1798 he served in the ASTREA and then in the THALIA, being present at the battle of Cape St Vincent in 1797. Following three years as Flag-Lieutenant to Vice-Admiral Alexander Graeme (d 1818) at the NORE, he was appointed to command the SWIFT in the North Sea between 1803 and 1804. In 1804 he was appointed to the BELLEROPHON and, when the captain was killed at Trafalgar, took command of the ship. He was promoted to captain in 1806 and in the following year was appointed to the DRYAD on the Irish Station. From 1808 to 1811 he was Captain of the POLYPHEMUS, having command of a squadron at San Domingo in 1809, and from 1811 to 1815 of the HYPERION. In 1812 he was ordered to Davis Strait to protect the whale fishery and in 1813 was on convoy duty in the Atlantic. From 1814 to 1815 he was in the Channel. Pryce-Cumby had no further service until 1837, when he was appointed Superintendent of Pembroke Dockyard; he died in the same year.
Harvey entered the Navy in 1787. He was present at the battle of the First of June 1794 and became a lieutenant four months later. In 1796 he was promoted to commander and to post rank in the next year. He was appointed to the Standard in 1805 under Vice-Admiral Collingwood, in the Mediterranean and in 1807 took part in the action of Sir John Duckworth in the Dardanelles. Returning to England in 1808, he was appointed to the Majestic in the Baltic until 1810 and then served until 1815 in the North Sea. Between 1815 and 1839 he had no employment. He was made rear-admiral in 1821, vice-admiral in 1837 and in 1839 was appointed Commander-in-Chief, North America and West Indies Station; he died during this command.
The Royal Naval College was established by Order of Council on the 1st February 1873 "to provide for the education of Naval Officers of all ranks above that of midshipman, in all branches of theoretical and scientific study bearing upon their profession" (Admiralty Circular no. 8, RNC, Greenwich). It absorbed the School of Naval Architecture, previously based in Kensington. Subjects studied included maths, mechanics, experimental sciences, hydrography, navigation, marine engineering and naval architecture. Students ranged in rank from Acting Sub-Lieutnant to Captain. There were three main groups of students studying at the College: Lieutenants studying gunnery and engineering, who had to pass nine months in the College before they could commence their practical course in the EXCELLENT: fifty to one hundred Sub-Lieutenants, who had completed five years at sea: and about one hundred volunteers of all ages and ranks attending on half-pay. Royal Marine Officers, Dockyard Apprentice Scholars, Merchant Marine Officers, private and foreign students could also study at the College.
The College was primarily a tactical school, despite the establishment of the War Course in 1900 and the renaming of the College "The Royal Naval War College" in 1907. During this period, the eminent naval historian Sir Julian Corbett lectured on history and strategy.
During World War One, the College was used partly as a barracks and also for scientific experimental work. 27,000 officers of the Royal Naval Reserve and Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve passed through the College.
By 1939 all Sub-Lietenants went to the College for two terms for a course in general education and in the elementary study of war. At the outbreak of war, most courses ceased and the Staff College reopened in Novemebr 1943. In 1947 the Combined Staff College was instituted and ran thirty-four courses over the period January 1947 to December 1967. The Department of Nuclear Science and Technology opened in 1959 and was the largest in the College. It provided the essential qualifying courses for offciers who were to operate nuclear submarines or who would be involved in nuclear research. Only after passing the examination at the College could students procees to further training at the full-power shore based nuclear reactor at Dounreay. The Joint Service Defence College, an independent Ministry of Defence Establishment offering courses to prepare British officers of the three services, was relocated to the Royal Naval College in 1983. The JSDC and Royal Naval College were subsumed into a new Joint Service Command and Staff College based at Bracknell in 1998 and the adminstration of the Royal Naval College buildings passed to the Greenwich Foundation.
After the Royal Naval War Libraries had ceased to function at the end of the Second World War, it was decided to use the large collection of non-fiction books which had formed the loan collection as the basis for a peace-time lending library to serve members of the Royal Navy, Royal Marines and WRNS, both serving and retired. The organisation thus formed was called the Royal Naval Loan Library and it was financed by a capital sum partly made over from the Royal Naval War Libraries fund, with a grant from the Royal Naval War Amenities Fund and other donations. After just a year of existence the organization decided that its financial basis was not strong enough and it was wound up.
The Rope family were merchants and shipowners who had lived on the Suffolk coast since the seventeenth century, and had been involved in the trade on the Alde since 1766. In about 1827, George Rope entered the service of his uncle, George Mingay of Orford. Their trade was coastal, ferryin coal between the northeast and Suffolk, and taking agricultural produce to London. They were based at Orford, which had been set up to try and boost the flagging coastal trade. Although the arrival of the railways further harmed this traditional industry, Mingay and Rope (as they became when George Rope was created a partner) prospered, due to their introduction of schooners to replace the traditional brigs. Indeed George Rope continued trading well into the 1880s, and maintained his connections with Orford, being mayor three times.
British seamen and British shipowners under the National Health Insurance Scheme of 1911 were required to pay a contribution to the National Insurance Fund. The Lascar Fund became established so that contributions by shipowners could be made with respect to foreign seamen employed in British ships. This fund later became The Seamen's Pension Fund and subsequently after receiving a grant of Royal Charter in 1931, The Royal Seamen's Pension Fund. A scheme for the Constitution of a Governing Body was established in 1919. This Governing Body comprised of seven representatives of shipowners and seven representatives of all persons entitled to benefits from the fund. The fund was administered until 1928 by an officer of the Ministry of Health, after which time it was deemed necessary to set up a separate establishment with its own secretary for the body. Initially, benefits were awarded only to those seamen who were members of approved societies. In 1929, the Governing Body decided that benefit should be broadened to all those seamen residing in the United Kingdom who had either served in the British merchant marine or British fishing fleets. The overarching requisite for being eligible for benefit was number of years of service at sea as a master and seaman, being resident and dwelling in Britain, natural born or naturalised British subjects. Preference was given to those applicants who served not less than 24 years actual sea service in foreign going ships. The minimum age a pension could be awarded was 65 for a man and 60 for a woman (requiring not less than 15 years service at sea). In 1928 pensions were made payable for life.
By an order of 1845 the Board of Trade authorised a system of voluntary examination of competency for men intending to become masters and mates of foreign-going British merchant ships. The system was made compulsory for those seeking promotion by the Act of 1850 and extended to the examination of masters and mates of home trade vessels by the consolidating Act of 1854. Examinations were conducted in the major ports of the United Kingdom and successful candidates were granted Certificates of Competency. Masters and mates already serving were granted Certificates of Service. In 1862 Certificates of Competency were issued to engineers and those already serving were granted Certificates of Service. In 1881 Certificates of Competency were issued to officers with experience in steamships. In the same year Certificates of Competency were issued to skippers and mates of fishing boats and two years later Certificates of Service were also issued.
The Royal United Services Institution was formed in 1916. In the previous year Lord Lynedoch had formed a General Military Club which merged with the Navy Club soon after the opening of its first premises. It is now known as the Royal United Services Institute.
Edward Montagu, first earl of Sandwich, KG (1625-1672), army and naval officer and diplomat, was born at Barnwell, Northamptonshire, on 27 July 1625, the second but eldest surviving son of Sir Sydney Montagu (circa 1571-1644) of Hinchingbrooke, Huntingdonshire. Montagu was MP for Huntingdonshire and groom of the bedchamber to James I. In October 1655 he was appointed to the admiralty committee and later general at sea (2 January 1656). This was a position he shared with Robert Blake whose illness led to Cromwell's need for another trusted authority in the fleet, thus securing Montagu's elevation. The fleet under Montagu and Blake sailed on 15 March 1656 and took command in the first-rate NASEBY. Successfully reconnoitring Tangier, Tetuan and Gibraltar the NASEBY returned home and on 17 July Montagu commanded the fleet to support the attacks on Dunkirk and Mardyke. In 1659 Montagu took command of a fleet set for the Baltic, finding forces of Charles X of Sweden at Copenhagen and redirecting his efforts to persuade the Dutch to remain peaceful and not intervene. However Montagu withdrew upon hearing the fall of Richard Cromwell. He was appointed to the council of state on 23 February and made general at sea jointly with Monck on 2 March 1660; appointed to the admiralty commission on 3 March. Montagu's critical involvement in the landing of the royal party at Dover on 25 May 1660 led to his being made an earl, choosing Sandwich for his title on 12 July 1660, later a knight of the Garter. In the Second Anglo-Dutch War 1665-1667 he fought at the Battle of Lowestoft and later defeated at the Battle of Vagen. He was re-appointed in 1672 at the start of the Third Anglo-Dutch War he was appointed Vice- Admiral of the Blue serving in the ROYAL JAMES. He was killed at the Battle of Solebay, his ship destroyed by a group of fire ships. He was laid to rest at Westminster Abbey on 3 July 1672 after a state funeral beginning along the River Thames as part of decorated barges sailing from Deptford. Interestingly, Montagu was the first cousin of the father of Samuel Pepys.
John Montagu took his seat in the House of Lords in 1739 and in 1744 was appointed one of the Lords of the Admiralty. He represented the United Kingdom at the negotiations leading to the conclusion of peace in 1748. He then became First Lord of the Admiralty 1748 to 1761, for a brief period in 1763 and again from 1771 to 1782, after which he held no further public office. A selection of his papers were published by Sir George Barnes and Commander J.H. Owen, 'The private papers of John, Earl of Sandwich 1771-1782' (Navy Records Society, 1932-1938, 4 volumes). There is a biography by George Martelli, 'Jemmy Twitcher, a life of the Fourth Earl of Sandwich' (London, 1962).
Shirreff entered the Navy in 1796, was promoted to lieutenant in 1804 and to captain in 1809. Between 1817 and 1821 he commanded the ANDROMACHE in the Pacific, at the time of the Chilean War of Independence. He also despatched Edward Bransfield (c 1783-1852), Master of the ANDROMACHE, in the hired ship WILLIAMS OF BLYTH to claim the South Shetland Islands, 1819 to 1820, for Britain. Between 1830 and 1837 Shirreff was Captain of the Port of Gibraltar under the Colonial Service. In 1838 he was appointed to Captain-Superintendent of Deptford Victualling Yard. He was promoted to rear-admiral in 1846.
Smith-Dorrien entered the BRITANNIA in 1870 and then went to the TRAFALGAR, which was the cadet training ship at that time. His first service was in the ENDYMION between 1872 and 1873, after which he joined the VOLAGE during an expedition, 1874 to 1875, to observe the transit of Venus at Kerguelen Island, Indian Ocean. He then served in the SULTAN, Channel Squadron, before taking his gunnery and Greenwich courses. In 1876 he was appointed to the SHAH on her commission as flagship in the Pacific and was present at the action with the Peruvian turret-ship HUASCAR. During the Zulu War of 1879 he was in the Naval Brigade and was also promoted to lieutenant. From 1880, he was in the ECLIPSE, East Indies Station, operating against the slave trade; he ended the commission by service in the Naval Brigade in Egypt, 1882. On his return home he was appointed Flag-Lieutenant to the Commander-in-Chief, Devonport. From 1884 to 1885 he served in the Mediterranean and then in China in the INVINCIBLE; from 1886 to 1887 he was in the Red Sea in the CONDOR; from 1887 to 1889 he was in the ESPIEGLE, in the Pacific and then from 1889 to 1893 was in the PHAETON on the Mediterranean Station. He was appointed commander in 1893, going to the BRITANNIA and in 1897 to the ALACRITY, Admiral's despatch vessel on the China Station. Having become a captain in 1900, in 1901 he commanded the RAINBOW. He retired in 1904 and was promoted to rear-admiral on the retired list in 1909.
Smithett joined the packet service in 1814 and was on the Dover Station from 1821 to 1825, when he went to the Port Patrick (SW Scotland) service. He returned to Dover in 1831 and was still there in 1837 when the operation of the mail steam vessels was transferred from the control of the Post-Master General to that of the Admiralty; he continued to serve at Dover until 1855, when another change in policy led to the substitution of contract packets; the naval connection was formally ended in 1860. Smithett subsequently held occasional employment as a pilot for the Royal Yacht but no record can be found of any further service after 1857. He was knighted in 1862.
The Society was founded in 1910 to encourage research into subjects of naval and maritime interest. It led the campaign to preserve the Victory in dry dock at Portsmouth in 1922 and similar projects, including the unsuccessful attempt to save the Implacable which was scuttled at sea in 1949. It played an important part in the foundation of the National Maritime Museum and of the Victory Museum, now the Portsmouth Royal Naval Museum. It publishes quarterly The Mariner's Mirror, an historical journal of nautical interest.
Sir Robert Southwell (1635-1702), who was appointed Clerk to the Commission of Prizes in 1664 and, as well as holding diplomatic posts, became Principal Secretary of State for Ireland in 1690. His son Edward Southwell (1671-1730) succeeded him in the latter post. There are also papers of William Blathwayt, Secretary at War (1649?-1717), whose daughter married Edward Southwell in 1717. Since the Southwells and Blathwayt were often abroad, many of these letters are from the Secretary of State at home, who was for the greater part of the time Daniel Finch, Earl of Nottingham (1647-1730), giving news of decisions reached by the Queen, and after her death in 1694, by the Lords Justices.
The Thames Sailing Barge Trust Exploratory Committee was formed in 1952 by a small group of enthusiasts who realized that sailing craft were disappearing from the trading life of Britain. Plans were made to raise public subscriptions to purchase a barge to be maintained perpetually in working condition under sail alone. The Trust was formed in 1954 and in 1956 acquired the sailing barge, MEMORY. At the same time the name of the Society was changed to the Sailing Barge Preservation Society to avoid confusion with other organizations. Trading proved difficult in 1959 because of lack of cargoes and also because the MEMORY sustained damage when run down in fog. In 1960 the Society decided to wind up its affairs and its assets were given to the Foudroyant Trust.
Stokes entered the Navy in 1824 and joined the BEAGLE the following year. He served in her for eighteen years, surveying first in South American and then in Australian waters. He was Assistant Surveyor under Robert Fitzroy (1805-1865) during the voyage of 1831 to 1836 and was promoted to lieutenant in 1837. When, in 1841, John Clements Wickham (1798-1864) was invalided during the Australian survey, Stokes took command of the BEAGLE and completed the commission, returning to England in 1843. He was promoted to captain in 1846. From 1847 to 1851 he commanded the ACHERON on the survey of New Zealand. His last employment was in the English Channel survey, 1859 to 1863. He was promoted to rear-admiral in 1864, vice-admiral in 1871 and admiral in 1877.
Robert Stopford, son of the Hon. Sir Robert Stopford, entered the Navy in 1825 and was promoted lieutenant in 1831. He was present at the siege of Acre, 1840, and was sent home with his father's despatches after the action. In 1841 he was promoted to captain and commanded the TALBOT in the Mediterranean for one year, employed for some of the time in surveying the Skerki Channel off Sardinia. He commanded the ASIA, 1848 to 1851, in the Pacific Squadron under Rear-Admiral (later Admiral) Sir Phipps Hornby. He was promoted to Rear-Admiral in 1860, Vice-Admiral in 1866 and Admiral in 1871.
Montagu Stopford, nephew of Admiral the Hon Sir Robert Stopford, entered the Navy in 1810. He was promoted to lieutenant in 1819 and to captain in 1825. After intermittent service on various stations he was promoted to rear-admiral in 1853. He was Captain of the Fleet during the Crimean War and between 1855 and 1858 was Superintendent of Malta Dockyard. He became a vice-admiral in 1858.
Charles Steevens entered the Navy in about 1720, was promoted to lieutenant in 1729, to commander in 1744 ELIZABETH; he was also promoted to rear-admiral in that year. In 1760 he was appointed Commander-in-Chief of the station, moved to the Norfolk and undertook the blockade of Pondicherry, which surrendered in 1761.
See Nathaniel Steevens, 'The naval career Of Rear-Admiral Charles Steevens from 1720 to 1761' (published privately, 1874).
The South Western Steam Packet Company was incorporated in 1843 'to convey Passengers, Merchandize and Goods by means of Steam Packets between the Port of Southampton and the Port of Havre in the Kingdom of France and any other Ports in any of the Islands in the British Channel'. The Company had in 1842 purchased seven ships from the defunct Commercial Steam Packet Company, a competitor on the same service. In late 1846 a new company, the New South Western Navigation Company, was formed with the object of co-operating with the London and South Western Railway; it took over the South Western fleet. Development of the sea link continued to be bound up with the railway services; the London and South Western Railway Company became the dominant partner and in 1862 took possession of the New South Western's fleet under the terms of mortgage entered into in 1848 and 1849.
William Stewart, eldest son of Admiral of the Fleet Sir Houston Stewart (1791-1875), entered the Navy in 1835. He became a lieutenant in 1842, a commander in 1848 and a captain in 1854. In 1860 he joined the MARLBOROUGH as Flag-Captain to Sir William Fanshawe Martin (1801-1895), in the Mediterranean, where he remained for three years. The rest of his service was in administrative appointments. He was promoted to rear-admiral in 1870 and from July of that year was Admiral Superintendent of Devonport Dockyard until the end of 1871, when he was appointed in the same capacity to Portsmouth. From 1872 to 1881 he was Controller of the Navy, although without a seat on the Board of Admiralty. He became a vice-admiral in 1876 and admiral in 1881, when he was appointed Commander-in-Chief, Devonport. Here he remained for the full period of three years and retired in 1885.