Henry Noble Shipton (27 June 1797 – 5 December 1821) was a British junior officer who served in the

Royal Marines The Corps of Royal Marines (RM), also known as the Royal Marines Commandos, are the UK's special operations capable commando force, amphibious light infantry and also one of the five fighting arms of the Royal Navy. The Corps of Royal Marine ...

and the Army. He is notable as being the sole Royal Marine to have fought at the

Battle of Waterloo The Battle of Waterloo was fought on Sunday 18 June 1815, near Waterloo, Belgium, Waterloo (at that time in the United Kingdom of the Netherlands, now in Belgium). A French army under the command of Napoleon was defeated by two of the armie ...

Biography

Shipton was baptized at Portishead, Somerset, on 27 June 1797, the son of Reverend John Shipton and his wife Jane. Upon leaving Blundell's School in 1812, he joined the armed forces. He commenced his military career in the Woolwich Division of the

, and was commissioned as a

Second Lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...

on 12 May 1812. He served on from 26 September 1812 until the ship was paid off on 22 August 1814. In October 1814, he was sent with sixteen other officers as a draft of reinforcements to North America. He embarked with 10 other officers and 38 other ranks, and was disembarked in Louisiana on 29 December. In line with their motto, 'Per Mare, Per Terram', Royal Marines served not only afloat in the ships of the fleet but the ship's Royal Marines detachments were often landed under the command of their own officers and combined to fight as infantry company's or even Battalions in support of land operations. In this manner, Shipton was present with the 4th Foot at the Battle of New Orleans, and at the Second Battle of Fort Bowyer in February 1815. He embarked , and returned to Europe in May 1815, as did the 1st battalion of the 4th Foot. He had a gained recommendation for a commission into the army by General John Lambert, and therefore he tendered his resignation to the Royal Marines. The path of advancement for officers in the Royal Marines at this time was very slow, promotion required both seniority (or time served) in rank, experience and the patronage of high-ranking sponsors. Shipton is reported to have struck up a good rapport with the officers of the 4th, he also gained General Lambert as a sponsor, indicating that his career prospects looked better in an army regiment than in the Royal Marines. Furthermore, given that a lengthy land war in Europe seemed imminent (rather than what became a 100-day campaign), it made perfect sense – from a career point of view – to resign his commission as a Second Lieutenant Royal Marines, and to become an Ensign in the army. During this time, the 4th Foot participated in the

Hundred Days The Hundred Days (french: les Cent-Jours ), also known as the War of the Seventh Coalition, marked the period between Napoleon's return from eleven months of exile on the island of Elba to Paris on20 March 1815 and the second restoration ...

campaign. During this time, he served alongside

4th Foot The King's Own Royal Regiment (Lancaster) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army. It served under various titles and fought in many wars and conflicts, including both the First and the Second World Wars, from 1680 to 1959. In 1959, the r ...

in a capacity similar to that of
naval volunteer of the first class
(see

Thomas Fortescue Kennedy Thomas Fortescue Kennedy (9 November 1774 – 15 May 1846) was an officer of the Royal Navy who served during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. Kennedy was born into a family with a history of military service, and entered the navy s ...

for an example). He was awarded a Waterloo Medal for having served on the staff of the 4th Foot as an Ensign. At this time he was technically in the Royal Marines and is believed to be the sole Royal Marine recipient of this medal. He continued to appear as a Second Lieutenant on the monthly Steel's

Navy List A Navy Directory, formerly the Navy List or Naval Register is an official list of naval officers, their ranks and seniority, the ships which they command or to which they are appointed, etc., that is published by the government or naval author ...

up to July 1815. He was commissioned into the Army on 3 August 1815 as an Ensign. The subsequent reduction in the establishment of the Army resulted in him being on half-pay during 1816 and 1817. He resumed active service on full pay on 19 November 1818. He died of yellow fever in Barbados on 5 December 1821 aged 24, although his gravestone incorrectly states he died at the age of 26.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shipton, Henry Noble 1797 births 1821 deaths Military personnel from Somerset People educated at Blundell's School Royal Marines officers King's Own Royal Regiment officers British military personnel of the War of 1812 Royal Navy personnel of the Napoleonic Wars Recipients of the Waterloo Medal 19th-century Royal Marines personnel 19th-century British Army personnel