Sir John Phillimore
CB (18 January 1781 – 21 March 1840) was an officer of the
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against ...
who saw service during the
French Revolutionary
The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are consider ...
and
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fren ...
. He was involved in several notable actions during his active career, taking part in both Battles of Copenhagen, sending
Sir Hyde Parker's famous signal to
Nelson
Nelson may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* ''Nelson'' (1918 film), a historical film directed by Maurice Elvey
* ''Nelson'' (1926 film), a historical film directed by Walter Summers
* ''Nelson'' (opera), an opera by Lennox Berkeley to a lib ...
in the first, and fighting off Danish gunboats in the second. He went on to win a hard-fought victory over a French frigate in 1814 and reaped the rewards. He was at times a controversial figure, causing a scandal when he thrashed the naval historian
William James
William James (January 11, 1842 – August 26, 1910) was an American philosopher, historian, and psychologist, and the first educator to offer a psychology course in the United States.
James is considered to be a leading thinker of the lat ...
with a stick for apparently badly representing Phillimore's conduct, and on another occasion inviting rebuke from the
Navy Board
The Navy Board (formerly known as the Council of the Marine or Council of the Marine Causes) was the commission responsible for the day-to-day civil administration of the Royal Navy between 1546 and 1832. The board was headquartered within the ...
for his request for more paint for his ship. He nevertheless became an
aide-de-camp to the young
Queen Victoria
Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 216 days was longer than that of any previo ...
, and took important steps to reform how the lower ranks and ordinary seamen were treated in the Navy.
Family and early life
![Nicholas Pocock - The Battle of Copenhagen, 2 April 1801](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/58/Nicholas_Pocock_-_The_Battle_of_Copenhagen%2C_2_April_1801.jpg)
Phillimore was born on 18 January 1781, the third son of the Reverend Joseph Phillimore, the
rector
Rector (Latin for the member of a vessel's crew who steers) may refer to:
Style or title
*Rector (ecclesiastical), a cleric who functions as an administrative leader in some Christian denominations
*Rector (academia), a senior official in an edu ...
of
Orton on the Hill
Orton on the Hill is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Twycross, in the Hinckley and Bosworth district of Leicestershire, England. Orton adjoins Morebarne, Sheepy and Newhouse Grange on the south, Appleby and Austrey to ...
,
Leicestershire, and his wife Mary.
His naval service began when he joined Captain
George Murray's 36-gun
frigate as a volunteer first class in June 1794.
Phillimore was present at the
Battle of Groix
The Battle of Groix was a large naval engagement which took place near the island of Groix off the Biscay coast of Brittany on 23 June 1795 ( 5 messidor an III) during the French Revolutionary Wars. The battle was fought between elements of the ...
on 23 June 1795 as a
midshipman, before both he and Murray moved aboard the 74-gun .
They fought at the
Battle of Cape St Vincent, and after surviving the wreck of the ''Colossus'' in
St Mary's harbour,
Isles of Scilly, were briefly aboard , before moving again aboard .
Phillimore and the ''Edgar'' went with
Sir Hyde Parker's fleet for his expedition to the Baltic in 1801.
During the
Battle of Copenhagen Phillimore had been sent to Parker's
flagship, the 90-gun to take his examination.
He served as the ''London''s acting-signal lieutenant during the battle, sending Parker's famous signal for Nelson to withdraw.
Nelson, directing action aboard , was informed of the signal by the signal lieutenant, Frederick Langford, but angrily responded: 'I told you to look out on the Danish commodore and let me know when he surrendered. Keep your eyes fixed on him.'
[Hibbert 1994, p. 261] He then turned to his flag captain,
Thomas Foley, and said 'You know, Foley, I have only one eye. I have a right to be blind sometimes.' He raised the telescope to his blind eye, and said 'I really do not see the signal.'
[Pocock 1987, p. 237] Phillimore returned to the ''Edgar'' after the battle, where he learnt that the ''Edgar''s first lieutenant had been killed in the engagement. A round of general promotions of the junior officers followed, and Phillimore was promoted to lieutenant.
Command
Phillimore remained in the Baltic, serving briefly aboard the ''London'' again, before moving aboard the 80-gun and serving with Murray off
Cadiz.
With the
Peace of Amiens Phillimore was appointed as first lieutenant of the
brig-sloop
In the 18th century and most of the 19th, a sloop-of-war in the Royal Navy was a warship with a single gun deck that carried up to eighteen guns. The rating system covered all vessels with 20 guns and above; thus, the term ''sloop-of-war'' enc ...
, being promoted to commander on 10 May 1804.
He received his first command, that of the 20-gun , in October 1805. He commanded ''Cormorant'' in the
North Sea
The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Norway, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. An epeiric sea, epeiric sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the ...
until September 1806, when he was moved to take command of the 18-gun .
He commanded her in the English Channel and
the Downs, taking part in
Commodore Edward Owen's attack on
Bolougne.
The ''Belette'' was occupied in early 1807 with conveying supplies to the besieged town of
Kolberg, after which she was attached to Admiral
James Gambier's fleet which returned to the Baltic to
attack Copenhagen again in 1807.
Phillimore distinguished himself during the battle, particularly in an engagement at the end of August, when the ''Belette'' became becalmed off the Danish coast. She was attacked by 16 Danish
gunboat
A gunboat is a naval watercraft designed for the express purpose of carrying one or more guns to bombard coastal targets, as opposed to those military craft designed for naval warfare, or for ferrying troops or supplies.
History Pre-ste ...
s, of which Phillimore managed to sink three before other British ships arrived and towed him clear.
Gambier rewarded his courage by giving him the honour of carrying his despatches to the
Admiralty
Admiralty most often refers to:
*Admiralty, Hong Kong
*Admiralty (United Kingdom), military department in command of the Royal Navy from 1707 to 1964
*The rank of admiral
*Admiralty law
Admiralty can also refer to:
Buildings
* Admiralty, Traf ...
, as a result of which he received a promotion to
post captain
Post-captain is an obsolete alternative form of the rank of captain in the Royal Navy.
The term served to distinguish those who were captains by rank from:
* Officers in command of a naval vessel, who were (and still are) addressed as captain ...
on 13 October 1807.
''Belette'' and the Baltic
Phillimore initially remained in command of the ''Belette'', returning to the Baltic in late 1807. He brought the British ambassador,
Lord Hutchinson back to Britain in February 1808.
At some point while sailing to
Gothenburg he had the misfortune to encounter the only two decker in the Danish Navy, which he escaped by sailing into shallower waters.
Promotion eventually left him without a ship however, though he temporarily took over command of the 74-gun in June 1809 with the temporary absence of her captain,
Graham Moore. He took part in the
Walcheren Campaign
The Walcheren Campaign ( ) was an unsuccessful British expedition to the Netherlands in 1809 intended to open another front in the Austrian Empire's struggle with France during the War of the Fifth Coalition. Sir John Pitt, 2nd Earl of Chath ...
until Moore's return to command in late 1809.
Phillimore's next command was the nominally 64-gun , though she had been converted into a
troopship
A troopship (also troop ship or troop transport or trooper) is a ship used to carry soldiers, either in peacetime or wartime. Troopships were often drafted from commercial shipping fleets, and were unable land troops directly on shore, typicall ...
some years earlier and by the time Phillimore became her captain in June 1810, she only mounted 32 guns.
"No longer your affectionate friend"
This was to lead to a celebrated exchange of letters between Phillimore and the
Navy Board
The Navy Board (formerly known as the Council of the Marine or Council of the Marine Causes) was the commission responsible for the day-to-day civil administration of the Royal Navy between 1546 and 1832. The board was headquartered within the ...
on the subject of paint. With the ''Diadem'' now only mounting 32 guns, the board directed that she should receive stores equivalent to a ship of this rating, despite her much larger size and complement, and despite Phillimore's protests.
Consequently, he only received money for enough paint to paint half his ship. Phillimore sent a pointed letter to the board enquiring which half they wished him to paint, the starboard side or the larboard side. He then signed the letter "your affectionate friend".
The board admonished him for this, pointing out that the custom of signing "your affectionate friend" was one practised by its own members and was the address used from a superior officer to an inferior one.
Phillimore acknowledged his mistake, signing himself "no longer your affectionate friend".
The correspondence appears to have had its effect; the allowance was duly doubled.
Phillimore spent his time in command of the ''Diadem'' carrying troops to and from the Iberian peninsula, supporting
Arthur Wellesley's operations there.
HMS ''Eurotas'' and the ''Clorinde''
![Eurotas and Clorinde-cropped](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/89/Eurotas_and_Clorinde-cropped.jpg)
On 4 May 1813 Phillimore received command of the new 38-gun frigate , which had been armed with an experimental mix of guns to a design by
Sir William Congreve
Lieutenant General Sir William Congreve, 1st Baronet (4 July 1742 – 30 April 1814) was a British military officer who improved artillery strength through gunpowder experiments.
Personal life
William Congreve was born in Stafford on 4 July 1 ...
.
The ''Eurotas'' was initially attached to the fleet blockading
Brest
Brest may refer to:
Places
*Brest, Belarus
**Brest Region
**Brest Airport
**Brest Fortress
* Brest, Kyustendil Province, Bulgaria
* Břest, Czech Republic
*Brest, France
** Arrondissement of Brest
**Brest Bretagne Airport
** Château de Brest
*Br ...
, and on 23 October Phillimore was present at the capture of the Franco-Dutch frigate
''Trave''.
In January 1814 ''Eurotas'' was despatched to
Lorient
Lorient (; ) is a town ('' commune'') and seaport in the Morbihan department of Brittany in western France.
History
Prehistory and classical antiquity
Beginning around 3000 BC, settlements in the area of Lorient are attested by the presen ...
, where three French frigates had been reported as preparing to put to sea.
They escaped to sea under cover of night and heavy weather, and despite pursuing them for three days, Phillimore was eventually forced to return to Britain to re-provision.
She returned to sea again, and on 25 February came across the
French frigate ''Clorinde''.
A long and sustained battle was fought, which eventually left ''Eurotas'' totally dismasted, and with 20 of her men killed and 40 wounded, with Phillimore among the latter.
''Eurotas''s first lieutenant took over while Phillimore was carried below to be seen by the surgeon. A
jury-rig
In maritime transport terms, and most commonly in sailing, jury-rigged is an adjective, a noun, and a verb. It can describe the actions of temporary makeshift running repairs made with only the tools and materials on board; and the subsequent r ...
was erected and the chase resumed during the night. The ''Clorinde'' had also been badly damaged during the engagement, losing 40 killed and 80 wounded, and was steadily being overtaken by the ''Eurotas'', when two British ships came upon the scene, and .
''Dryad'' brought ''Clorinde'' to with a single shot and the Frenchman surrendered.
In 1847 the Admiralty authorized the issuance of the
Naval General Service Medal with clasp "EUROTAS 25 FEBY. 1814" to all still surviving members of ''Eurota's'' crew that had participated in the action.
Later service
Phillimore was nominated a
Companion of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate medieval ceremony for appointing a knight, which involved bathing (as a symbol of purification) as on ...
on 4 June 1815, but his wounds prevented him from returning to active service for some years.
He finally returned to sea with his appointment to command the yacht on 13 April 1820, which was then in service as the conveyance of
Earl Talbot
Earl Talbot is a title that has been created twice in the Peerage of Great Britain. This branch of the Talbot family descends from the Hon. Sir Gilbert Talbot (died 1518), third son of John Talbot, 2nd Earl of Shrewsbury. His great-great-great- ...
, the
Lord Lieutenant of Ireland.
Talbot knighted him for his services on 12 December 1821.
Phillimore next received command of the 46-gun frigate in March 1823, and was sent to
Mexico
Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
to convey a commission of political enquiry, and to the
West Indies
The West Indies is a subregion of North America, surrounded by the North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea that includes 13 independent island countries and 18 dependencies and other territories in three major archipelagos: the Greate ...
, and later on to Africa, South America and the Mediterranean.
He made a large sum of money by returning with valuable cargoes to Britain in 1824, including $400,000 of specie and 300 bales of
cochineal
The cochineal ( , ; ''Dactylopius coccus'') is a scale insect in the suborder Sternorrhyncha, from which the natural dye carmine is derived. A primarily sessile parasite native to tropical and subtropical South America through North Americ ...
from
Havana
Havana (; Spanish: ''La Habana'' ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of the La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center. .
Assault on William James
While on
leave
Leave may refer to:
* Permission (disambiguation)
** Permitted absence from work
*** Leave of absence, a period of time that one is to be away from one's primary job while maintaining the status of employee
*** Annual leave, allowance of time away ...
in Britain that year his attention was drawn to a passage recently published in
William James's ''Naval History of Great Britain'', which described the battle between ''Eurotas'' and ''Clorinde''. In it James had noted that the 24-pounders had not done as much as had 18-pounders in other actions, and that ''Eurotas'' had been in commission long enough for her crew 'to have been taught a few practical rules of gunnery'.
A furious Phillimore considered this a slur on his character and took 48 hours' leave to go up to London.
He and a friend went to James's house and upon meeting him, Phillimore declared that the account of the battle was false. James defended his book, and harsh words were exchanged, which led to Phillimore thrashing James with his stick.
The case was examined by a magistrate and Phillimore was forced to pay James £100 in damages.
The bishop of St Michael's
Phillimore continued to serve in the navy, carrying troops of the Royal African Corps to
Cape Coast Castle
Cape Coast Castle ( sv, Carolusborg) is one of about forty "slave castles", or large commercial forts, built on the Gold Coast of West Africa (now Ghana) by European traders. It was originally a Portuguese "feitoria" or trading post, establish ...
during the
First Anglo-Ashanti War
The Anglo-Ashanti wars were a series of five conflicts that took place between 1824 and 1900 between the Ashanti Empire—in the Akan interior of the Gold Coast—and the British Empire and its African allies. Though the Ashanti emerged victorio ...
in 1824.
On the return voyage he stopped to re-provision at
St Michael's in August.
The English residents of the settlement asked Phillimore to have the burial ground there consecrated, a task he delegated to his ship's chaplain, to be carried out the next day at noon.
The chaplain pointed out that consecrations could only be carried out by a bishop. Phillimore responded by appointing the chaplain 'acting-bishop of St Michael's', and the consecration was duly carried out.
Defying the Spanish
The ''Thetis'' was in the Mediterranean the following year, transporting the English ambassador to
Naples
Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...
to his post. On the return voyage she put into
Gibraltar
)
, anthem = " God Save the King"
, song = " Gibraltar Anthem"
, image_map = Gibraltar location in Europe.svg
, map_alt = Location of Gibraltar in Europe
, map_caption = United Kingdom shown in pale green
, mapsize =
, image_map2 = Gib ...
, shortly after a gale had driven 17 British merchants ashore at the head of the
bay.
The Spanish governor of the area claimed jurisdiction and the right of salvage over them, but Phillimore took his boats out and drove off the Spanish forces that had attempted to take possession over them.
This precedent helped to define the rights and jurisdictions of the British forces in Gibraltar and Phillimore received letters of thanks from the merchants at Gibraltar, and from
Lloyd's of London
Lloyd's of London, generally known simply as Lloyd's, is an insurance and reinsurance market located in London, England. Unlike most of its competitors in the industry, it is not an insurance company; rather, Lloyd's is a corporate body gove ...
for saving the cargoes.
Naval reform
Phillimore also embarked on a significant piece of naval reform, when after consulting with his men, he reduced their rum ration by half, with the money saved being paid into their wages.
The positive effects of this were so noticeable that this reform was soon adopted throughout the Navy.
Another improvement Phillmore introduced was the paying of a monthly advance in wages.
The ''Thetis'' was paid off in November 1826, and Phillmore never again served at sea.
He was however appointed a naval
aide-de-camp to
King William IV
William IV (William Henry; 21 August 1765 – 20 June 1837) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and King of Hanover from 26 June 1830 until his death in 1837. The third son of George III, William succeeded hi ...
in September 1831, a position he retained under
Queen Victoria
Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 216 days was longer than that of any previo ...
.
Family life
John Phillimore married Catherine Harriet Raigersfeld on 17 February 1830, when he was 49. The couple settled near
Maidenhead and had two sons and four daughters. His youngest son,
Henry Bouchier Phillimore, became an admiral.
John Phillimore died on 21 March 1840 at the age of 59, and was buried at
Bray. His wife died a few months later and was buried beside him.
Notes
References
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Phillimore, John
1781 births
1840 deaths
Royal Navy officers
Companions of the Order of the Bath
Royal Navy personnel of the French Revolutionary Wars
Royal Navy personnel of the Napoleonic Wars
Knights Bachelor