Thomas Arnold (1679 – 31 August 1737) was an English 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 F ...

Life

Arnold was descended from a family which had been settled for many generations in

Lowestoft Lowestoft ( ) is a coastal town and civil parish in the East Suffolk district of Suffolk, England.OS Explorer Map OL40: The Broads: (1:25 000) : . As the most easterly UK settlement, it is north-east of London, north-east of Ipswich and sou ...

, and was, in 1718, first lieutenant of . He distinguished himself in the

battle of Cape Passaro The Battle of Cape Passaro, also known as Battle of Avola or Battle of Syracuse, was a major naval battle fought on 11 August 1718 between a fleet of the British Royal Navy under Admiral Sir George Byng and a fleet of the Spanish Navy under R ...

on 11 August 1718 by heading the boarders and carrying the Spanish flagship, the ''Real Felipe'', and in this service he was severely wounded, and lost the use of one arm. His gallantry was rewarded by his promotion, probably by Sir George Byng, to the rank of commander; in 1727 he was advanced to be a captain, appointed to command HMS ''Fox'', and sent to the coast of Carolina, where he was for some time under the orders of Captain George Anson. On his return to England he retired from active service and settled at Lowestoft, where he died on 31 August 1737. A monument in Lowestoft church still keeps alive his memory, which, throughout the last century, was further distinguished by a local custom now obsolete. 'It is customary,' wrote Gillingwater in 1790, 'at Lowestoft to hang flags across the streets at weddings. The colours belonging to the Royal Philip taken by Lieutenant Arnold have frequently been made use of upon these occasions.'

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References

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Arnold, Thomas 1679 births 1737 deaths People from Lowestoft Royal Navy officers Military personnel from Suffolk 18th-century Royal Navy personnel