Sir James John Gordon Bremer (26 September 1786 – 14 February 1850) was a

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 Fr ...

officer. He served in the

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 Fre ...

First Anglo-Burmese War The First Anglo-Burmese War ( my, ပထမ အင်္ဂလိပ်-မြန်မာ စစ်; ; 5 March 1824 – 24 February 1826), also known as the First Burma War, was the first of three wars fought between the British and Burmes ...

, and

First Anglo-Chinese War The First Opium War (), also known as the Opium War or the Anglo-Sino War was a series of military engagements fought between Britain and the Qing dynasty of China between 1839 and 1842. The immediate issue was the Chinese enforcement of the ...

. In China, he served twice as commander-in-chief of British forces. Born in

Portsea, Portsmouth Portsea Island is a flat and low-lying natural island in area, just off the southern coast of Hampshire in England. Portsea Island contains the majority of the city of Portsmouth. Portsea Island has the third-largest population of all t ...

, Bremer joined the Royal Naval College as a student in 1797. While serving in the

East Indies The East Indies (or simply the Indies), is a term used in historical narratives of the Age of Discovery. The Indies refers to various lands in the East or the Eastern hemisphere, particularly the islands and mainlands found in and around ...

, he became commander of in 1807. He was promoted to captain in 1814 and was nominated a CB the following year. After becoming commander of HMS ''Tamar'', he was sent to Melville Island, Australia, in 1824 to establish a colony. Under his leadership, the north coast of Australia from 129° to 135° longitude was claimed as British territory. He also led the Battle of Berbera in 1827. Bremer served twice as commander-in-chief of British forces in the First Anglo-Chinese War from 1839 to 1841. During the war, he took formal possession of

Hong Kong Island Hong Kong Island is an island in the southern part of Hong Kong. Known colloquially and on road signs simply as Hong Kong, the island has a population of 1,289,500 and its population density is 16,390/km2, . The island had a population of a ...

for the United Kingdom in 1841. He was made a KCB the same year. In 1846, he was appointed with Sir

Francis Augustus Collier Rear Admiral Sir Francis Augustus Collier, CB, KCH (7 August 1785 – 28 October 1849) was a senior officer of the British Royal Navy during the early nineteenth century. Born into a naval family, Collier served in the French Revolutionary Wars ...

to the joint command of the Channel Squadron and became commodore-superintendent of

Woolwich Dockyard Woolwich Dockyard (formally H.M. Dockyard, Woolwich, also known as The King's Yard, Woolwich) was an English naval dockyard along the river Thames at Woolwich in north-west Kent, where many ships were built from the early 16th century until ...

from which he retired in 1848. He died in 1850, having risen to the rank of rear-admiral.

Early career

Bremer was born on 26 September 1786 in

Portsea Portsea may refer to: * Portsea, Victoria, a seaside town in Australia * Portsea Island, an island on the south coast of England contained within the city of Portsmouth * Portsea, Portsmouth Portsea Island is a flat and low-lying natural i ...

, Hampshire, England. Laughton, J. K.; Lambert, Andrew, rev. "Bremer, Sir James John Gordon (1786–1850)". ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography''. 21 May 2009. Oxford University Press. Retrieved 8 August 2018. . He was the only son of

Lieutenant James Bremer (who went missing in the

East Indiaman East Indiaman was a general name for any sailing ship operating under charter or licence to any of the East India trading companies of the major European trading powers of the 17th through the 19th centuries. The term is used to refer to vesse ...

''Halswell'' off the coast of

Dorset Dorset ( ; archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The ceremonial county comprises the unitary authority areas of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole and Dorset. Covering an area of , ...

, England, on 6 January 1786) and his wife Ann, daughter of Captain James Norman. In 1794 at around 12 years old he joined the Royal Navy as a first-class volunteer on board HMS ''Sandwich'', the

flagship A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, characteristically a flag officer entitled by custom to fly a distinguishing flag. Used more loosely, it is the lead ship in a fleet of vessels, typically the ...

of Rear-Admiral Skeffington Lutwidge, at the

Nore The Nore is a long bank of sand and silt running along the south-centre of the final narrowing of the Thames Estuary, England. Its south-west is the very narrow Nore Sand. Just short of the Nore's easternmost point where it fades into the cha ...

, from which he was discharged in June 1795. On 8 October 1797, he became a student of the Royal Naval College in

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council. Portsmouth is the most d ...

, and re-embarked on 2 April 1802 as a midshipman on board HMS ''Endymion'' under Captain Philip Durham. Until July 1805, Bremer served in the flagship of Vice-Admiral

James Gambier Admiral of the Fleet James Gambier, 1st Baron Gambier, (13 October 1756 – 19 April 1833) was a Royal Navy officer. After seeing action at the capture of Charleston during the American Revolutionary War, he saw action again, as captain of the ...

and Rear-Admiral

Edward Thornbrough Admiral Sir Edward Thornbrough, GCB (27 July 1754 – 3 April 1834) was a senior, long-serving veteran officer of the British Royal Navy during the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century. He saw action in the American Revolutionary War, ...

, HMS ''Isis'', on the

Newfoundland Newfoundland and Labrador (; french: Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador; frequently abbreviated as NL) is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region ...

and

North Sea The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Norway, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. An epeiric sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian ...

stations. Shortly after passing his examination, he was appointed sub-lieutenant of the

gun-brig A gun-brig was a small brig-rigged warship that enjoyed popularity in the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars, during which large numbers were purchased or built. In general these were vessels of under 200 tons burthen, and thus smaller than ...

HMS ''Rapid''. On 3 August 1805, he became a lieutenant on board HMS ''Captain'' as part of

William Cornwallis Admiral of the Red Sir William Cornwallis, (10 February 17445 July 1819) was a Royal Navy officer. He was the brother of Charles Cornwallis, the 1st Marquess Cornwallis, British commander at the siege of Yorktown. Cornwallis took part in a n ...

' force pursuing a French fleet at Brest. On 9 May 1806, Bremer was appointed to HMS ''Diana'' commanded by Captain

Thomas James Maling Thomas James Maling (15 July 1778 – 22 January 1849) was a Royal Navy officer, a captain during Napoleonic Wars and later promoted to Rear-Admiral. Biography He was the son of Christopher Thompson Maling, DL, of Worcestershire, and scion of t ...

in the

Mediterranean Station The British Mediterranean Fleet, also known as the Mediterranean Station, was a formation of the Royal Navy. The Fleet was one of the most prestigious commands in the navy for the majority of its history, defending the vital sea link between t ...

, from where he proceeded to the

Davis Strait Davis Strait is a northern arm of the Atlantic Ocean that lies north of the Labrador Sea. It lies between mid-western Greenland and Baffin Island in Nunavut, Canada. To the north is Baffin Bay. The strait was named for the English explorer John ...

. On 6 October, he served on board HMS ''Imogen'', commanded by Captain Thomas Garth in the Mediterranean. On 28 May 1807, he was appointed to HMS ''Psyché'' commanded by Captain William Wooldridge in the

, where he became commander of HMS ''Rattlesnake'' on 13 October. He became a

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 7 June 1814. On 4 June 1815, he was nominated a Companion of the Most Honourable Military

Order 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) a ...

(CB).

Australia

On 18 September 1823, just before his 37th birthday, Bremer was appointed commander of HMS ''Tamar''. In February 1824, he was sent to Melville Island, Australia, to establish a colony. The site was intended as a military settlement to secure British trade in the region. It was hoped that a market would open to British merchants in the

Malay Archipelago The Malay Archipelago ( Indonesian/ Malay: , tgl, Kapuluang Malay) is the archipelago between mainland Indochina and Australia. It has also been called the " Malay world," " Nusantara", "East Indies", Indo-Australian Archipelago, Spices Arc ...

.Scott, Ernest (1988)

933 Year 933 ( CMXXXIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Europe * Spring – Hugh of Provence, king of Italy, launches an expedition to Rome to remo ...

''Australia: The Cambridge History of the British Empire''. Volume 7. Part 1. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. pp. 129–130. . In June 1824, Bremer arrived in

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mounta ...

where he spent a month collecting troops and stores.Bach, J (1966).
Bremer, Sir James John Gordon (1786–1850)
. ''Australian Dictionary of Biography''. Retrieved 7 June 2011. On 24 August 1824, he left

Port Jackson Port Jackson, consisting of the waters of Sydney Harbour, Middle Harbour, North Harbour and the Lane Cove and Parramatta Rivers, is the ria or natural harbour of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The harbour is an inlet of the Tasman S ...

, Sydney,Melville Island – Culture and History
. ''The Sydney Morning Herald''. 25 November 2008. Retrieved 7 June 2011. on board ''Tamar'', accompanied by and ''Lady Nelson''.Cameron, James (1989). In Satham, Pamela, ed. ''The Origin of Australia's Capital Cities''. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p. 276. . The ships transported

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 warfare, amphibious light infantry and also one of the :Fighting Arms of the Royal Navy, five fighti ...

and 44 convicts guarded by the 3rd Regiment. After sailing through the

Torres Strait The Torres Strait (), also known as Zenadh Kes, is a strait between Australia and the Melanesian island of New Guinea. It is wide at its narrowest extent. To the south is Cape York Peninsula, the northernmost extremity of the Australian mai ...

, he arrived in

Port Essington Port Essington is an inlet and historic site located on the Cobourg Peninsula in the Garig Gunak Barlu National Park in Australia's Northern Territory. It was the site of an early attempt at British settlement, but now exists only as a remo ...

on 20 September. The north coast of Australia from 129° to 135° longitude was declared British territory. Bremer rejected Port Essington as a settlement due to its lack of fresh drinking water. On 26 September, the party landed at King Cove in Melville Island to build a settlement, which was named Fort Dundas on 21 October. However, the site was unhealthy, expensive to maintain, and did not develop into an advantageous commercial trading post. In November 1828, orders were given to abandon the post. In November 1824, Bremer sailed for India where he served in the

. On 25 January 1836, he was made a Knight Commander of the

Royal Hanoverian Guelphic Order The Royal Guelphic Order (german: Königliche Guelphen-Orden), sometimes referred to as the Hanoverian Guelphic Order, is a Hanoverian order of chivalry instituted on 28 April 1815 by the Prince Regent (later King George IV). It takes its name ...

(KCH). In 1837, Port Essington was again selected as a possible trading station by Baron Glenelg. Bremer, who commanded the ''

Alligator An alligator is a large reptile in the Crocodilia order in the genus ''Alligator'' of the family Alligatoridae. The two extant species are the American alligator (''A. mississippiensis'') and the Chinese alligator (''A. sinensis''). Additional ...

'' and '' Britomart'', was again given charge of the expedition. He established a new post in October 1838, calling it Port Victoria. The port was active until 1843 and by 1849, Port Essington was abandoned after it had no commercial or military value. Under the encouragement of New South Wales Governor

George Gipps Sir George Gipps (23 December 1790 – 28 February 1847) was the Governor of the British colony of New South Wales for eight years, between 1838 and 1846. His governorship oversaw a tumultuous period where the rights to land were bitterly conte ...

, Bremer left Port Essington for China in June 1839, with the ships under his command, after news of trouble in the Chinese city of

Canton Canton may refer to: Administrative division terminology * Canton (administrative division), territorial/administrative division in some countries, notably Switzerland * Township (Canada), known as ''canton'' in Canadian French Arts and ente ...

China

Rear-Admiral

Frederick Maitland General Frederick Maitland (3 September 1763 – 27 January 1848) was a British Army officer who fought during the American War of Independence, the Peninsular War and later served as Lieutenant Governor of Dominica. Life The youngest son ...

, commander of the

East Indies and China Station The Commander-in-Chief, East Indies and China was a formation of the Royal Navy from 1831 to 1865. Its naval area of responsibility was the Indian Ocean and the coasts of China and its navigable rivers. The Commander-in-Chief was appointed in 183 ...

, died in November 1839. As the senior naval officer, Bremer took over as commander-in-chief of British forces in the

commodore Commodore may refer to: Ranks * Commodore (rank), a naval rank ** Commodore (Royal Navy), in the United Kingdom ** Commodore (United States) ** Commodore (Canada) ** Commodore (Finland) ** Commodore (Germany) or ''Kommodore'' * Air commodore ...

. He was replaced by Rear-Admiral George Elliot in July 1840, but after Elliot's return home in November 1840, Bremer again assumed the post until the arrival of Sir William Parker in August 1841. Bremer commanded the

capture of Chusan The First Capture of Chusan () by British forces in China occurred on 5–6 July 1840 during the First Opium War. The British captured Chusan (Zhoushan), the largest island of an archipelago of that name. Background The Kangxi Emperor estab ...

(5–6 July 1840), Second Battle of Chuenpi (7 January 1841),

Battle of the Bogue The Battle of the Bogue () was fought between British and Chinese forces in the Pearl River Delta, Guangdong province, China, on 23–26 February 1841 during the First Opium War. The British launched an amphibious attack at the Humen strait ( ...

(23–26 February),No. 19984
. ''The London Gazette''. 3 June 1841. p. 1426.

Battle of First Bar The Battle of First Bar was fought between British and Chinese forces at First Bar Island and its surrounding area in the Pearl River, Guangdong province, China, on 27 February 1841 during the First Opium War. Background On 21 February 1841 ...

(27 February),

Battle of Whampoa The Battle of Whampoa was fought between British and Chinese forces at Whampoa Island (modern-day Pazhou Island) on the Pearl River near the city of Canton (Guangzhou), Guangdong, China, on 2March 1841 during the First Opium War.Ouchterlony 1844 ...

(2 March), and Battle of Canton (18 March). After Plenipotentiary

Charles Elliot Admiral Sir Charles Elliot (15 August 1801 – 9 September 1875) was a British Royal Navy officer, diplomat, and colonial administrator. He became the first Administrator of Hong Kong in 1841 while serving as both Plenipotentiary and Chief Su ...

declared the cession of

to the United Kingdom on 20 January 1841,
The Chinese Repository
'. Volume 10. London: Canton. 1841. pp. 63–64. Bremer reported on 26 January that he "proceeded to Hong Kong, and took formal possession of the island in Her Majesty's name, and hoisted the colours on it, with the usual salutes and ceremonies." This area became known as

Possession Point Possession Point () is a former point of land on the northwestern coast of Hong Kong Island in Hong Kong, before land reclamation moved the location further inland. History The area is where Commodore Gordon Bremer, commander-in-chief of ...

. On 1 February, he issued a joint proclamation with Elliot to the inhabitants, declaring the island British territory. On 24 August, he left China aboard the ''Atlanta'' with Elliot. For his services, Bremer received a vote of thanks from both houses of parliament, and on 29 July, he was made a Knight Commander of the Most Honourable Military

(KCB).

Later career

On 30 April 1846, Bremer was appointed, jointly with Sir

, to the command of the Channel Squadron, with his

broad pennant A broad pennant is a triangular swallow-tailed naval pennant flown from the masthead of a warship afloat or a naval headquarters ashore to indicate the presence of either: (a) a Royal Navy officer in the rank of Commodore, or (b) a U.S. Na ...

on board HMS ''Queen''. In November 1842, he became commodore-superintendent of the

, where he commanded the yacht '' William and Mary''. He retired from the dockyard on 13 November 1848. On 15 September 1849, Bremer was appointed to Rear-Admiral of the Blue. He served as a magistrate in

Devon Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devo ...

shire. He died of

diabetes mellitus Diabetes, also known as diabetes mellitus, is a group of metabolic disorders characterized by a high blood sugar level ( hyperglycemia) over a prolonged period of time. Symptoms often include frequent urination, increased thirst and increased ...

on 14 February 1850 at

Tunbridge Wells Royal Tunbridge Wells is a town in Kent, England, southeast of central London. It lies close to the border with East Sussex on the northern edge of the High Weald, whose sandstone geology is exemplified by the rock formation High Rocks. T ...

, Kent, England.

Family

On 27 March 1811, Bremer married Harriet, daughter of Royal Marines officer Thomas Wheeler and widow of Reverend George Glasse. They had two sons and four daughters: *Emma Margaret (c. 1815 – 19 July 1877); married Royal Navy officer

Augustus Kuper Admiral Sir Augustus Leopold Kuper (16 August 1809 – 28 October 1885) was a Royal Navy officer known for his commands in the far east. Naval career Kuper, whose ancestry was German, joined the navy in 1823 as a midshipman. On 20 February 183 ...

on 20 June 1837 *Isabel Harriet Ann (c. 1816 – 13 April 1866); married British Army officer Henry Sabine Browne on 26 February 1840 *Emily (c. 1817 – 21 December 1869); married Alfred Howard on 5 April 1838 *Ellen Susan (born c. 1818); married British Army officer Collingwood Fenwick at Plymouth on 15 October 1844 *Edward Gordon (18 September 1819 – 7 April 1847); Royal Navy officer *John de Courcy (17 February 1822 – 6 January 1891 in Rose Bay, Sydney, Australia) After Harriet's death in 1846, Bremer married Jemima Mary Harriet (1801–1879), the eldest daughter of Royal Navy officer

James Brisbane Captain Sir James Brisbane, CB (1774 – 19 December 1826) was a British Royal Navy officer of the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. Although never engaged in any major actions, Brisbane served under both Lord Howe and Horatio Nels ...

, on 8 February 1848 at

Namesakes

* Bremer River, Queensland, Australia; first named Bremer's Creek by explorer

John Oxley John Joseph William Molesworth Oxley (1784 – 25 May 1828) was an explorer and surveyor of Australia in the early period of British colonisation. He served as Surveyor General of New South Wales and is perhaps best known for his two exp ...

in 1828 * Bremer River, South Australia; originally the Hindmarsh River, renamed the Bremer River in 1839 *

Bremer Bay Bremer may refer to: People *Bremer (surname) *Bremer Ehrler (born 1914), American politician * Bremer (born 1997), Brazilian footballer Places ;Australia *Bremer Bay, Western Australia *Bremer Marine Park * Bremer Island * Bremer River (disambigu ...

, Western Australia; named by explorer

John Septimus Roe John Septimus Roe (8 May 1797 – 28 May 1878) was the first Surveyor-General of Western Australia. He was a renowned explorer, a member of Western Australia's legislative and executive councils for nearly 40 years, but also a participant in ...

, who served under Bremer on board the ''Tamar'' from 1824 to 1827 * Bremer Range and its highest peak, Mount Gordon, Western Australia; named by Roe *

Bremer Island Bremer Island, or Dhambaliya in the local language is an island in the Arafura Sea, in the northwest of the Gulf of Carpentaria, 3.4 km off the northeast corner of Arnhem Land (''Cape Wirawawoi''), Northern Territory, Australia. History ...

, Northern Territory, Australia *Bremer Street, Griffith, Canberra, Australia *Mount Bremer; renamed Braemar Hill, Hong KongYanne, Andrew; Heller, Gillis (2009). ''Signs of a Colonial Era''. Hong Kong: Hong Kong University Press. p. 41. .

References

External links

* , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Bremer, James 1786 births 1850 deaths British military personnel of the First Anglo-Burmese War Knights Commander of the Order of the Bath Royal Navy rear admirals Royal Navy personnel of the First Opium War Royal Navy personnel of the French Revolutionary Wars Royal Navy personnel of the Napoleonic Wars People from Portsea, Portsmouth Deaths from diabetes