Early years of WKH [PAGE3010]
Entry and Promotion of Junior Officers [PAGE3020]
From Master's Assistant to Midshipman [PAGE 3030]
1829-34 RAPID - BARHAM - CHILDERS. Mediterranean Station and England
HMS RAPID - 10-gun Sloop [PAGE3100]
William served in Rapid as a Volunteer 2nd Class and in Barham and Childers as a Master's Assistant. He did not start his diaries until 1831. The first part of this section consists of a series of letters that he received from his father dispensing paternal advice and complaining about his financial irresponsibility.
An 1832 entry describes a visit he paid to Lady Hestor Stanhope at her house in the hills above Acre in Syria. Lady Hestor was the niece of William Pitt and had been his hostess during his final years as Prime Minister. An 1833 entry describes the arrival of Otto of Bavaria in Greece where he had been selected to be the first monarch after its liberation from Turkish rule.
BARHAM 74-gun - CHILDERS 16-gun brig - TALAVERA. [PAGE3200]
On promotion to Master's Assistant William joined the Barham in May 1833. In 1834 he returned with her to England. Having left the Barham in early May 1834 he joined Childers and returned to Malta in the summer. This part of the section has no diary entries, but it was during this period that William made the important moves which resulted in him transferring from the Master's to the Commissioned Branch on being posted to Talavera as a Midshipman. The full story of this remarkable achievement is told separately at [PAGE 3030].
1835-9 HMS VIPER - SALAMANDER - GORGON Lisbon Station, North Coast of Spain and England [PAGE3300]
VIPER 6-gun Brigatine
In 1836 entries in his diaries describes the part played by Viper in the naval operations supporting the British Legion during the Carlist Wars. On returning to England in early 1837 he left Viper and took his exams for Lieutenant. At Greenwich he was examined by Dr Inman, of nautical tables fame. During this period he also met his father for the first time in eight years.
SALAMANDER and GORGON 4-gun steam vessels
His last two years off the north coast of Spain were spent in Salamander and then her sister ship Gorgon. This was his first experience of steam propulsion.
1839-41 HMS BENBOW 72-gun ship of the line. Mediterranean Station and Lisbon. [PAGE3400].
William was now 24, but he still received long letters full of advice from his father.
In 1840 Benbow took part in the Syrian war against the Egyptian ruler, Mehemmet Ali. William gives a vivid description of the opposed landing that took place at Tortosa. William was in charge of one of the landing boats and a member of his crew was killed beside him.
Later parts of the section describe time spent in the Eastern Mediterranean and his chances of being promoted to Lieutenant.
1841-44 HMS INDUS 78-gun ship of the line. Mediterranean Station and Lisbon. [PAGE3500].
On promotion to Lieutenant, William was appointed to the Indus. This section covers a comparatively uneventful three years in the Mediterranean. Overall it gives one an interesting picture of the relaxed way of life of the early Victorian Navy. There are particularly amusing descriptions of a Ball at Lisbon to celebrate some special event in the life of the Portuguese royal family and his unsuccessful attempts to propose to a young English lady that he had met.
For the past 15 years William had spent nearly all his time in the Mediterranean, or on the Lisbon Station which included the Atlantic coast of the Iberian peninsula. For the next 15 years he would travel the world. The West Indies; Canada; South Africa; India; Burma; China; Japan and the Baltic.
1845-47 HMS VINDICTIVE. 50-gun Frigate. West Indies and North American Station. [PAGE3600]
Vindictive was the flagship of Sir Frances Austen, brother of the authoress Jane Austen. A widower, he brought on board two of his daughters. The eldest, a strong minded spinster of nearly forty, frequently interfered with the running of the ship.
The programme of the flagship followed a fixed pattern governed by the climatic conditions of the station. Vindictive spent from about June to October (the Hurricane season) at Halifax, Nova Scotia. In 1846 she visited Quebec for a few weeks, otherwise she appears to have remained in Halifax for several months without going to sea. She would then return to Bermuda for a month or two over Christmas. From January to about April the Flagship and other ships of the station would carry out a cruise around the West Indian islands, returning to Bermuda in May.
There is little of professional interest in the diary entries for this period, but some of the entries describing William's running feud with strong minded daughter of the Admiral make amusing reading. He met his future wife, Louise Forman, when visiting Halifax in 1847.
1847-8 HMS GROWLER. 6-gun paddle Sloop.
Bermuda and England. Growler had been part of a Colonial Office sponsored trial to tranship volunteer labour from West Africa to work on the plantations in the West Indies. While crossing the Atlantic a Yellow Fever epidemic had broken out and over 30 of the emigrants and the Captain of the ship died. Having landed the surviving emigrants she had arrived in Bermuda in a terrible state and William had been put in command to sort out her problems and take her back to England.
The entries in his diaries give an interesting account of his attempts to restore the morale of the ship's company. He appears to have been very successful and received special promotion to Commander for his achievements
1848-51 ENGAGEMENT, MARRIAGE and COASTGUARD SERVICE. Halifax, Nove Scotia and England. [PAGE3700]
William had become engaged to Louisa Forman in Halifax, while serving in Vindictive. This section gives a graphic description of the great Chartist demonstration that took place in London and his attempts to persuade his Agent to clear his accounts so that he could return to Canada and marry Louise. There are also some brief but amusing references to his service with the Coastuard in the Scilly Islands and Weymouth.
1851-53 HMS STYX. 6-Gun paddle Sloop. South Africa, East Indies and Hong Kong. [PAGE3800]
The diaries in this section describe the part played by Styx during the latter part of the 8th Kaffir War. This conflict, the last of a series between the white settlers and the original inhabitants of Cape Colony, was taking place some 500 miles E of Cape Town. to the NW of East London. Styx's role was to carry troops and their horses, stores and even bullion between Cape Town and the mouth of the Buffalo River The diaries give an interesting, and sometimes amusing picture, of this joint service logistical operation.
The final year of the commission was spent in Indian and Chinese waters, unfortunately we have no diaries covering this period.
1854 HMS BULLDOG. 6-Gun paddle Sloop. Baltic Expedition - Crimean War. [PAGE3900]
On promotion to Captain, William was appointed in command of Bulldog, an improved version of the Styx. In March he joined other units of the Fleet about to take part in the Baltic campaign of the Crimean War. His diaries give an interesting view of the progress of this campaign. It also contains a description of the bombardment and capture of Fort Bomarsund, in which William took an active part. Bulldog had been used as the Commander-in-Chief's flagship during the final stages of the attack.
1855 HMS EXMOUTH. 90-Gun ship of the line. Baltic Expedition - Crimean War. [PAGE4000]
On his return to England for the winter William was appointed in command of Exmouth, the flagship of Admiral Seymour, the 2nd in command of the naval forces about to take part in the second year of the Baltic campaign. The main event described in this section of the diaries is the attack on the fortress of Sveaborg near Helsinki. The diaries also contain a description of the Royal Navy's first encounter with the floating mine.
1856-9 HMS CALCUTTA. 84-Gun Battleship. East Indies and China Station. [PAGE4100]
The Crimean War having ended, Admiral Seymour had been appointed Commander-in-Chief, East Indies and China Station and William and he asked William to be his Flag Captain in command of Calcutta.
Calcutta arrived in Hong Kong one month before, what became known as the Arrow Incident, an event which led to the start of the 2nd China War (Opium War). The diaries in this section cover the first two years of this war and give detailed accounts of the first attack on Canton at the end of 1856 and the assault on the Taku forts at the approaches to Peking, in May 1858. In both these engagements, particularly the Taku forts, William was in considerable personal danger.
Other incidents that are recorded, which make this one of the most interesting sections of William's diaries, are how he dealt with a 'mass go-slow' on the part of the ships company in Cape Town; dispute with the army on the sending of reinforcements from Hong Kong to India to deal with the Mutiny; his views on Lord Elgin (possibly unfair); the public execution of a marine by hanging.