A Naval Biographical Dictionary/Watson, Rundle Burges

by William Richard O'Byrne

Layout 4

WATSON, C.B. (Captain, 1842.)

Rundle Burges Watson is eldest son of the late Capt. Joshua Rowley Watson, R.N., who served on shore when a Lieutenant in the operations against Martinique in 1794, commanded the Inflexible 64 in the expedition to Copenhagen in 1807, and was afterwards Captain of the Alfred and Implacable 74’s.

This officer entered the Navy 1 Nov. 1821; passed his examination in 1828; obtained his first commission 7 Oct. 1829; and was appointed in succession – 15 April, 1831, to the Caledonia 120, Capts. Edw. Curzon and Jas. Hillyar, employed at first as an experimental ship under the flag of Sir Edw. Codrington, and next with the squadron on the coast of Portugal – 12 June, 1833, and 31 Aug. 1834, to the Vernon 50, flag-ship of Sir Geo. Cockburn, and Vestal 26, Capt. Wm. Jones, both on the North America and West India station – and, 17 Nov. 1837, as Senior, to the Calliope 26, Capt. (now Sir Thomas) Herbert. After serving for upwards of two years in the latter ship in South America, he sailed in her, in 1840, for the coast of China, where, as we shall proceed to show, he distinguished himself during the war in a very eminent degree. At the taking of Chuenpee, 7 Jan. 1841, he assisted, in command of the Calliope’s boats, at the destruction of 11 war-junks, the flower of the Celestial navy; and in the course of the same day he obtained the recommendation of his Captain for a creditable and impressive attack he made, supported by the boats of the Larne 18, upon other junks to the northward.^[1] On 27 Feb., while a strong party under Capt. Herbert was storming the enemy’s entrenchments at Whampoa, Mr. Watson attacked, with boats from the Calliope, Modeste 18, and Nemesis E.I.C. steamer, boarded and carried the ship Cambridge of 900 tons, formerly an Indiaman, but then bearing the flag of a Chinese Admiral, and armed with 34 guns, the whole of which, as well as the prize, were destroyed.^[2] Four days previously to this affair he had been recommended to the particular notice of Commodore Sir Gordon Bremer for his conduct in the boats at the destruction of a masked battery of 20 guns at the back of the island of Anunghoy.^[3] On 13 March he contributed, still with the Calliope’s boats under his orders, to the capture of several rafts and of the last fort protecting the approaches to Canton. ^[4] At the ensuing capture of that city he was employed in the western division of boats;^[5] and for his services during the second series of operations against it he was spoken of in the highest terms.^[6] He was advanced in consequence to the rank of Commander by a commission bearing date 6 May, 1841; and in the course of the same year he was appointed, with Sir Thos. Herbert, to the Blenheim 72, and to the personal command of the Modeste 18. In the former ship he served at the taking of Amoy. While commanding the Modeste he co-operated in the reduction of Chinghae, and on that occasion, as well as on every other that presented itself, displayed signal zeal and activity.^[7]On the night of 10 March, 1842, being at the time senior officer off Ningpo, he succeeded, with the assistance of his boats, in defeating an attack made by the Chinese on the city and on the shipping lying in the river. For this he acquired the approbation of Sir Wm. Parker, the Commander-in-Chief.^[8] He headed, five days afterwards, the seamen employed under Capt. Thos. Bourchier of the Blonde 42, in unison with the troops under Sir Hugh Gough (who mentioned him in his despatches to Lord Auckland, the Governor- General of India), in the assault upon the enemy in their intrenched position on the heights of Segoan.^[9] During the operations against Chapoo, 18 May, 1842, Capt. Watson served with a few seamen on shore, and proved of assistance in enabling Sir Hugh Gough to cross a canal which had impeded his progress.^[10] In every instance, we may here observe, in which he was called upon to act in direct conjunction with the army, his conduct was such as to afford the highest satisfaction to the General. For some time previously to the attack made by the British on the batteries at Woosung, Capt. Watson appears to have been indefatigable in making observations and in sounding the narrow channel by which alone it could be approached.^[11] The day following the action, at which we find he behaved in a very conspicuous and spirited manner,^[12] he was placed in command, under Sir Wm. Parker, of the light ships-of-war which formed the naval part of the expedition sent up the river against the city of Shanghae. During the advance he took possession of six deserted batteries, destroying the iron and embarking the copper guns.^[13] At the storming, 21 July, 1842, of the city of Ching-Kiang-Foo he was wounded while in the act of scaling the walls.^[14] As a reward for his important services, Capt. Watson was advanced to his present rank 23 Dec. 1842,^[15] and nominated the next day a C.B. He has been in command, since 28 Feb. 1846, of the Brilliant 20, at the Cape of Good Hope.

He married, 1 Feb. 1845, Helen, second daughter of the late John Bettington, Esq., of Pittville.

---

1. Vide Gaz. 1841, pp. 1162, 1221-2.
2. Vide Gaz. 1841, p. 1501.
3. Vide Gaz. 1841, p. 1497.
4. Vide Gaz. 1841, p. 1503.
5. Vide Gaz. 1841, p. 1505.
6. Vide Gaz. 1841, pp. 2505, 2510.
7. Vide Gaz. 1842, p. 396.
8. Vide Gaz. 1842, p. 2388.
9. Vide Gaz. 1842, pp 2386-7, 2390.
10. Vide Gaz. 1842, pp. 2844, 3692-3.
11. Vide Gaz. 1842, p. 3398.
12. Vide Gaz. 1842, p. 3399.
13. Vide Gaz. 1842, pp. 3384, 3401.
14. Vide Gaz. 1842, p. 3403.
15. Vide Gaz. 1842, p. 3821.