Macedonian 38, Capts. Lord Wm. FitzRoy, Hon. Wm. Waldegrave, and John Surman Garden, on the Lisbon station; where he removed, in April, 1812, to the Barfleur 98, Capt. Sir Thos. Masterman Hardy, bearing the flag of Hon. Geo. Cranfield Berkeley. In Oct. 1810 he was for three weeks employed in command of the Macedonian’s launch at Alhandra and Villa Franca with a division of gunboats under the orders of Lieut, (now Capt.) Maurice Fred. Fitzhardinge Berkeley, who had been sent up the river Tagus for the purpose of co-operating with the right wing of the Army under General Hill in the retreat of Lord Wellington to the lines of Torres Vedras. He was frequently, while thus engaged, in action with the enemy’s batteries, and for his conduct was officially noticed by Lieut. Berkeley. On the return of the Barfleur to Portsmouth he joined, in Oct. 1812, the Ramillies 74, Capt. Sir T. M. Hardy, and sailed for the coast of North America; where we find him present, as Master’s Mate, at the blockade of New London, at the capture of Moose Island and Washington, in the attack upon Baltimore, and at the bombardment of Stonington. He also commanded the pinnace of the Ramillies, in company with the boats of a squadron under Capt. Nicholas Lockyer at the capture, on Lake Borgne, near New Orleans, of five American gun-boats under Commodore Jones, whose resistance was maintained with so much obstinacy that the British suffered a loss of 17 men killed and 77 wounded. Mr. Wilkinson, in his own boat, had 1 man killed and 2 wounded.[1] In Jan. 1816, nearly five months after he had left the Ramillies, he was appointed Admiralty Midshipman (he had passed his examination 6 Sept. preceding) of the Comus 28, Capts. Thos. Tudor Tucker and Jas. John Gordon Bremer; under the latter of whom he had the misfortune to be wrecked on a reef of rocks off St. Shotts, Newfoundland, 24 Oct. in the same year. He was employed subsequently – from 25 Dec. 1816 until 4 June, 1817, in the Ister 36, Capt. Thos. Forrest, at Leith – from 5 June, 1817, until 25 Oct. 1821, as First-Mate, in the Tiger Revenue-cutter, Lieut.-Commanders Thos. Jager and Rich. Fegen, in the North Sea – from 27 Oct. 1821 until 5 Jan. 1823, as Admiralty Midshipman, in the Spencer and Bulwark 74’s, Capts. Sir Thos. Lavie and Thos. Dundas, at Plymouth – and from 2 Feb. 1823 until promoted to the rank of Lieutenant, 28 April, 1827, again as First-Mate, in the Sprightly Revenue- cruizer, in the Channel. While belonging to the latter vessel he succeeded on one occasion, with but 2 men and a boy, in capturing, at night, off the north coast of Cornwall, the crew of the Dutch smuggling lugger Bijou, of Flushing, 14 in number, 2 of whom were severely wounded in the encounter. He had charge of a station in the Coast Guard from April, 1830, until July, 1831; and has been serving since 27 Nov. 1844 as Admiralty Agent on board a contract mail steam-vessel.
Lieut. Wilkinson married in 1830, and has issue three sons
WILKINSON. (Lieut., 1815. f-p., 23; h-p., 17.)
Stephen Wilkinson entered the Navy, 21 Oct. 1807, as Fst.-cl. Vol., on board the York 74, Capt. Robt. Barton. In the following Dec. he was present at the occupation of Madeira; and in the course of 1809 he assisted at the capture of Martinique, the Saintes, the 74-gun ship D’Haupoult, and Flushing. He served afterwards in th« Mediterranean; whence, towards the close of 1810 (he had previously attained the rating of Midshipman), he returned to England. In Dec. 1813, at which period he had been for two years and eight months employed in the Baltic, in the Bay of Biscay, on the north coast of Spain, and in the Channel, in the Ardent 64, Hannibal 74, Christian VII. 80, and Bulwark 74, all flag-ships of Rear-Admiral Philip Chas. Durham, Despatch 18, Capt. Jas. Galloway, and Bulwark again, he followed Rear-Admiral Durham into the Venerable 74, and sailed for the West Indies. During the passage he contributed to the capture, 16 and 20 Jan. 1814, of the Alcmène and Iphigènie French frigates, of 44 guns each. He was nominated Acting-Lieutenant of the Venerable 28 April, 1814; and between the following May and March, 1815, was employed in a similar capacity and as a Supernumerary in the Pique 36, Capt. Hon. Anthony Maitland, Palma 38, Capt. Jas. Andrew Worth, Barrosa 36, Capt. Wm. M‘Culloch, Venerable again, and Barbadoes 16, Capt. John Fleming, on the West India and North American stations. He then returned to England in the Niemen 38, Capt. Sam. Pym; and on 19 Sept. following he was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant. From 13 Aug. 1822 until the early part of 1838 he filled an appointment in the Coast Guard. Agents – Messrs. Chard.
WILKINSON. (Lieut., 1815. f-p., 8; h-p., 32.)
William Wilkinson entered the Navy, 4, Oct. 1807, as Fst.-cl. Vol., on board the Volontaire 38, Capts. Chas. Bullen, Abel Ferris, Joseph Nourse, and Hon. Granville Geo. Waldegrave. Under Capt. Bullen he escorted the Duke of Orleans and his brother, Count Beaujolais, to Malta, served occasionally with the in-shore squadron off Toulon, assisted at the capture of the island of Pomegue, near Marseilles, witnessed the self-destruction of the French ships-of-the-line Robuste and Lion near Cape Cette, and was engaged in active co-operation with the patriots on the coast of Catalonia. After he had been for about three months a Supernumerary of the Achille 74, Capt. Aiskew Paffard Hollis, he joined, in Nov. 1811, the Thames 32, Capts. Chas. Napier and John Strutt Peyton. On 14 May, 1812, we find the latter ship attacking the port of Sapri, where, previously to the capture of 28 vessels laden with oil, she contrived, supported by the Pilot sloop, to enforce the discretionary surrender of a strong battery and tower, mounting 2 32-pounders, with an officer and 38 men. She subsequently, when in company with the Furieuse 36, took possession, 26 Feb. 1813, of the island of Ponza, without loss, although exposed to the fire of four batteries and a tower, mounting 10 24 and 18-pounders, 2 12-pounders, and 2 9-inch mortars. In June, 1813, her officers and crew took part in a siege of five days, which terminated in the reduction of the fort of St. Philippe, in the Col de Balaguer, near Tortosa, armed with 12 pieces of ordnance, including 2 10-inch mortars and 2 howitzers, with a garrison of 101 officers and men. After the fall of Tarragona, the Thames conveyed Lieut.-General Sir John Murray to Alicant, and was then ordered with despatches to England, where she was paid off in Sept. 1813. In Jan. 1814, Mr. Wilkinson, who had been serving intermediately in the Namur 74, Capt. Fras. Wm. Austen, guard-ship at the Nore, was received on board the Chanticleer 10, Capts. Stewart Blacker and John Thompson, employed at first in the North Sea, and next in the West Indies; on which station he removed, in Jan. 1815, to the Muros 12, Capt. Geo. Gosling, and was made Lieutenant, 15 June In the same year, into the Venerable 74, flag-ship of Sir Philip Chas. Durham. In the following Aug. he was present at the reduction of Guadeloupe. He returned home immediately afterwards in the Fox 32, Capt. Frank Gore Willock; and has since been on half-pay.
WILLCOX. (Commander, 1846.)
James Willcox entered the Navy 3 July, 1826; passed his examination 12 Aug. 1833; and at the period of his promotion to the rank of Lieutenant, which took place 23 Nov. 1841, was serving on the coast of Africa as Mate in the Waterwitch 10, Lieut-Commander Henry Jas. Matson. On 29 Dec. 1842 he was appointed Additional of the Spiteful steam-sloop, Capt. Wm. Maitland, fitting for the East Indies; where he removed, in Sept. 1843, to
- ↑ We learn from a certificate, bearing the signature of Sir T. M. Hardy, that Mr. Wilkinson “frequently distinguished himself in the boats of the Ramillies, and particularly in the attack on the gun-vessels off New Orleans.”
