193
CLACK—CLAPP—CLARE.
CHURCH. (Lieutenant, 1838. f-p., 20; h-p., 0.)
William Harvey Church entered the Navy, 24 March, 1827, as Midshipman, on board the Victor 18, Capt. Geo. Woollcomhe, on the Irish station, where he continued to be employed until 1831, in the Semiramis 42, Capts. Roht. Rowley and Maurice Fred. Fitzhardinge Berkeley, and Pike schooner, Lieut.-Commander John Gwyn Wigley. From the latter date until 1838 he next served on board the Aetna surveying-vessel, commanded successively by Capts. Edw, Belcher, Wm. Geo. Skyring, Wm. Arlett, and Alex. Thos. Emeric Vidal; and, during that period, was at first employed in the river Douro for the protection of British interests during the Pedro and Miguel hostilities; also in examining, latterly as Assistant-Surveyor, different parts of the Mediterranean and of the coast of Africa, including the Canary Islands; and was on shore at Cape Roxo when Capt. Skyring was killed by the natives. He passed his examination in Sept. 1833; obtained his commission 28 June, 1838; and, from that period until the end of 1846, employed, under the Hydrographic Department of the Admiralty, as Lieutenant and Assistant-Surveyor, on board the Sylvia and Hind cutters, and Tartarus steam-vessel, Capts. Wm. Lewis Sheringham and Jas. Wolfe.
Lieut. Church married, in 1839, Anna Matilda, daughter of T. Harvey, Esq.
CLACK. (Lieutenant, 1808, f-p., 22; h-p., 27.)
Thomas Clack is brother of the late Wm. Clack, Esq., R.N., who was killed in his first cruize; and grandson of Lieut.-Colonel Thos. Groves, R.M., who died at the age of 91, having been in the full-pay service of his country for 74 years, during which period he had been in the battle of Bunker’s Hill, and had served on shore at the defence of Gibraltar.
This officer entered the Navy, 28 June, 1798, as A.B., on board the Magnanime 44, Capts. Hon. Michael De Courcy and Wm. Taylor; assisted, in Aug. and Oct. of the same year, at the capture of La Décade, of 36 guns, off Cape Finisterre, and, as Midshipman, at the defeat (with a loss to the Magnanime of 7 men wounded) of Commodore Bompart’s squadron, on the coast of Ireland; and, on his subsequent passage to the West Indies, served at the reduction, in April, 1800, of the African island of Goree. On his return to the latter station from the North Sea, in the Hound 16, Capt. Keith Maxwell, we find Mr. Clack holding the command, from March to July, 1804, of a tender belonging to the Diamond-Rock, Martinique, on the latter being fitted out as a sloop-of-war; subsequently to which he had the honour, for six weeks, of also commanding, in Carlisle Bay, the Centaur’s launch, on board of which the Commander-in-Chief, Sir Sam. Hood, had for the time shifted his flag. After a servitude of 13 months in the Hippomenes 18, Capt. Edw. Wolcombe, and Northumberland 74, Rear-Admiral Hon. Sir Alex. Cochrane, he was appointed, in Jan. 1806, Acting-Lieutenant of the Kingfisher 18, Capt. Nathaniel Day Cochrane, and, next, Sub-Lieutenant of the Epervier 16, Capts. John Impey and Rich. Couch, part of the force under Sir John Duckworth in the ensuing action off St. Domingo. On the victory being consummated Mr. Clack was the first officer to board the prize ships-of-the-line L’Impériale and Le Diomède, which he did for the purpose of reporting on the practicability of their destruction. For his subsequent gallant capture, in command of the Epervier’s cutter, of a French letter-of-marque schooner and re-capture of an English merchant-brig, we find him appointed, 6 Feb. 1807, Acting-Lieutenant of the Goree 24, Capts. Wm. Standway Parkinson, Hon. M. De Courcy, Joseph Spear, and John Simpson; to which vessel he appears to have been confirmed 16 June, 1808, in consequence of his behaviour, on 22 of the previous April, at the Goree’s creditable defeat, after an hour’s cannonade, of the two French brigs Pylades and Palineur, of 16 guns and 110 men each. He was also present in the same sloop at the reduction of the islands of St. Thomas, Sta. Croix, and Martinique; and subsequently served, from 30 Oct. 1809, until Sept. 1816, nearly the whole time as First-Lieutenant, on board the Furieuse 38, Capt. John Simpson, Espiègle 16, Capt. John Codd, Rapid 14, Capt. Wm. Mather, Zealous 74, Capt. Thos. Boys, and Bermuda 10, Capts. Wm. Wolrige and John Pakenham, on the North American and Home stations – and, from 18 May, 1837, until 1841, aa Senior in the Téméraire 104, and Ocean 80, Capts. Thos. Fortescue Kennedy and Sir John Hill, guard-ships at Sheerness. He is now on half-pay.
Lieut. Clack married Juliana, second daughter of the late Geo. Giles, Esq. Agents – Hallett and Robinson.
CLAPP. (Lieutenant, 1825, f-p., 21; h-p., 17.)
William Clapp, born 10 Aug. 1796, is eldest son of the late J. Clapp, Esq., Solicitor, of Topsham, co. Devon.
This officer entered the Navy, 10 June, 1809, as Fst.-cl. Boy, on board the Tisiphone 20, Capt. Wm. Williams Foote, guard-ship at South Yarmouth; accompanied the same officer, as Midshipman, in Jan. 1810, into the Partridge 26; and, on his return from the West Indies in the following July, joined the Rover 18, Capt. Justice Finley, with whom he continued uninterruptedly to serve until Aug. 1815. During that period he witnessed the fall of St. Sebastian and of Santona, assisted at the bombardment of Guteria and the destruction of several batteries on the coast of Spain, was in numerous skirmishes with the American enemy on the Potomac, and took part in the unfortunate attack upon Baltimore. Having passed his examination 4 Oct. 1815, and been intermediately employed on board the Tay 20, Capt. Sam. Roberts, and Childers 18, Capt. Rich. Wales, in the former of which ships he was wrecked, off the Alacranes, in the Gulf of Mexico, 11 Nov. 1816, we find Mr. Clapp, in Jan. 1819, appointed Admiralty-Mate of the Tribune 36, Capts. Nesbit Josiah Willoughby and Gardiner Henry Guion. With the exception of a few months in 1823, during which he appears to have been employed on board the Gloucester guard-ship at Chathain, and Pioneer gun-brig, Lieut.-Commander Thos. Favell, fitting for the West Indies, the subject of this sketch continued to be employed in the Tribune, on the Irish, Jamaica, and Mediterranean stations, until transferred, in July, 1824, to the Superb 76, Capt. Sir Thos. Staines. After again visiting the West Indies, as also Bermuda and Lisbon, he was at length officially promoted to the rank of Lieutenant by commission dated 13 Dec. 1825. He subsequently held a command in the Coast Guard from 23 Jan. 1835 until the close of 1837; and since 4 Jan. 1845, has been serving in the Ocean 80, Capt. Rich. Arthur, guard-ship at Sheerness.
Lieut. Clapp married, 19 Feb. 1838, Mary, only daughter of John Scobell Paige, Esq., of Rimpston House, near Kingsbridge, Devon, by whom he has issue three children.
CLARE. (Lieutenant, 1828. f-p., 15; h-p., 14.)
Henry William Clare was born 10 Sept. 1805.
This officer entered the Navy, 11 July, 1818, as Fst.-cl. Vol., on board the Carron 20, Capt. John Furneaux, under whom he was wrecked, in the Bay of Bengal, on the night of 5 July, 1820. After a further servitude of four years in the Mediterranean, as Midshipman of the Martin 18, Capts. Christopher Crackenthorp Askew and Henry Eden, he proceeded, in 1826, as Mate of the Ranger 28, Capt. Lord Henry Fred. Thynne, to the South American station; where he obtained his commission 26 Feb. 1828, and afterwards joined – 2 Oct. 1829, the Volage 28, Capt. Lord Colchester – next, as First-Lieutenant, the Clio 18, Capt. John Jas. Onslow – and, 23 Nov. 1832, the Warspite 76, bearing the
