KEYS. (Retired Commander, 1841.)
David Keys entered the Navy, in 1786, as Ordinary, on board the Dictator 64, Capt. Wm. Parker, lying at Sheerness, where he remained but a short period. He served next, for some months in 1790, and again in 1792-3, in the Brune frigate, Capt. Davidge Gould, as also in the Centurion 50, Capt. Sam. Osborne, on the West India station; after which he was for about four years employed on the Home station, as Midshipman and Master’s Mate, in the Comet, Capt. Wm. Bradley, Hero, Lieut.-Commander John Thomson, and Prince, flag-ship of Sir Roger Curtis. He was confirmed a Lieutenant, 21 July, 1798, in the Centaur 74, Capt. John Markham, under whom he was present at the surrender of the island of Minorca, the destruction of the Spanish frigate El Guadaloupe of 40 guns, and the capture of a French squadron of three frigates and two brigs commanded by Rear-Admiral Perrée. He left the Centaur in July 1798 [errata 1], and was afterwards appointed – 3 April, 1804, to the Roebuck 44, flag-ship at Leith and at Plymouth of Rear-Admirals Jas. Vashon and Billy Douglas – 6 Dec. 1805, for a brief period, to the Nassau 64, Capt. Robt. Campbell, lying in the river Thames – 5 Sept. 1822, to the Coast Guard, in which service he continued until the close of 1833 – and 3 March, 1834, to the Ordinary at Plymouth, where he remained for about three years and a half. He became a Retired Commander on the Senior List 12 Oct. 1841.
He is married and has issue.
KIDDLE. (Lieut., 1814. f-p., 26; h-p., 15.)
John Kiddle entered the Navy, 24 Dec. 1806, as Fst.-cl. Vol., on board the Mars 74, Capts. Wm. Lukin, Jas. Katon, John Surman Carden, and Henry Raper, in which ship, after attending Admiral Gambier’s expedition to Copenhagen, he continued to serve as Midshipman, on the Channel and Lisbon stations, until Feb. 1813. He then joined the Bellerophon 74, bearing the flag of Sir Rich. Goodwin Keats at Newfoundland, where, shortly after his promotion to the rank of Lieutenant, which took place 29 July, 1814, he removed to the Challenger 16, Capts. Fred. Edw. Vernon and Henry Forbes. His appointments, since the paying off of the latter vessel in Sept. 1815, have been – 15 Oct. 1830, to the Talavera Coast Blockade ship, Capts. Hugh Pigot and David Colby – 16 April, 1831, to the Coast Guard – 11 June, 1833, to the command of the Fox Revenue-vessel – 22 June, 1836, to the Coast Guard – 29 Jan. 1844, to the command of the Harpy, another Revenue-cruizer – and 22 April, 1847, again to the Coast Guard, in which he is at present serving.
KING, Kt, K.C.H. (Vice-Admiral of the Red, 1841. f-p., 24; h-p., 37.)
Sir Edward Durnford King is son of the late Wm. King, Esq., of Southampton, and of Harbest and Brockley, co. Suffolk, by Hannah, daughter and co-heiress of Anthony Isaacson, Esq., of Fenton, co. Northumberland; and brother of the late Capt. Andw. King, R.N.[1]
This officer (whose name had been borne, from 24 March, 1786, until 1788, on the books of the Irresistible 74, guard-ship at Chatham, Capt. Sir Andw. Snape Hamond) embarked, in June, 1789, as Midshipman, on board the Director 64, Capt. Thos. West, and was next, between Nov. 1790 and Feb. 1793, employed, on the Home, American, and Newfoundland stations, in the Boyne 98, Capt. Geo. Bowyer, Carnatic 74, Capt. John Ford, Bellona 74, Capt. Fras. John Hartwell, Resistance, Capt. John O’Brien, Alcide 74, Capt. Sir Andw. Snape Douglas, and Assistance, flag-ship of Sir Rich. King. He then successively joined, in the capacity of Master’s Mate, the Prince, Barfleur, and Glory 98’s, the latter commanded by Capt. Bourmaster, and the two former by Capt. Cuthbert Collingwood, Flag-Captain to Rear-Admiral Bowyer, through whose recommendation of his conduct on board the Barfleur in the actions of 29 May and 1 June, 1794, he was promoted, on 5 Sept. in that year, to a Lieutenancy in the Robust 74, Capt. Edw. Thornbrough. Being appointed, 30 June, 1795, to the Dryad of 44 guns and 251 men, Capts. Rohit. Forbes and Lord Amelius Beauclerk, Mr. King, as First-Lieutenant to the latter officer, assisted at the capture, 13 June, 1796, after a close and spirited action of 45 minutes, attended with a loss to the British of only 2 men killed and 7 wounded, of the French frigate La Proserpine, of 42 guns and 348 men, 30 of whom were slain and 45 wounded. Being recommended by his Captain on the occasion as an officer truly deserving the notice of the Lords Commissioners,[2] and being in consequence rewarded with a Commander’s commission bearing date 23 of the same month, he was appointed, 21 June, 1798, to the command of the Gaieté sloop-of-war, employed at first in the North Sea, and then in the West Indies, where he co-operated, as senior officer of a squadron in the Gulf of Paria, in the protection of Trininad, cruized with much Success off the island of Guadeloupe, and was often under the fire of the enemy’s batteries. On 28 Sept. 1800 Capt. King was nominated Acting-Captain of the Leviathan 74, flag-ship of Sir John Thos. Duckworth – an appointment which the Admiralty confirmed 8 Jan. 1801. In the following June, after he had assisted at the reduction of the French island of St. Martin, and of the Danish and Swedish islands of Ste. Croix, St. Thomas, and St. Bartholomew, and had gained the approbation of the Commander-in-Chief for the manner in which, in conjunction with Brigadier-Generals Maitland and Fuller, he had settled the terms of capitulation[3] he removed to the Andromeda frigate, also on the West India station, whence, in Nov. of the same year, he invalided. His next appointment was, 16 April, 1805, to the Endymion 40, in which frigate we find him, until the ensuing September, employed in the blockade of Cadiz. On 19 Aug., being on the look-out off Cape St. Mary, Capt. King fell in with the combined fleets, of France and Spain, consisting of 26 sail-of-the-line and nine frigates, whom, although he was chased by two of the former and one of the latter, he contrived to watch[4] into the port of Cadiz. He then, having closely reconnoitred the enemy, repaired with the intelligence of their situations, and of their partially dismantled state, to Vice-Admiral Collingwood, at the time off the Gut of Gibraltar with only four ships-of-the-line, who thereupon immediately returned to Cadiz and resumed the blockade. Impressed with a full sense of Capt. King’s zeal and ability, the Vice-Admiral afterwards selected him to follow the enemy, in the event of their quitting Cadiz, and communicate to the government at home, and the squadrons to the northward, the circumstance of their approach and probable destination – a service of the utmost importance. Napoleon being at the period in anxious expectation of their arrival in the Channel in order to enable him to carry into execution his long-projected descent upon England. The Franco-Spanish fleet, however, as is well known, remained in Cadiz until the arrival of the force Under Lord Nelson, shortly after which the battle of Trafalgar for ever checked its career. At that particular epoch Capt.
- ↑ The above officer was Midshipman of the Bellerophon in the actions of 28 and 29 May and 1 June, 1794, He served as Senior Lieutenant of the Andromeda frigate at the destruction of a French squadron in Dunkerque harbour 7 July, 1799; was First also of La Désirée in the action off Copenhagen 2 April, 1801; and, as Fourth of the Victory, participated in the glories of Trafalgar 21 Oct. 1805. In 1807 he commanded the Hebe armed ship at the siege of Copenhagen; as he did the Venerable 74 in the attack upon Flushing in 1809, and the Iphigenia frigate at the reduction of Genoa in 1814. His promotion to Post-rank took place 13 Oct. 1807. He died Superintendent of the Packet Establishment at Falmouth 30 June, 1835.
- ↑ Vide Gaz. 1796, p. 579.
- ↑ Vide Gaz. 1801, pp. 516, 519, 521.
- ↑ He even, by a ruse de guerre deterred them from continuing the pursuit they had commenced of the few ships subsequently alluded to as being under the command of Vice-Admiral Collingwood.
