Wolley, Jas. Athol Wood, and Christopher John Williams Nesham; during his servitude in which ship he commanded a boat, as Midshipman, at the landing of the troops at Madeira in Dec. 1807, served on shore with the small-arm men and had charge of an outpost at the capture of Marie-Galante in March, 1808, and in Feb. 1809 co-operated in the reduction of Martinique. During the operations connected with the latter affair he had command of a boat, served in a battery, and was wounded in the ankle. In April, 1809, he witnessed the capture of the Saintes Islands and the surrender of the French 74-gun ship D’Haupoult. In the following Dec, having returned to England, he was received on board the Espiègle 16, Capt. Donald Campbell, fitting for the West Indies, where he continued employed with the same officer in the Port d’Espagne 14 and Rosamond 18, until transferred, in Jan. 1814, to the Tonnant 80, flag-ship of Sir Alex. Cochrane in North America – part of the time as Acting-Lieutenant. While borne on the books of the Rosamond he appears, at the commencement of the war with the United States, to have conducted two valuable prizes, the Friendship and Dolphin into Plymouth, and to have carried two American vessels from the Gulf of Paria into Grenada. He was also intrusted with the charge of a boat and employed in the suppression of smuggling on the Spanish main. In the Tonnant we find him present at the capture of Washington, at the unsuccessful attack upon Baltimore, and in the expedition against New Orleans. In command of one of the same ship’s boats he served, with those of a squadron, and was slightly wounded in the fingers, at the capture, on Lake Borgne, 14 Dec. 1814, of five American gun-vessels, after a very desperate struggle, in which the British sustained a loss of 17 men killed and 77 wounded. In the Tonnant’s barge he aided in covering the retreat of the army from New Orleans. Being nominated, 13 March, 1815, Acting-Lieutenant of the Arab 16, Capt. Henry Jane, he was employed in that vessel, after Buonaparte’s escape from Elba, in blockading a heavy French frigate in New York. Since he was confirmed in his present rank, 30 July, 1816, he has been on half-pay. He has, however, had command of ships in the merchant service, and has visited in them most parts of the world.
He married, in Jan. 1819, Elizabeth, eldest daughter of Walter Grindlay, Esq., a ship-owner, by whom he has issue three sons and five daughters.
PETTET. (Lieutenant, 1828.)
John Pettet was born 13 May, 1796. He had a relative in the service, Mark Pettet, who was wounded at New Orleans; and also a brother and brother-in-law, both of whom died Lieutenants.
This officer entered the Navy, 27 Oct. 1810, as a Volunteer, on board the Monarch 74, Capt. Rich. Lee; in which ship, and in the Bellerophon and Scarborough 74’s, the former bearing the flag of Rear-Admiral John Ferrier, and the latter commanded by Capts John Halsted and Chas. Jas. Johnston, he served in the North Sea, part of the time as Midshipman, until May, 1814. After a further employment, of eight months on the same station in the Mercurius 16 and Plumper 12, Capts. Thos. Renwick and Geo. Domett, he joined, in Sept. 1815, the Romney 50, Capt. John Mackellar, fitting for the West Indies; where he continued, in the Salisbury 58, flag-ship of Rear-Admiral John Erskine Douglas, Rifleman 18, Capts. Robt. Rochfort Felix and Norwich Duff, and again, as Master’s Mate, in the Salisbury, until the spring of 1818. Prior to joining the Rifleman he appears to have been lent to the Briseis 10, Capt. Geo. Domett, and to have been wrecked in that vessel on a desolate part of the island of Cuba 5 Nov. 1816; from which period, until picked up 11 weeks and a half afterwards by the Landrail, he remained exposed, with his fellow-sufferers, to the greatest hardships, being nearly destitute the whole time of provisions and clothing. In March, 1819, having passed his examination in the preceding Nov., he was received, as Admiralty-Midshipman, on board the Severn 50, Capt. Wm. M‘Culloch, lying in the Downs, for the purposes of the Coast Blockade. He left that service in Feb. 1820; and during the nine following years was employed, on the Jamaica, Home, and African stations, in the Tribune 42, Capt. Nesbit Josiah Willoughby, Euryalus 42, Capt. Thos. Huskisson. Nautilus 18 and Bann 22, both commanded by Capt. John Ralph Blois, Scout 18, Capts. John Theed and Jas. Wigston, Pheasant 18, Capt. Douglas Chas. Clavering, Prince Regent 120, Capt. Wm. Henry Webley Parry, Conflict 12, Lieut.Commander Christie, Maidstone 42, Commodore Chas. Bullen, Esk 20, Capt. Wm. Jardine Purchas, Sybille 48, Commodore Fras. Augustus Collier, and Plumper 12, Lieut.-Commander Edw. Medley. In the Bann and Pheasant he performed the duties of Second-Master and Master; and, while serving in the Sybille, he was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant, by commission bearing date 14 July, 1828. During his sojourn on the coast of Africa where he saw much detached service, he had the good fortune to participate in the capture of a large number of slaves. He returned home in the Plumper in the early part of 1829, with at least 40 persons charged with piracy under his care; and has since been on half-pay.
We had nearly omitted to record that, while attached, in 1819, to the Coast Blockade, he had very materially contributed to the rescue of the Dawn brig, by getting her off the rocks near Dover, and conducting her thence to Ramsgate, although she had lost her rudder and had six feet water in the hold.
PETTMAN. (Lieut., 1810. f-p., 12; h-p., 33.)
Richard Pettman entered the Navy, in Dec. 1802, as Fst.-cl. Vol., on board the Albion 74, Capt. John Ferrier, with whom he continued employed, as Midshipman and Master’s Mate, on the Channel and East India stations, until the summer of 1809. In Nov. of that year, after having been for a few months borne as a Supernumerary on the books of the Sceptre 74, Capt. Joseph Bingham, he was nominated Acting-Lieutenant of the Jalouse 18, Capt. Henry Gage Morris, attached to the force on the coast of Ireland, where, in March, 1810, he joined the Trent 36,flag-ship of Vice-Admiral Jas. Hawkins Whitshed. He was officially promoted 15 Aug. following; and subsequently appointed – 15 Sept. 1810, to the Portia 14, Capts. Joseph Symes and John Thomson, at North Yarmouth – 29 Jan. 1813, to the Vigo 74, flag-ship in the Baltic of Rear-Admiral Jas. Nicoll Morris – and, 19 April, 1814, after nearly four months of half-pay, to the Levant 20, Capts. Hon. Alex. Jones and Hon. Geo. Douglas, stationed off Madeira. He invalided in Jan. 1815; and has not been since afloat.
PEW. (Lieutenant, 1816. f-p., 8; h-p., 30.)
George Pew is brother of the late Major Pew.
This officer entered the Navy, 22 March, 1809, as Fst.-cl. Vol., on board the Pheasant 18, Capt. John Palmer, stationed in the Channel, where, during a servitude of three years and a half, he assisted at the capture of three privateers, carrying in the whole 25 guns and 155 men. Becoming Midshipman, in Sept. 1812, of the Surprise 38, Capt. Sir Thos. John Cochrane, he witnessed in that ship the capture, 16 Jan. 1813, of the Decatur American privateer of 12 guns and 82 men, and was in her during the attacks on Washington and Baltimore, and throughout the operations on the coast of Georgia. In July, 1816, after a servitude of nine months at Plymouth as Master’s Mate of the Spencer 74, Capt. Wm. Robt. Broughton, he removed in that capacity to the Beelzebub bomb, Capt. Wm. Kempthorne; and on 16 of the following Sept., as a reward for his services at the bombardment of Algiers, he was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant. He has since been on half-pay.
In 1817 Lieut. Pew obtained permission from the
