Vice Admiral Sir Leopold George Heath KCB (18 November 1817 – 7 May 1907) was a

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by Kingdom of England, English and Kingdom of Scotland, Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were foug ...

officer who went on to be Commander-in-Chief, East Indies Station.

Naval career

Heath joined the

in 1830William Loney RN
/ref> and was involved in the capture of

Borneo Borneo (; id, Kalimantan) is the List of islands by area, third-largest island in the world and the largest in Asia. At the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia, in relation to major Indonesian islands, it is located north of Java Isl ...

in 1846.Admiral Sir Leopold George Heath
/ref> He was beachmaster during the British landings at Eupatoria during the

Crimean War The Crimean War, , was fought from October 1853 to February 1856 between Russia and an ultimately victorious alliance of the Ottoman Empire, France, the United Kingdom and Piedmont-Sardinia. Geopolitical causes of the war included t ...

and then became acting Captain of HMS ''Sans Pareil'' in the

Black Sea The Black Sea is a marginal mediterranean sea of the Atlantic Ocean lying between Europe and Asia, east of the Balkans, south of the East European Plain, west of the Caucasus, and north of Anatolia. It is bounded by Bulgaria, Georgia, ...

before taking personal charge of the Port of Balaclava. In 1846, as Lt Heath of HMS Iris, he drew a three- part depiction of the coasts of Hong Kong Island and Kowloon. His drawings were published by the Hydrographer's Office, London, in 1847 as a guide for merchant ships' captains. The series was republished in 1997 to mark the end of the 99-year lease by Britain of Hong Kong's New Territories. Heath later commanded HMS ''Seahorse'', HMS ''Melampus'', HMS ''Arrogant'', HMS ''Dauntless'' and then HMS ''Cambridge''. He was appointed vice-president of the Ordnance Select Committee at

Woolwich Woolwich () is a district in southeast London, England, within the Royal Borough of Greenwich. The district's location on the River Thames led to its status as an important naval, military and industrial area; a role that was maintained thro ...

in 1863 and Commander-in-Chief, East Indies Station in 1867 and the following year took charge of the naval aspects of the

Expedition to Abyssinia The British Expedition to Abyssinia was a rescue mission and punitive expedition carried out in 1868 by the armed forces of the British Empire against the Ethiopian Empire (also known at the time as Abyssinia). Emperor Tewodros II of Ethiopia, t ...

. He served on a committee for torpedo defence in 1870 and retired in 1877. In retirement Heath lived at Anstie Grange in Holmwood (Surrey), where he died. He became a Director of the

Hand in Hand Fire & Life Insurance Society The Hand in Hand Fire & Life Insurance Society was one of the oldest British insurance companies. History The company was founded in 1696 at Tom's Coffee House in St Martin's Lane in London. It was one of three fire insurance companies started ...

, of the Central Bank of London and of the Eastern and South African Telegraph Company. In 1897 he published
Letters from the Black Sea during the Crimean War, 1854-55
'.

Family

Heath married at St. Paul's Church, Malta, on 8 December 1853 to Mary Emma Marsh, daughter of Cuthbert Marsh, of Eastbury, Hertfordshire. Lady Heath died aged 76 at Anstie Grange, Holmwood, on 20 December 1902. They had issue seven children who survived them: *

Arthur Raymond Heath Arthur Raymond Heath (18 October 1854 – 8 June 1943) was a British Conservative politician. He was born in Malta, son of Royal Navy Vice Admiral Sir Leopold Heath, Leopold George Heath, of Anstie Grange, Holmwood, Surrey. He was educated in pa ...

(1854-1943), married Flora Jean Baxter *Marion Emma (1856-1949), married firstly Alfred Fox Cotton, secondly Major Ralph Martin Crofton * Frederick Crofton Heath, later Heath-CaldwellThis son, as Lieutenant Frederick Heath, took part in the losing Royal Engineers team in the 1878 FA Cup Final. (1858-1945), Major-General British Army, married Constance Mary Helsham Helsham-Jones * Cuthbert Eden Heath (1859-1939), married Sarah Caroline Gore Gambier *Ada Randolf (1860-1957), married H.J.T. Broadwood (1856-1911) *Sir Herbert Leopold Heath (1861-1954), Admiral Royal Navy, married Elizabeth Catherine Simpson *Sir Gerard Moore Heath (1863-1929), Major-General British Army, married Mary Egerton.

References

Sources

* *

External links

*
Biography of Adm Sir Leopold George Heath - JJ Heath-Caldwell family history website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Heath, Leopold 1817 births 1907 deaths Royal Navy vice admirals Knights Commander of the Order of the Bath Royal Navy personnel of the Crimean War