Admiral Richard Darton Thomas (3 June 1777 – 21 August 1857) was an officer of the British

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 ...

who served during the French Revolutionary and

Napoleonic Wars The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fren ...

, and went on to become Commander-in-Chief, Pacific Station in the 1840s.

Biography

Background and early naval service

Thomas was born in Saltash, Cornwall, and entered the Navy on 26 May 1790, just before his 13th birthday, as a captain's servant aboard the

74-gun ship The "seventy-four" was a type of two- decked sailing ship of the line, which nominally carried 74 guns. It was developed by the French navy in the 1740s, replacing earlier classes of 60- and 62-gun ships, as a larger complement to the recently-de ...

, under the command of Captain John McBride, and late in the year sailed to the West Indies as part of a squadron under Rear-Admiral Samuel Pitchford Cornish. On arrival in the Caribbean he transferred to the 32-gun frigate under the command of Captain Robert Murray, and was rated

able Able may refer to: * Able (1920 automobile), a small French cyclecar * Able (rocket stage), an upper stage for Vanguard, Atlas, and Thor rockets * Able (surname) * ABLE account, a savings plan for people with disabilities * Able UK, British ship ...

. ''Blanche'' was

paid off Ship commissioning is the act or ceremony of placing a ship in active service and may be regarded as a particular application of the general concepts and practices of project commissioning. The term is most commonly applied to placing a warship i ...

in June 1792, and in December he joined the sloop as a midshipman.

Wartime service

On 1 January 1793 France declared war on Great Britain, and for the next two years Thomas served aboard ''Nautilus'' in the West Indies under the Captains

Lord Henry Paulet Lord Henry Paulet KCB (31 March 1767 – 28 January 1832) was an officer in the Royal Navy who saw service in the American War of Independence, the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. Born into the British nobility as a younger son of ...

, James Carpenter, Henry William Bayntun, and

William Gordon Rutherford Captain William Gordon Rutherfurd CB, RN (1765 – 14 January 1818) was an officer in the Royal Navy during the French Revolutionary War and the Napoleonic Wars whose career was almost entirely conducted in the West Indies except for a brie ...

, while taking part in operations against the French islands of

Tobago Tobago () is an island and ward within the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. It is located northeast of the larger island of Trinidad and about off the northeastern coast of Venezuela. It also lies to the southeast of Grenada. The offici ...

Saint Lucia Saint Lucia ( acf, Sent Lisi, french: Sainte-Lucie) is an island country of the West Indies in the eastern Caribbean. The island was previously called Iouanalao and later Hewanorra, names given by the native Arawaks and Caribs, two Amerindi ...

, and

Martinique Martinique ( , ; gcf, label=Martinican Creole, Matinik or ; Kalinago language, Kalinago: or ) is an island and an Overseas department and region, overseas department/region and single territorial collectivity of France. An integral part of ...

, where he commanded a boat in the attack on

Fort Royal Fort-de-France (, , ; gcf, label= Martinican Creole, Fodfwans) is a commune and the capital city of Martinique, an overseas department and region of France located in the Caribbean. It is also one of the major cities in the Caribbean. His ...

, landing and escalading the walls simultaneously with Captain Robert Faulknor of the sloop . Thomas returned to England as

master's mate Master's mate is an obsolete rating which was used by the Royal Navy, United States Navy and merchant services in both countries for a senior petty officer who assisted the master. Master's mates evolved into the modern rank of Sub-Lieutenant in ...

of the , the

flagship A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, characteristically a flag officer entitled by custom to fly a distinguishing flag. Used more loosely, it is the lead ship in a fleet of vessels, typically the f ...

of Sir John Jervis. He was aboard her at

Spithead Spithead is an area of the Solent and a roadstead off Gilkicker Point in Hampshire, England. It is protected from all winds except those from the southeast. It receives its name from the Spit, a sandbank stretching south from the Hampshir ...

on 1 May 1795 when a fire broke out aboard and the ship was destroyed. Thomas was forced to jump overboard, and swam to a nearby boat. He served aboard the , then , flagship of the Honourable William Waldegrave, with whom he sailed to the Mediterranean. From there he moved into , flagship of Sir John Jervis. He was subsequently sent on shore with a party of seamen to man the guns at the

Fort A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...

of St. Fiorenza, in Corsica, remaining there until the island was evacuated in October 1796. On 15 January 1797 Thomas was commissioned as a

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often ...

aboard the 74-gun , commanded by Captain Cuthbert Collingwood, and took part in the Battle of Cape St Vincent on 14 February. In June 1798 he moved into the frigate ''Thalia'', under Captain Lord Henry Paulet, rejoining him in the 74-gun in February 1799 after three months on

half-pay Half-pay (h.p.) was a term used in the British Army and Royal Navy of the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries to refer to the pay or allowance an officer received when in retirement or not in actual service. Past usage United Kingdom In the En ...

. From December 1799 until the signing of the

Treaty of Amiens The Treaty of Amiens (french: la paix d'Amiens, ) temporarily ended hostilities between France and the United Kingdom at the end of the War of the Second Coalition. It marked the end of the French Revolutionary Wars; after a short peace it s ...

in March 1802 brought a temporary peace, Thomas served as flag lieutenant to Collingwood in the and ''Barfleur'' on the Channel Station. From June 1802 he served aboard the and , the flagships of Sir Andrew Mitchell, Commander-in-Chief on the North American Station, based at Halifax,

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland". Most of the population are native En ...

. In early June 1803 Thomas finally received notification of his promotion to

commander Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countries this naval rank is termed frigate captain ...

of the fifth-rate , dated 18 January. He sailed from Halifax as a passenger aboard the 179-ton Post Office packet ''Lady Hobart''. Four days out she was intercepted by a French schooner, ''L' Aimable Julie'', who mistook her for an unarmed merchant. After taking the French vessel as prize, ''Lady Hobart'' continued on her voyage, but during the night of 28 July struck a large iceberg, and foundered. All aboard her were crammed into the ship's cutter and

jolly boat The jolly boat was a type of ship's boat in use during the 18th and 19th centuries. Used mainly to ferry personnel to and from the ship, or for other small-scale activities, it was, by the 18th century, one of several types of ship's boat. The de ...

for a 350-mile voyage back to land, with only small amounts of ship's biscuit, water and rum as provisions. Despite encountering heavy rain, gales and thick fog, they made a landfall at Lower Island Cove on 4 June, all suffering from various degrees of malnutrition and frostbite. The only casualty was the French captain, who threw himself overboard in a fit of depression. Thomas eventually returned to England and in December 1803 was appointed to command of the

bomb vessel A bomb vessel, bomb ship, bomb ketch, or simply bomb was a type of wooden sailing naval ship. Its primary armament was not cannons (long guns or carronades) – although bomb vessels carried a few cannons for self-defence – but mortars moun ...

, to serve in the Mediterranean. On 22 October 1805, following the victory at Trafalgar, he was posted into briefly, before serving aboard the , and as

flag captain In the 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 en ...

to Lord Collingwood, engaged primarily on the blockade of Toulon. His position was a particularly arduous one, there being no Captain of the Fleet, and Collingwood was for much of the time severely ill with the cancer that would eventually kill him in March 1810. After Collingwood's death Thomas served as captain of the ''Ville de Paris'' until December 1810. The following February he was appointed to command of the frigate initially engaged on operations on the coast of

Catalonia Catalonia (; ca, Catalunya ; Aranese Occitan: ''Catalonha'' ; es, Cataluña ) is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a '' nationality'' by its Statute of Autonomy. Most of the territory (except the Val d'Aran) lies on the no ...

, then on the blockade of Marseilles and Toulon. He was eventually invalided home in February 1813, and saw no further wartime service.

Post-war career

Between April 1822 and April 1825, and again from May 1834, Thomas served as Superintendent of the Ships in Ordinary at Portsmouth and Plymouth, until promoted to rear-admiral on 10 January 1837. From May 1841 until December 1844 he served as commander-in-chief on the

Pacific Station The Pacific Station was created in 1837 as one of the geographical military formations into which the Royal Navy divided its worldwide responsibilities. The South America Station was split into the Pacific Station and the South East Coast of A ...

, flying his flag on . His duties were more diplomatic than military; settling the long-standing claims of the owners of the British brig ''Anna'' which had been seized in 1822, and of the British merchants who had been plundered at

Callao Callao () is a Peruvian seaside city and region on the Pacific Ocean in the Lima metropolitan area. Callao is Peru's chief seaport and home to its main airport, Jorge Chávez International Airport. Callao municipality consists of the whole Call ...

, and obtaining compensation from El Salvador and Costa Rica for injuries and losses sustained by the British residents. He also had to deal with the occupation of

Tahiti Tahiti (; Tahitian ; ; previously also known as Otaheite) is the largest island of the Windward group of the Society Islands in French Polynesia. It is located in the central part of the Pacific Ocean and the nearest major landmass is Aust ...

by the French Rear-Admiral Abel Aubert du Petit-Thouars, and the unauthorized annexation of the Sandwich Islands by one of his own subordinates. His conduct in office, particularly his handing of the Sandwich Islands crisis received the full approval of the Foreign Office and Admiralty, and King

Kamehameha III Kamehameha III (born Kauikeaouli) (March 17, 1814 – December 15, 1854) was the third king of the Kingdom of Hawaii from 1825 to 1854. His full Hawaiian name is Keaweaweula Kīwalaō Kauikeaouli Kaleiopapa and then lengthened to Keaweaweula Kī ...

ordered a portrait of Thomas in full uniform for his palace. He also received the thanks of the government of the United States and was appointed an honorary member of the

American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions The American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions (ABCFM) was among the first American Christian missionary organizations. It was created in 1810 by recent graduates of Williams College. In the 19th century it was the largest and most imp ...

. Thomas was promoted to vice-admiral on 8 January 1848, and to admiral on 11 September 1854. He died in Stonehouse, Devon on 21 August 1857.

Personal life

On 2 October 1827 Thomas married Gratiana, the third daughter of Lieutenant-General Robert Williams, Colonel-Commandant of the Royal Marines at Stonehouse, and had a son and daughter. His brother, Charles Thomas, M.D., was Physician to the Dispensary at Devonport. On 13 November 1850 his daughter Gratiana Mary Thomas (1831–1922) married Sir Mathew Wharton Wilson (1827–1909), son of

Sir Mathew Wilson, 1st Baronet Sir Mathew Wilson, 1st Baronet (29 August 1802 – 18 January 1891) was an English landowner and Liberal politician who sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1842 and 1886. Wilson was the son of Mathew Wilson, a solicitor of ...

, one of the Wilson baronets.

References