RUM, SODOMY AND THE LASH

A Devon Lad's Life in Nelson's Navy

by

Anthony Blackmore

SAMUEL'S STORY - AN OUTLINE OF THE BOOK

Other pages are:-

HMS "Trincomalee, mast, spars, fighting top and rigging.
This picture, in monochrome, is used on the book's cover.

Taking as his title the famous quotation attributed to Sir Winston Churchill about the value of naval tradition, the author gives us the story of his distant relative, Samuel Blackmore, who was a sailor in Nelson's Navy in the Napoleonic Wars (or, more properly, the French Revolutionary War) from 1793 to 1802.

Many naval history books are about Horatio Nelson or his ship HMS Victory, particularly in this, the bicentenary of the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. But this book is not about a famous admiral or an equally famous ship - it is about the life of Samuel Blackmore, a young 'AB' in the Mediterranean Fleet in that period, and mainly about life in a 38 gun frigate rather than a ship-of-the-line.

Samuel was taken off an East Indiaman by the notorious press-gang in June 1793. He found himself, at the age of 17, an AB in HMS Diadem, a 64 gun ship-of-the-line, at the siege of Toulon at the end of that year. Next he was in HMS Berwick (74 guns) when, thanks to the incompetence of her captain, she lost all three masts whilst refitting her rigging in harbour in Corsica after a storm and she was captured by the French in 1795. Samuel was held prisoner in Toulon all that summer, but was released some six months later in an exchange of prisoners arranged with the French by Admiral Lord Hood.

THE YOUNG NELSON

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Next he joined HMS la Minerve, a powerful new French-built frigate, left behind in December 1793 on the stocks, part built, at Toulon when the Royal Navy had to quit in a hurry and captured by HMS Dido which Nelson himself (then a commodore) employed as his flagship for three months. With Nelson, Samuel was involved in the famous night-time duel with the Spanish frigate Sabina and was put on board her, as one of the 40-man prize crew, along with Lt. Hardy, Nelson's friend and, later, Captain of HMS Victory at Trafalgar. However, before la Minerve could repair her battle damage, more enemy ships appeared. Nelson was forced to 'cut and run', leaving Samuel, Hardy and the rest of the prize crew to be taken prisoner. This time, however, Nelson was able to arrange another exchange of prisoners at Gibraltar in less than two weeks.

Returning to his ship off Gibraltar (where la Minerve had another near escape from being captured) Samuel then took part in the Battle of Cape St. Vincent against the Spanish, under Admiral Jervis, on St. Valentine's Day, 14 February 1797, the blockade of Cadiz and a daring daytime 'cutting out' boat action at Santa Cruz in Teneriffe.

HMS DIDO CAPTURES la MINERVE, June 1795

There followed long years of blockade and convoy duty, but Captain George Cockburn (captain of la Minerve) was a close personal friend and one of Nelson's protégés, who gave them some of the richest hunting grounds he could. They were therefore able to take their fair share of prizes and prize money - life in a frigate was usually more rewarding than in a ship-of-the-line!

For these exploits Samuel Blackmore gained three clasps to his Naval General Service medal, and went on to become la Minerve's coxswain, and was yet again taken prisoner (but for only a few weeks) by the French. In later life he was employed by the Post Office in one of its first paddle steamer packet boats plying between Dover and Calais. Thanks to his prize money, Samuel was able to buy his own freehold house, become a Freeman of the City of Dover, and have a servant for the rest of his life.

Captain George Cockburn later became famous as the man who burnt the White House in Washington during the war of 1812.

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A DIFFICULT CHOICE FOR A SAILOR

LADY NELSON - and - LADY HAMILTON

WHAT ABOUT THE BOOK'S TITLE?
Does it give a wrong impression of life in Nelson's Navy?

But what about the book's title and Churchill's alleged quotation about naval tradition?
Does it fairly portray life in the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars? Was life on board a King's Ship so terrible? Strong discipline there was, and it had to be so for the safety of the ship and all in her. Interestingly, discipline was not one of the issues that led to the mutinies at Spithead and the Nore in 1797.

Perhaps Samuel Blackmore was lucky in the ships in which he served and, in particular, in having Cockburn as commander of la Minerve for most of the time he was in her. Catain Cockburn had a particularly enlightened attitude towards his men, and even allowed them a month's home leave when his ship was back at Portsmouth for a major refit in 1798. At one time there was a continuous period of six months when there were no floggings on board la Minerve. By way of contrast, Lord Nelson's friend Hardy (as Captain of HMS Victory) had at least one flogging a week in his ship in the 18 months run-up to the Battle of Trafalgar.

The author hopes that his book will help to establish that, at least in the ships that Samuel served in, Churchill's alleged quotation, whilst amusing, gives us an inaccurate view of life at sea in the Royal Navy during that period.

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