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BOWKER—BOWLBY—BOWLES.
Vice-Admiral Fras. Pickmore, Governor and Commander-in-Chief at Newfoundland, where, on the death of that officer, 24 Feb. following, he hoisted his broad pendant as Commodore, and acted as Governor, pro tem, with great credit, until the arrival of Sir Chas. Hamilton, about the end of the ensuing July. He continued to serve in the Sir Francis Drake, in his former capacity, until his return home in Nov. 1819; after which he commanded the Ordinary at Plymouth from 1825 until 1828. He was appointed a Captain of Greenwich Hospital 13 July, 1844.
Capt. Bowker married, in 1801, Mary Beckford, eldest daughter of Thos. Ligale Yates, Esq., who had been Purser of the Mars in her capture of L’Hercule, and died, 17 Jan. 1832, Senior Purser in the Navy, having attained that rank in 1777. He has issue a son and daughter.
BOWKER. (Commander, 1845. f-p., 20; h-p., 24.)
John Harrison Bowker entered the Navy, in May, 1803, as a Volunteer, on board the Culloden 74, Capt. Harrington Dacres, flag-ship afterwards of Sir Edw. Pellew on the East India station; previously to proceeding whither he appears, on 2 Sept. 1803, to have assisted in chasing the French 74-gun ship Duguay Trouin and 40-gun frigate Guerrière into Corunna. In Sept. 1807, after a servitude of two years as Midshipman in the Duncan, Capt. Lord Geo. Stuart, and Beldone, Capt. John Bastard, both in the East Indies, Mr. Bowker was discharged; but he re-embarked, in Nov. 1809, on board the Amethyst 36, Capt. Jacob Walton, and continued to serve in that ship on the Home station, until wrecked in Plymouth Sound, 16 Feb. 1811. He was subsequently, until the receipt of his first commission, bearing date 7 Feb. 1815, employed in the Mediterranean and West Indies, latterly as Acting-Lieutenant, on board the Undaunted 38, Capt. Rich. Thomas, Euryalus 36, Capt. Chas. Napier, Stromboli bomb, Capt. John Stoddart, Euryalus again, Capt. C. Napier, Venerable 74, flag-ship of Rear-Admiral Philip Chas. Durham, and Columbine 16, Capt. Rich. Henry Muddle. While in the Undaunted we find him engaged in co-operating with the patriots on the coast of Catalonia, and also in blockading the port of Toulon. On 28 July, 1815, being at the time Senior Lieutenant of the Fairy sloop, Capt. Henry Loraine Baker, he was detached in command of the boats to cut out a convoy at St. François, Guadeloupe, in the execution of which service, however, he was desperately wounded by a musketball passing through the right lobe of the lungs. He invalided in consequence immediately afterwards; and, on 23 Jan. 1807 [errata 1], was awarded a pension of 91l. 5s. His subsequent appointments were – 21 April, 1821, and 26 March, 1823, to the Northumberland 74, Capt. Thos. Harvey, and Brisk sloop, Capts. Edw. Stewart and Adolphus FitzClarence, both employed at Sheerness – 1 Jan. 1824, to the Tribune frigate, Capt. Gardiner Henry Gnion, stationed in the Mediterranean – 4 Feb. 1825, to the Windsor Castle 74, Capts. Hugh Downman and Edw. Durnford King, lying at Plymouth, where he was placed on half-pay in 1826 – and, 31 Aug. 1840, to the command of the Savage 10, in which vessel he served in the Mediterranean until the close of 1844. He attained his present rank 17 Jan. 1845; and has since been on half-pay. Agents – Messrs. Stilwell.
BOWLBY. (Lieut., 1814. f-p., 1 1; h-p., 30.)
George Henry Bowlby entered the Navy, 31 May, 1806, as Fst.-cl. Vol., on board the Ganges 74, Capts. Peter Halkett and Thos. Dundas; attended, with the former, the expedition to Copenhagen under Lord Gambler, in Aug. 1807; served, afterwards, at the blockade of the Tagus and in the Scheldt; attained the rating of Midshipman in Jan. 1808; and, in April, 1811, removed to the Andromache 38, Capt. Geo. Tobin. In that ship he was present, as Master’s Mate, at the siege of St. Sebastian, in Sept. 1813, and on its surrender he escorted the French garrison to England. He also participated, on 23 of the following month, in the capture of La Trave frigate, of 44 guns and 321 men, after a brave and close-fought action of 15 minutes; and, in March, 1814, was with the force under Rear-Admiral Chas. Vinicombe Penrose at the memorable passage of the Gironde. After a brief intermediate attachment to the Porcupine 22, flag-ship of Rear-Admiral Penrose, and Reynard 10, Capt. David St. Clair, Mr. Bowlby was advanced to his present rank 27 May, 1814. His next appointments were – 23 Sept. ensuing, to the Woodlark 10, Capt. Wm. Cutfield, employed in the Channel and Mediterranean – and, 5 Jan. 1816, to the Malta 84, Capts. Chas. Ogle and Thos. Gordon Caulfeild, lying at Plymouth, from which ship, after having been detached to the West Indies in the Trave troop-ship, Capt. John Codd, he was paid off 28 Feb. 1817. He has not since been afloat.
Lieut. Bowlby married, 29 June, 1844, Caroline, youngest daughter of the late Henry Salvin, Esq., of Durham.
BOWLES, C.B., M.P. (Rear-Admiral of the Blue, 1841. f-p., 40; h-p., 11.)
William Bowles, born in 1780, is eldest son of Wm. Bowles, Esq., of Heale House, co. Wilts, by Dinah, daughter of the late Sir Thos. Frankland, R.N., Admiral of the White; nephew of the late Wm. Frankland, Esq., M.P., a Lord of the Admiralty, and of the late Sir Boyle Roche, Bart.; and first cousin of the present Capts. Edw. Augustus and Chas. Colville Frankland, and Henry Gosset, R.N.
This officer entered the Navy, 9 Sept. 1796, as Fst.-cl. Vol., on board the Theseus 74, Capts. Augustus Montgomery and John Aylmer, employed in the Channel and off Cadiz; removed with the latter officer, as Midshipman, in June, 1797, to the Captain 74; served, from May, 1798, to Nov. 1800, in the Daphne 20, Capts. Sir Chas. Lindsay and Rich. Matson, on the North Sea and West India stations; then returned home in the Hydra frigate, Capt. Sir Fras. Laforey; and after a consecutive attachment to the Royal William, Capt. Fras. Pickmore, lying at Spithead, Acasta frigate, Capts. Edw. Fellowes and Jas. Athol Wood, in the Mediterranean, and Driver sloop, Capt. Fras. Wm. Fane, was appointed, 22 July, 1803, Acting-Lieutenant of the Cambrian 40, Capts. Barclay and John Poo Beresford, on the Halifax station, where he was confirmed by commission dated on 30 of the following Aug. Mr. Bowles, whom we next find serving in the Leander 50, flag-ship of Sir Andrew Mitchell, and Milan 38, Capt. Sir Robt. Laurie, both on the coast of North America, was promoted to the rank of Commander 22 Jan. 1806, and, on 25 March, 1807, appointed to the Zebra bomb, in which he accompanied Lord Gambler to Copenhagen, and came frequently into angry collision with the Danish batteries and flotilla. Having attained Post-rank on 13 Oct. in the same year, Capt. Bowles obtained temporary command, in Dec. 1808, of the Medusa frigate – as also, in June, l809, of the Warspite 74 – and again, in June, 1810, of the Medusa. While in the latter ship, we find him, in conjunction with the Spanish forces under General Porlier, contributing to the destruction of all the batteries (with the exception of Castro) from St. Sebastian to Santander, and, in July ensuing, particularly distinguishing himself by his zeal, ability, and indefatigable activity, as second in command of the naval brigade under Capt. Hon. Fred. Wm. Aylmer, in a successful engagement with a strong detachment of the enemy’s troops, consisting of between 700 and 800 men, near Santona.[1] He left the Medusa in Nov. 1810, and, on 29 March, 1811, joined the Aquilon 32, in which frigate, after conveying Lord Cathcart as Ambassador to St. Petersburg, and serving for some time in the Baltic (where, with the assistance of the Sheldrake sloop, he effected the destruction of seven large merchant-ships,
- ↑ Vide Gaz. 1810, pp. 1097-8.
