Cornwallis again, all on the North America and West India station – 4 Feb. 1840, to the Pearl 20, Capts. Chas. Colville Frankland and Rich. Henry Stopford, with whom he served, until paid off in June, 1844, on the coast of North America, a great part of the time as First-Lieutenant – 25 April, 1845, to the Queen 110, flag-ship of Sir John West at Devonport – and 10 Nov. 1845, to the Albion 90, Capts. Nicholas Lockyer and Chas. Howe Fremantle. In the latter ship, of which he became Senior Lieutenant, he served in the Channel and Mediterranean until paid off in 1848. He attained his present rank 5 March, 1849.
Commander Wake’s heroic conduct in the Falcon obtained for him the honorary medallion of the Royal Humane Society; and his services in saving the Forester were acknowledged by a silver medal from the Royal Shipwreck Institution. While belonging to the Pearl he had the good fortune to preserve the life of Mr. John Hepburn, Master Attendant of Portsmouth Dockyard, which was placed in great danger at the launching of the Bittern sloop. His “gallant exertions” on that occasion elicited the thanks of the Admiralty.
WAKE. (Lieutenant, 1846.)
Charles Wake passed his examination 1 May, 1844; and after serving on the Home station as Mate in the Daring 12, Capt. Henry Jas. Matson, was appointed in that capacity, 25 Sept. 1845, to the Heroine 6, Capt. Chas. Edmunds, fitting for the coast of Africa; where he was nominated, 27 March, 1846, Acting-Lieutenant of the Styx steam-sloop, Capt. Henry Chads. He was officially promoted 5 Aug. following; and was next, 22 March and 20 Oct. 1847, appointed, as Additional and First Lieutenant, to the Hibernia 104, flag-ship of Sir Wm. Parker, and Odin steam-frigate of 560 horse-power, Capt. Hon. Fred. Thos. Pelham, both in the Mediterranean, on which station he is now employed.
WAKEFIELD. (Lieutenant, 1827.)
John Watson Wakefield entered the Navy, in 1816, as a Volunteer, on board the Hebrus 36, Capt. Edm. Palmer; and on 16 Aug. in the same year was present at the battle of Algiers. He served afterwards as Midshipman in North America and the East Indies in the Forth 40 and Leander 60 (the latter bearing the flag of Hon. Sir Henry Blackwood); and as Mate (he passed his examination in 1822) on the Home, South American, and West India stations, in the Apollo yacht, Capt. Hon. Sir Chas. Paget, Éclair sloop and Doris 42, both commanded by Capt. Wm. Jas. Hope Johnstone, and Barham 50, flag-ship of Hon. Chas. Elphinstone Fleeming. He returned home from the West Indies in the Rattlesnake 28, Capt. John Leith, shortly after his promotion to the rank of Lieutenant, which took place 20 Aug. 1827; and has since been on half-pay. Agents – Messrs. Stilwell.
WAKEM. (Lieutenant, 1815.)
Nicholas Wakem was born in 1795. He is nephew of Retired Capt. Robt. Tom Blackler, R.N. (Commander, 1811), who was wounded while serving as First-Lieutenant of the Iphigenia frigate, Capt. Henry Lambert, in the affair at Port Sud-Est, 24 Aug. 1810, and died 23 July, 1844, at Devonport, aged 64.
This officer entered the Navy, about 1805, as Fst.-cl. Vol., on board the St. Nicholas, Lieut.-Commander Snow, prison-ship at Plymouth; where he removed as Midshipman to the Oiseau. From Nov. 1807 until Aug. 1813 he served in the West Indies, Mediterranean, and North Sea, in the York 74, Capts. Robt. Barton and Alex. Wilmot Schomberg; and between the latter date and Aug. 1816, when he was presented with a commission dated 20 March, 1815, he was employed off Cherbourg, on the coast of Africa, again in the Mediterranean, and at Sheerness, chiefly as Midshipman and Master’s Mate, in the Créole 36, Capts. Robt. Forbes and Geo. Chas. Mackenzie, Clorinde 40, Capt. Sam. Geo. Pechell, and Bulwark 74, flag-ship of Sir Chas. Rowley. He assisted, in 1809, in the York, at the capture of Martinique, the Saintes, the 74-gun ship D’Haupoult, and Flushing. In the Créole, besides contributing to the capture of several slavers, we find him participating, 23 Jan. 1814, in a running action fought with much spirit for nearly two hours between her and the French 40-gun frigate Sultane; on which occasion the loss of the British amounted to 10 killed and 26 wounded, and that of the enemy to about 20 killed and 30 wounded. In the Clorinde Mr. Wakem was in attendance upon the unfortunate consort of George IV. during her visit to the Mediterranean in 1815-16. Since the receipt of his commission he has been on half-pay.
WALCOTT. (Captain, 1846.)
Charles Walcott is brother of Capt. J. E. Walcott, R.N.
This officer entered the Navy, 29 June, 1810, as Fst.-cl. Vol., on board the Menelaus 38, Capt. Sir Peter Parker; in which ship, after witnessing the reduction of the Isle of France, he visited the Mediterranean and Chesapeake. He was present on the former station when the Menelaus gallantly pursued the French 40-gun frigate Pauline and 16-gun brig Ecureuil, under the batteries in the neighbourhood of Toulon, and then effected a masterly retreat from the French fleet which had come out to their protection, 28 May, 1812. On the death of Sir Peter Parker, who was killed in a land operation at Bellair, near Baltimore, 30 Aug. 1814, he removed to the Hebrus 36, Capt. Edm. Palmer. In her he served in an attack upon the enemy at Point Petre; at the capture of the town of St. Mary’s; at the forcing, in July, 1815, of the formidable passage of the Gironde and the destruction of the heavy batteries by which it was defended; and at the bombardment of Algiers. After he had been for rather more than 12 months stationed at Portsmouth and Plymouth in the Eridanus 36, Capt. Wm. King, and Queen Charlotte 100, flag-ship of Sir Edw. Thornbrough, he joined, in Dec. 1817, the Sybille 44, bearing the flag of Sir Home Popham in the West Indies; where he was nominated, in Feb. 1819, Acting-Lieutenant of the Confiance 18, Capt. Alex. Montgomerie. He was officially promoted 19 May following; he returned home soon afterwards in the Tartar frigate, Capt. Sir Geo. Ralph Collier; and he was subsequently appointed – 12 Dec. 1825 and 4 Aug. 1826, to the Warspite 76, Commodore Sir Jas. Brisbane, and Champion 18, Capt. John Fitzgerald Studdert, both in the East Indies – and 23 March, 1831, to the Asia 84, Capts. Hyde Parker and Peter Richards, on the Lisbon station. He was advanced to the rank of Commander 5 June, 1834, as a “special promotion on Sir Thos. Masterman Hardy leaving the Admiralty;” and from 22 March, 1838, until rewarded for his services with a Post-commission, 5 Jan. 1846, was employed in the Coast Guard. He has since been on half-pay.
Capt. Walcott is married and has issue.
WALCOTT. (Capt., 1822. f-p., 14; h-p., 31.)
John Edward Walcott is third son of Edm. Walcott Sympson, Esq., of Winkton, Hants; brother of Capt. Chas. Walcott, R.N.; and brother-in-law of Rear-Admiral Geo. Henderson.
This officer entered the Navy, 19 Oct. 1802, as Fst.-cl. Vol. (under the patronage of the late Right Hon. Geo. Rose, Treasurer of the Navy), on board the Blenheim 74, Capts. Philip Turner Bover, Murray Maxwell, Henry Matson, and Thos. Graves, in which ship, bearing the broad pendant of Sir Sam. Hood, he sailed for the West Indies. On his return thence he joined as Midshipman, in June 1804, the Lively 38, Capts. Graham Eden Hamond and Geo. M‘Kinley. In company, in her, with other ships, we find him, 5 Oct. following, present at the capture, off Cape St. Mary, of three Spanish frigates laden with treasure, and the destruction of a fourth. He also, 29 May, 1805, bore a part in a very spirited skirmish, in which the Lively, alone, sorely galled
