117
BRANCH—BRAND.
whence repeated attacks of fever and the opening of his wound obliged him prematurely to return at the expiration of a year. He was installed a Captain of Greenwich Hospital 17 Aug. 1846.
Capt. Branch was nominated a K.H. 25 Jan. 1836. He married in 1812, and was left a widower with three sons and four daughter 23 Nov. 1842. His eldest and third sons, Geo. Ferguson (1832), and Wm. Hen. Whorwood (1843), are Second-Lieutenants, R.M. The latter officer is now serving, on the North America and West India station, in the Endymion 44, Capt. Geo. Robt. Lambert. Capt. Branch’s second son, John Powell, is a Lieutenant R.N. Agents – Messrs. Stilwell.
BRANCH. (Lieutenant, 1841. f-p., 18; h-p., 3.)
John Powell Branch, born about the year 1814, is second son of Capt. A. B. Branch, R.N. This officer entered the Navy 7 Feb. 1826; served for seven years in the East Indies; returned home and passed his examination with great credit in 1833; afterwards joined the Excellent gunnery-ship at Portsmouth, where, in the shortest possible space of time, he obtained a Fst.-cl. Certificate; and was ultimately, after more than eight years’ servitude as Mate, advanced to his present rank 8 Nov. 1841. He has been employed, since 21 Dec. 1844, in the Lily 16, Capt. Chas. Jas. Franklin Newton, on the African station. Agents – Hallett and Robinson.
BRAND. (Lieutenant, 1822. f-p., 14; h-p., 23.)
Charles Brand is brother of Lieut. W. H. Brand, R.N.
This officer entered the Navy, 29 July, 1810, as Fst.-cl. Vol., on board the Apelles 14, Capts. Thos. Oliver and Fred. Hoffman, stationed in the Channel, where he was run on shore near Boulogne 3 May, 1812, but, with several others, escaped capture by a timely flight in the boats. He then proceeded to Bermuda, as Midshipman, in the Ardent troop-ship, Capt. Geo. Bell, and during a subsequent attachment of more than two years to the Majestic, a cut-down 74, Capt. John Hayes, assisted at the capture, after a running fight of two hours and a half, of the French frigate Terpsichore of 44 guns, besides making a large number of American prizes, participating in the capture of Washington by Rear-Admiral Geo. Cockburn, and witnessing the surrender of the President to the Endymion. He next served, from June, 1815, to Oct. 1818, with Capt. Sir Archibald Collingwood Dickson, on board the Caledonia 120, and Rochfort 80, and with Capt. Thos. Briggs, as Admiralty-Midshipman, on board the Queen Charlotte 100, the first at Plymouth, the two last at Portsmouth. He was afterwards, under Capt. Wm. M‘Culloch, of the Severn, employed, until July, 1820, on the Coast Blockade, in which his services were so conspicuous as to be rewarded by the Treasury with the sum of 100l.; and from the latter date until the death of Buonaparte he was stationed off St. Helena in the Shearwater 10, Capt. John Walter Roberts. He then sailed for the Cape of Good Hope in the Heron 18, Capt. Job Hanmer; and, for his exertions in travelling through part of Namaqua Land, an unknown district of South Africa, was, on 28 Dec. 1822, confirmed a Lieutenant in the Cygnet 10, Capt. Thos. Bennett; on the paying off of which, 22 April, 1823, he was presented by the ship’s company with an elegant sword, “in testimony of their regard and esteem of his gentlemanly and officer-like conduct” while on board. He again received an appointment in the Coast Blockade in April, 1824; but has been on half-pay since Aug. 1825.
Lieut. Brand has published an account of his African travels, as also of a voyage made in a civil capacity to Peru in 1827, during the winter of which year he traversed the Andes on foot. He married, 20 Dec. 1834, Caroline Julia, daughter of the late Joseph Sanders, Esq., of Great Portland Street, Portland Place, by whom he has issue two sons and a daughter.
BRAND. (Lieutenant, 1829.)
John Fittz Brand entered the Navy in 1812; passed his examination in 1820; obtained his commission 4 July, 1829; served in the Coast Guard from 7 July, 1835, until the spring of 1838; and since 28 April, 1846, has been employed as Admiralty Agent in a contract mail steam-vessel.
BRAND. (Commander, 1846. f-p., 34; h-p., 8.)
William Henry Brand, born 8 Oct. 1790, is son of the late Alex. Brand, Esq., R.N.; and brother of Major Brand of the 16th Regiment, of the present Lieut. Charles, and of the late Lieuts. Geo. Rowley and Thos. Dickson Brand, R.N.[1]
This officer entered the Navy, 18 May, 1805, as Midshipman, on board the Revenge 74, Capts. Robt. Moorsom and Sir John Gore, under the former of whom he was present at the battle of Trafalgar, 21 Oct. 1805; and, under the latter, at the capture of four French frigates by a squadron under Sir Sam. Hood, off Rochefort, 25 Sept. 1806. From Aug. 1807, to July, 1808, he was next borne on the books of the Redwing 18, Capt. Thos. Ussher, and during that period was constantly engaged with the batteries and gun-boats in the Gut of Gibraltar – was on one occasion, while in a detained vessel, taken prisoner by a Spanish flotilla – and, on again joining the Redwing, shared, 7 May, 1808, in her gallant annihilation of an opposing force of seven armed vessels, carrying in all 22 guns and 271 men, and having in escort a convoy of 12 sail, near Cape Trafalgar. During a subsequent attachment of two years and a half to the Apollo 38, Capt. Bridges Watkinson Taylor, Mr. Brand co-operated much with the patriots on the coast of Catalonia, particularly at the blockade of Barcelona, where he was frequently under the fire of the batteries and troops. He further assisted at the capture, 13 Feb. 1812, of the French frigate-built store-ship Merinos, of 20 guns and 126 men, under the batteries of Corsica – also, at the reduction by the Apollo’s boats, 21 Dec. following, of the tower of St. Cataldo, the strongest between Brindisi and Otranto – as well as, with great credit, at the taking, 29 Jan. and 3 Feb. 1813, of the islands of Augusta and Curzola, on both which occasions he was despatched with the intelligence to the Commander-in-Chief, Rear-Admiral Thos. Fras. Freemantle, then at Liesa;[2] and in the following summer he contributed, again in the boats, to the capture, by boarding, of a French gun-vessel, in which was taken prisoner the Colonel and Chief of Engineers at Corfu. On returning from the latter place, whither he had been sent with a flag of truce to convey the wounded, Mr. Brand rejoined his party, who were shortly afterwards attacked by a strong flotilla and obliged to run on shore near Parga, where, after expending all their ammunition, they took refuge for several days in the mountains. It is also our duty to record that on 21 Aug. 1812, while acting pro tem, as Lieutenant of the Weasel 18, Capt. John Wm. Andrew, the subject of the present memoir commanded the boats at the boarding and capture of an armed settee and trabacolo near St. Nicolo; that he subsequently aided in bringing out a vessel of the same description as the latter from a creek not far from Otranto; that, while attached, in a similar capacity, after the surrender of Curzola, to the Imogene 16, Capt. Taylor, he was for nearly three months employed in erecting bat-
- ↑ Lieut. Geo. Rowley Brand, an officer of distinguished valour, who had served at Camperdown, and had on different occasions, while combating the enemies of his country, received upwards of 20 severe wounds, commanded the Unique schooner, and was killed in action with a French privateer of twice his own force, 23 Feb. 1806, when the British vessel, after a glorious resistance, went down with her colours flying. In testimony of their sense of his son’s services and gallantry on this and various other occasions, Lloyd’s presented Mr. Alexander Brand with the sum of 300l.
- ↑ Vide Gaz. 1813, p. 1307.
