27 Aug. 1810, to the Dragon 74, flag-ship of Sir Fras. Laforey in the West Indies. While belonging to the Aurora he was again, in the boats of that ship, taken prisoner between Terracina and Gaeta. He was placed in confinement in consequence in Fort St. Elmo, Naples, and was there detained until released by Sir Wm. Sidney Smith in 1806. On 24 Jan. 1811 he was made Commander into the Opossum 10. After serving for nearly four years in her in the West Indies and Channel, he was removed, in Dec. 1814, to the Royalist 18, on the Jamaica station. He invalided home in May, 1815; and was lastly, from 30 Oct. 1821 until advanced to Post-rank 19 July, 1822, employed in the Driver 18, on the coast of Africa.
Capt. Wolrige married, 10 March, 1819, Emma Sophia, daughter of Thos. Ridge, Esq., of Kilmiston, Hants, by whom he has left issue two sons and four daughters. One of his sons, Sydney, is a Lieutenant, R.N.
WOLRIGE. (Captain, 1818. f-p., 19; h-p., 30.)
William Wolrige is brother of the late Capt. Thos. Wolrige, and of the present Lieut. Chas. Wolrige, R.N. This officer entered the Navy, in Feb. 1798, as Fst.-cl. Vol., on board the Jason 38, Capt. Chas. Stirling. On 21 April following he was present, in company with the Mars 74, at the surrender of the Hercule 74; in the ensuing June he assisted (the Pique 36 and Mermaid 32 in company) at the capture, with a loss to the Jason of 7 killed and 12 wounded, of the French 40-gun frigate La Seine; and on 13 Oct. in the same year he was wrecked near Brest. With the rest of the officers and crew he was taken prisoner. On his release from captivity he joined, in 1799, the Révolutionnaire 38, Capt. Thos. Twysden. After having served for about two years in that ship on the Cork station, part of the time as Midshipman, he removed as Master’s Mate, in 1801, to the Donegal 74, Capt. Sir Rich. John Strachan, with whom he continued employed in the Caesar 80, chiefly on the Channel station, until there nominated, 30 April, 1805, Sub- Lieutenant of the Viper cutter, Lieut.-Commander Daniel Carpenter. On 23 March, 1807 (he had been then serving for six months, again as Midshipman, in the Hibernia 110, flag-ship of Earl St. Vincent in the Channel), he was made full Lieutenant into the Volage 22, Capts. Philip L. J. Rosenhagen and Phipps Hornby, on the Mediterranean station. Under Capt. Rosenhagen he contributed to the capture, 28 July, 1808, of the French brig-corvette Le Requin of 16 guns and 110 men; and under Capt. Hornby, besides co-operating in the defence of Sicily against the threatened invasion of Murat, he took part, 13 March, 1811, in the celebrated action off Lissa, where a British squadron, carrying in the whole 156 guns and 879 men, gloriously defeated, after a shattering battle of six hours, and a loss to the Volage in particular of 13 killed and 33 wounded, a Franco-Venetian armament, whose force amounted to 284 guns and 2655 men. As a reward for his gallant conduct on the latter occasion, as First-Lieutenant of the Volage, Mr. Wolrige, whose name was mentioned in the warmest terms,[1] was presented with a Commander’s commission bearing date the day of the action. His subsequent appointments were – 6 Aug. 1812, as Acting-Captain, to the Stag 36, in the Channel – 1 Jan. 1813, to the Bermuda 10, in the Downs – 20 June, 1815, to the Albacore sloop, at Plymouth – and, 18 Aug. ensuing, to the Wasp 18, in the Mediterranean. He paid off the vessel last mentioned 9 Sept. 1818; attained Post-rank 7 Dec. following; and accepted the Retirement 1 Oct. 1846.
WOOD. (Lieutenant, 1840.)
Arthur Wellington Wood is fourth son, by Lady Caroline, sister of the present Marquis of Londonderry, of Thos. Wood, Esq., of Littleton, co. Middlesex, Middleham Castle, co. York, and Gwernnevit, co. Brecon, a Magistrate for cos. Middlesex, Surrey, and Brecon, and Colonel of the East Middlesex Militia, who has represented Brecknockshire in Parliament since 1810. He is brother of Colonel Thos. Wood, of the Grenadier Guards, M.P. for co. Middlesex; of Alex. Wood, Esq., Commissioner of Emigrants; of David Wood, Esq., a Captain in the Horse Artillery; and of Robt. Wood, Esq., a Major in the Hussars.
This officer entered the Navy 14 Nov. 1828; passed his examination in 1835; and for his services on the coast of Syria and at the bombardment of St. Jean d’Acre was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant 4 Nov. 1840. He has since been on half-pay.
WOOD. (Lieutenant, 1845.)
Charles Octavius Wood entered the Navy in 1828; assisted, when Midshipman of the Imogene, Capt. Price Blackwood, in forcing (in company with the Andromache 28, Capt. Henry Ducie Chads) the passage of the Boca Tigris, in China, in Sept. 1834; passed his examination 6 June, 1838; served as Mate, on the Mediterranean, North America and West India, and Plymouth stations, in the Bellerophon 80, Capt. Chas. John Austen (part of the force employed in the operations on the coast of Syria and at the bombardment of St. Jean d’Acre), Illustrious 72 and Queen 110, flag-ships of Sir Chas. Adam and Sir John West; obtained his commission 6 Dec. 1845; and from 8 of the latter month until paid off in 1848 was employed, again in North America and the West Indies, in the Endymion 44, Capts. Geo. Robt. Lambert, Geo. Wm. Conway Courtenay, and Hon. Geo. Fowler Hastings.
WOOD. (Captain, 1842. f-p., 27; h-p., 9.)
Frederick Wood died 6 March, 1847, at Southsea, aged 48. He was nephew of Mr. Justice Bayley.
This officer entered the Navy, 25 May, 1811, as Third-cl. Boy, on board the Edinburgh 74, Capt. Robt. Rolles, with whom he continued employed in the Union 98, on the North Sea and Mediterranean stations, until July, 1814 – the latter part of the time in the capacity of Midshipman. He served next, from July, 1814, until Nov. 1815, in the Eurydice 24, Capts. Hon. Valentine Gardner, Geo. Ourry Lempriere, and Rich. Spencer, and Lightning 20, Capt. Geo. Rennie, on the coast of Ireland; from Dec. 1815 until Jan. 1817, in the Madagascar and Maeander frigates, in the latter of which (they were both commanded by Capt. Sir Jas. Alex. Gordon) he was nearly wrecked, off Orfordness, in Dec. 1816; from March, 1817, until Aug. 1818, in the Shark sloop, Capt. Chas. Newton Hunter, Salisbury 50, flag-ship of Rear-Admiral John Erskine Douglas, Larne 20, Capt. Abraham Lowe, Shearwater 10, Capt. Douglas Cox, Esk 20, Capt. Geo. Gustavus Lennock, and Rifleman 18, Capt. Norwich Duff, all in the West Indies; and from Dec. 1818 until Jan. 1822, in the East Indies, in the Dauntless 26, Capts. Hon. Valentine Gardner, John Norman Campbell, and Geo. Cornish Gambier, Leander 60, flag-ship of Hon. Sir Henry Blackwood, Alligator 28, Capt. Jas. Wilkie, Topaze 46, Capt. John Rich. Lumley, and Leander again. He was nominated Acting- Lieutenant of the Alligator and Topaze 30 March and 14 May, 1821; and was confirmed, 23 July following, into the Leander. His appointments, after he left the latter ship, were – in March, 1823, to the Sappho 18, Capt. Jenkin Jones, in the Mediterranean – 1 May, 1824, to the Genoa 74, Capts. Sir Thos. Livingstone, Wm. Cumberland, and Walter Bathurst, at Plymouth – 31 March, 1826, to the Melville 74, Capt. Henry Hill, at Portsmouth – 29 June, 1829, and 10 Aug. 1830, as Senior-Lieutenant (a post he had latterly filled on board the Melville), to the Lightning 18 and Tribune 42, Capts. Thos. Dickinson and John Alex. Duntze, both on the South American station, whence he returned at the close of 1831 – and 9 Dec. 1833, in a similar capacity, to the Belvidera 42, Capt. Chas.
- ↑ Vide Gaz. 1811, p. 804.
