Page:A Naval Biographical Dictionary.djvu/226

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212

COLE .

and was subsequently, until Feb. 1805, employed, in North America and the East Indies, on board the Galgo 16, Capt. Mich. Dodd, Phaeton 38, Capt. Geo. Cockburn (under whom he attended Mr. Merry, the British Ambassador, to New York), and Trident 64, flag-ship of Rear-Admiral Pet. Rainier. He was then appointed Acting-Lieutenant of the Wilhelmina, Capts. Hon. Arch. Cochrane and Chas. Foote; obtained an Admiralty commission 5 Oct. following; and, returning to England in the Hindostan 50, Capt. Alex. Fraser, was appointed, 25 Aug. 1806, to the Canopus 80, bearing the flag of Sir Thos. Louis. At the capture, 27 Sept. following, of Le Président French frigate, of 44 guns, off the coast of France, Mr. Cole took charge of her into Plymouth, and, on her being subsequently commissioned as a British ship by Capt. Adam Mackenzie, accompanied that officer to South America, whence he invalided in Jan. 1809. He afterwards served, from April to Dec. 1810, in the Princess Caroline 74, Capt. Chas. Dudley Pater, on the Baltic station; and, from Sept. 1828 until the summer of 1830, commanded the Monkey schooner in South America. He assumed the rank of Retired Commander 18 April, 1838.

Commander Cole married, 1 Oct. 1812, Louisa, youngest daughter of the late P. Laprimaudaye, Esq., merchant, of Austin Friars. Agents – Messrs. Stilwell.



COLE. (Lieutenant, 1812. f-p., 12; h-p., 34.)

Robert Martin Cole entered the Navy, 12 Feb. 1801, as A.B., on board the Princess Charlotte 38, Capt. Sir Edw. Berry, in which ship, and the Ruby 64, commanded by the same officer, he served, in the Baltic and North Sea, until April, 1802. He soon afterwards became Midshipman of the Childers brig; and, from Nov. in the same year, until promoted to the rank of Lieutenant 17 Jan. 1812, was furthermore elnployed, on the North America, East and West India, and Baltic stations, in the Dasher sloop, Tremendous 74, Capt. John Osborn, Pitt 36, Capt. Walt. Bathurst, Terpsichore 32, commanded by various officers, Winchelsea frigate, L’Aigle 36, Capt. George Wolfe, Neptune 98, flag-ship of Hon. Sir Alex. Cochrane, and Victory 100, bearing the flag of Sir Jas. Saumarez. He subsequently joined, 16 Feb. 1813, the Barham 74, Capt. John Wm. Spranger, and, 15 April, 1815, the Scout 18, Capt. Jas. Arth. Murray; but since Sept. in the latter year has not been afloat.



COLE. (Commander, 1821. f-p., 29; h-p., 21.)

Thomas Edmund Cole, born at Chatham, co. Kent, is son of the late Thos. Cole, Esq., R.N., an officer who had been present in Rodney’s action of 12 April, 1782, and at the capture of St. Eustatius.

This officer entered the Navy, 1 March, 1797, as a Volunteer, on board the Robust 74, Capts. Edw. Thornbrough, Geo. Countess, Wm. Brown, and Wm. Henry Jervis, under the first of whom he assisted, off the coast of Ireland, at the capture, 12 Oct. 1798, with a loss to the Robust of 10 men killed and 40 wounded, of the French 74-gun ship Le Hoche, one of a squadron commanded by Commodore Bompart. In May, 1802, he became Midshipman of the Formidable 98, Capt. Rich. Grindall, on the West India station. He joined, on the renewal of hostilities, the Plantagenet 74, Capts. Graham Eden Hamond and Hon. Mich. De Courcy, in the Channel; and, removing next to the Ville de Paris 110, bearing the flag of the Hon. Wm. Cornwallis, commanded that ship’s forecastle quarters in her pursuit of the French fleet into Brest, and skirmish with the enemy’s batteries, 22 Aug. 1805. Being promoted, 17 April, 1806, from the Hibernia 110, flag-ship of Earl St. Vincent, to an Acting-Lieutenancy in the Prince George 98, Capt. Geo. Losack, he was, on 15 July following, after filling a similar post for short periods on board the Polyphemus 64, Capt. Robt. Redmill, and Illustrious 74, Capt. Wm. Shields, officially promoted into the Warrior 74, Capt. John Wm. Spranger. In the latter ship Mr. Cole appears to have served, as First-Lieutenant, at the reduction, in June, 1809, of Ischia and Procida, and, in the following Oct., of the Ionian Islands, particularly of Zante and Cephalonia, where, in addition to the boats of the squadron, he also commanded the Admiral’s division of gunboats, and behaved very creditably.[1] We likewise discover him, in detached charge of a boat armed with a howitzer, serving in the Faro of Messina at the defence of Sicily, when threatened with an invasion from Murat. Mr. Cole next joined, 12 Dec. 1811, the Bulwark 74, flag-ship in Basque Roads of Rear-Admiral Philip Chas. Durham; and was afterwards appointed, always in the capacity of First-Lieutenant – 12 May, 1813, to the Pyramus 36, Capt. Jas. Whitley Deans Dundas – 5 Aug. 1814, to the Euphrates 36, Capt. Robt. Preston – 23 Aug. 1815, to the Tagus 38, Capt. J. W. D. Dundas-and, in Oct. 1816, to the Minden 74, flag-ship in India of Sir Rich. King, of which for seven months he officiated as Acting-Captain. Having been paid off in 1820, he was invested, 19 July, 1821, with the rank of Commander; after which he served most effectually in the Coast Guard from 1827 to 1830, and again from 1831 to 1834. Since the latter date he has been on half-pay.

Commander Cole married, 19 Feb. 1824, Rebecca, daughter of John Evans, Esq., of Saltash, Cornwall, who was for many years secretary and confidential friend, and ultimately executor, of Admiral Hon. Wm. Cornwallis, G.C.B. By that lady he has issue ten children.



COLE. (Lieutenant, 1816. f-p., 10; h-p., 29.)

William Cole entered the Navy, 27 May, 1808, as Sec.-cl. Boy, on board the Diomede 50, Capt. John Sykes, flag-ship on the Guernsey station of Sir Edm. Nagle, and, continuing until Nov. 1809 to serve with the former officer in the Ardent 64, and Adamant armée en flûte, attended, in the last-named ship, the expedition against Walcheren. He then joined the Royal William, bearing the flag of Sir Roger Curtis at Portsmouth; obtained, 11 Sept. 1810, a Midshipman’s berth on board the Rifleman brig, Capt. Joseph Pearce, employed in the North Sea; and became subsequently attached, on the same, the Mediterranean, and African stations, latterly as Acting-Lieutenant, to the Coquette 20, Capt. Geo. Hewson, Duncan 74, and Royal Sovereign 100, both commanded by Capt. Robt. Lambert, and Porcupine 22, Capt. Booty Harvey. Being next appointed Admiralty-Midshipman of the Leander 50, Capts. William Skipsey and Edw. Chetham, he fought and was severely wounded at the battle of Algiers, 27 Aug. 1816;[2] shortly after which he was promoted, 16 Sept., to the rank he now holds. He subsequently, on 24 Jan. 1824, joined the Coast Blockade, as a Supernumerary-Lieutenant of the Ramillies 74, Capts. Wm. M‘Culloch and Hugh Pigot; but has not, since 1826, been professionally employed.

Lieut. Cole is at present Superintending Registrar for the Woburn Districts, Upper Canada.



COLE, K.H. (Captain, 1838. f-p., 25; h-p., 20.)

William John Cole was born in London, of which city he is a freeman.

This officer entered the Navy, 5 Jan. 1802, as Sec.-cl. Boy, on board the Buffalo store-ship, commanded by that excellent officer, the late Capt. Wm. Kent, with whom, after visiting India, witnessing the first settletnent ever formed in Van Diemen’s Land, and performing much surveying duty, he returned to. England in Dec. 1805, on board the Investigator, a very small vessel, whose crew, on their arrival at Liverpool, were rewarded with double pay for their exertions and the hardships they had endured in having effected a passage from Port Jackson to the above place without touching at any intermediate port. The voyage had occupied a period of five months, during 11

  1. Vide Gaz. 1809, pp. 1927-29.
  2. Vide Gaz. 1816, p. 1793.