44
BANCE—BANKS—BANNATYNE—BARCLAY.
BANCE. (Commander, 184 1. f-p., 16; h-p., 28)
James Bance entered the Navy, in May, 1803, as A.B., on board the Prince of Orange 74, Capt. Chas. Cunningham, employed in watching the Dutch fleet in the Texel. In Sept. following he accompanied the same officer, as Midshipman, into the Leopard 50, of which ship, on Capt. Rich. Raggett assuming the command, as Flag-Captain to Rear-Admiral Billy Douglas, on the Downs station, he became, in Aug. 1806, Master’s Mate. He next served with Capt. Raggett in the Leander and Africaine frigates, and with Sir Jas. Saumarez in the Victory 100, on the Halifax and Baltic stations; received an acting order as Lieutenant of the Zebra sloop, Capt. Thos. Rich. Toker, 13 June, 1808; and, on 9 Jan. 1809, was confirmed into the Mars 74, Capts. Wm. Lukin, John Surman Carden, and Henry Raper. After serving in the latter ship for four years on the Lisbon and Home stations, Lieut. Bance joined, 3 June, 1813, the Eridanus 36, Capt. Henry Prescott, with whom we find him cruising off the Western Islands until obliged to invalid, in March, 1815. His next and last appointment afloat was, 6 April, 1821, as First Lieutenant, to the Aurora 46, also commanded by Capt. Prescott, in which frigate he returned to England from South America, and was paid off in Feb. 1825. He attained the rank he now holds 23 Nov. 1841. Commander Bance is at present employed as Port-Captain at Cape Town, (Cape of Good Hope. Agents – Goode and Lawrence.
BANKS. (Ret. Capt., 1845. f-p., 15; h-p., 35.)
John Banks, born 2 March, 1786, in the parish of St. Austell, Cornwall, is first cousin of Commander Joseph Pearse, R.N., and of Kennet Banks, Esq., Master, R.N.
This officer entered the Navy, 8 June, 1797, as a Volunteer, on board the Europe, prison-ship at Plymouth, Lieut.-Commander Gardner; and, on removing to the Canada 74, bearing the broad pendant of Sir John Borlase Warren, was present at the defeat and capture of Commodore Bompart’s squadron off the coast of Ireland, in Oct. 1798. After further serving, as Midshipman, on board the Superb 74, Capt. John Sutton, Immortalité 36, Capts. Hon. Henry Hotham and Edw. W. C. R. Owen, and Mars 74, Capt. John Sutton, on the Mediterranean and Home stations, he became Acting-Lieutenant, 14 July, 1804, of the Colossus 74, Capt. Jas. Nicoll Morris; from which ship he was soon transferred, in a similar capacity, to the Hero 74, Capt. Hon. Alan Hyde Gardner, the leader of the van in Sir Robt. Calder’s action, 22 July, 1805. On 14 Sept. in the latter year Mr. Banks was appointed Sub-Lieutenant of the Falcon 16, Capt. Geo. Sanders, with whom he continued to serve until promoted into La Résolue 36, as Flag-Lieutenant to his old friend Rear-Admiral Sutton. Rejoining Capt. Hotham, in Jan. 1807, on board the Defiance 74, he continued to be employed under that officer, in the same ship, and the Northumberland 74, for upwards of five years. During that period he assisted at the destruction of three French frigates under the batteries of Sable d’Olonne, 24 Feb. 1809, on which occasion the Defiance, besides being much cut up in her masts and rigging, sustained a loss of 2 men killed and 25 wounded; and, when First of the Northumberland, he meritoriously contributed to the annihilation, 22 May, 1812, near L’Orient, of the 40-gun frigates L’Arienne and L’Andromaque and 16-gun brig Mamalouck, whose united fire, conjointly with that of a galling battery, cost the British a loss of 5 men killed and 28 wounded.[1] For his conduct on the latter occasion, Mr. Banks was promoted to the rank of Commander, by commission dated 29 May, 1812, exactly a week after the action. Unable to procure further employment, he accepted the rank of Retired Captain 4 Nov. 1845. When First of the Defiance and Senior Lieutenant on the coast of Spain, Capt. Banks was employed for six weeks in equipping the Spanish men-of-war at Ferrol, preparatory to their removal for better security to Cadiz, and so great was the weakness and attenuation of frame produced by over-fatigue during that period, that he was ultimately obliged to be landed at Plymouth, and placed under the care of the physician of the Channel fleet. On another occasion, while officer of the watch during the close blockade of a line-of-battle ship in the port of L’Orient, he received a frightful injury by the falling of a block from the main-top on his head, which divided the scalp and laid him prostrate on the deck. He was for six months in consequence on the sick list, but has never obtained the slightest compensation for his sufferings.
Capt. Banks married, 10 March, 1815, Miss Elizabeth Banks, of Bath, and by that lady has issue four children. Agents – Pettet and Newton.
BANNATYNE. (Lieutenant, 1815. f-p., 13; h-p., 31.)
John Bannatyne entered the Navy, 22 May, 1803, as Ordinary, on board the Apollo 38, Capt. John Wm. Taylor Dixon, and after serving as Midshipman and Master’s Mate in the Prince George 98, Capts. Joseph Sydney Yorke and Geo. Losack, on the Channel and West India stations, was, in Sept. 1806, transferred, in the latter capacity, to the Volontaire 38, Capts. Chas. Bullen, Joseph Nourse, and Hon. Geo. Granville Waldegrave. Subsequently to the reduction of the island of Pomégue, we find him, on the night of 31 Oct. 1809, assisting, in the boats of the latter frigate and of a squadron under Lieut. John Tailour, at the capture and destruction, after a desperate struggle, and a loss to the British of 15 men killed and 55 wounded, of the armed store-ship Lamproie, of 16 guns and 116 men, bombards Victoire and Grondeur, and armed xebec Normande, with a convoy of merchantmen, defended by numerous strong batteries in the Bay of Rosas.[2] He was subsequently engaged in active co-operation with the patriots on the north coast of Spain; and, on 26 Dec. 1811, was again employed in the boats at the capture of the Décidé privateer, of 2 guns.[3] Removing, in Sept. 1813, to the Caledonia 120, bearing the flag of Sir Edw. Pellew, Mr. Banks, on 5 Nov. following, shared in a partial action with the French fleet off Toulon; after which he joined the Prince Frederick, at Plymouth, and on 8 Feb. 181.5, was promoted to a Lieutenancy in the Cadmus 10, Capt. John Gedge, employed in the North Sea. He was placed on half-pay 27 Oct. following, and has not since been afloat. Agents – Messrs. Chard.
BARCLAY. (Lieut., 1823. f-p., 33; h-p., 6.)
Andrew Barclay, born 28 Jan. 1793, is second son of Jas. Barclay, Esq., and belongs to an ancient and respectable family, settled at Huntley, co. Aberdeen.
This officer (in the early part of his career a protégé of the late Duchess of Gordon and of Admiral Sir Geo. Hope, entered the Navy in April, 1808, on board the Namur 74, and first went to sea, in April, 1809, as Midshipman of the Victory 100, Capt. Geo. Hope, bearing the flag in the Baltic of Sir Jas. Saumarez. He continued to serve on that station for 20 months in the Stately 64, bearing the flag of Rear-Admiral Thos, Bertie, and Africa 64, Capt. Geo. Fred. Ryves, for the protection of the trade passing through the Great Belt and Sound, and while so engaged was perpetually in collision with the enemy’s gun-boats and batteries. On one occasion, while returning home as prize-master of a vessel captured by the Africa, he was taken by a Danish gun-boat, between the islands of Langeland and Laland, but on the same night was fortunately rescued by the boats of the St. George 98. In Dec. 1810, he rejoined the Stately, then commanded by Capt. Edw. Stirling Dickson, and, during the
