In the Herald, although with his name on the books of the Spartiate and Victory, he remained, the greater part of the time as officer in charge, until 1833. During that period he had opportunities of becoming First-Lieutenant of the Volage 28, Pearl 20, Dispatch 18, and Magicienne 24, but, considering his position in the yacht to be one that ensured promotion, he felt bound to decline them. A change, however, in the administration caused him to be superseded, unrewarded with the boon he coveted; and he has ever since remained on half-pay.
In Sept. 1831 Lieut. Rabett was invested, by Sir Thos. Foley, with the temporary command of the Onyx tender, for the purpose of attending upon Her present Majesty and the Duchess of Kent. Independently of the services we have recorded, he appears to have taken part in others of a fatiguing and hazardous character; and to have been, on one occasion, severely hurt in the execution of his duty. In addition to the ships above-mentioned he was for a short time employed with Capt. Hyde Parker in the St. Vincent 120 and Asia 84. He is the inventor of the “Substitute Rudder” – a contrivance which, in case of the total loss or damage of a ship’s rudder, may be made to answer all the purposes of one without the assistance of either carpenter or shipwright. The Lieutenant married, 12 Sept. 1835, Lady Lucy Louisa Maria Turnour, daughter of the late and sister of the present Earl of Winterton, by whom he has issue. Agents – Messrs. Halford and Co.
RADCLIFF. (Lieut., 1816. f-p., 10; h-p., 30.)
John Radcliff entered the Navy, 23 Dec. 1807, as Fst.-cl. Vol., on board the Spencer 74, Captain, afterwards Rear-Admiral, Hon. Robt. Stopford, stationed in the Channel. From Dec. 1808 until June, 1816, he served in the East Indies, off Lisbon and Cork, and in the Mediterranean, in the Clorinde 38 and Leviathan 74, both commanded by Capt. Thos. Briggs. In the former ship he assisted, as Midshipman, at the capture, 28 Jan. 1810, of L’Henri privateer, of 8 guns and 57 men, and at the reduction, in Dec. 1810, of the Isle of France. During the last two years and a-half of his attachment to the Leviathan, he filled the rating of Master’s Mate. On leaving her he was nominated Admiralty-Midshipman of the Albion 74, Capt. John Coode; for his conduct under whom at the bombardment of Algiers he was promoted, 16 Sept. 1816, to the rank of Lieutenant. His last appointments were to the Tagus 38, and Euphrates 36, Capts. Jas. Whitley Deans Dundas, Robt. F. Preston, and Robt. Bruce. In those vessels he served in the Mediterranean from Nov. 1816 until June, 1817. Agents – Hallett and Robinson.
RADCLIFFE. (Commander, 1830. f-p., 19; h-p., 19)
William Radcliffe was born 27 Dec. 1796. His father, Thomas Radcliffe, was an officer in the Royal Dockyard at Portsmouth.
This officer entered the Navy, 17 June, 1809, as Fst.-cl. Vol., on board the Endymion 40, Capt. Hon. Thos. Bladen Capel, employed in cruizing among the Western Islands and on the north coast of Ireland. Quitting her in Oct. 1810, he served during the next 12 months as a Supernumerary in the Revenge 74, Capt. John Nash, and Royal George 100, bearing the flag off L’Orient of Sir Thos. Williams. In the Revenge he was stationed off Cherbourg, and assisted in conveying a body of troops to Lisbon. In Oct. 1811, he again joined Capt. Capel on board La Hogue 74; in which ship he continued for two years off Brest and Flushing and on the North American station. While in her and in charge, as Midshipman, of a prize, he was captured, but was retaken before entering an enemy’s port. After an attachment of 10 months to the Valiant 74, Capt. Zachary Mudge, on the Brazilian coast, he joined, in Aug. 1815, the Pique 36, Capt. Hon. Anthony Maitland, lying at Spithead. For his conduct in the Glasgow 50, also commanded by Capt. Maitland, at the battle of Algiers, he was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant 16 Sept. 1816. His succeeding appointments were – 3 Sept. 1818, to the Tyne 26, Capt. Gordon Thos. Falcon, on the South American station, whence he returned in Oct. 1820 – 6 Feb. 1822, to the Hind 20, Capts. Hon. Henry John Rous and Lord Henry John Spencer Churchill, fitting for the Mediterranean – 12 Sept. 1823, as First, to the Martin 20, Capt. Henry Eden, with whom he served, on the station last named, until Feb. 1825 – and 2 Jan. 1829, in a similar capacity, to the Undaunted 46, Capt. Augustus Wm. Jas. Clifford, employed on particular service. Attaining his present rank 22 July, 1830, he served in that capacity in the Coast Guard from 7 Sept. 1836 until 12 Nov. 1839, and since 3 March, 1845, has been actively employed in the Apollo troop-ship in all parts of the globe. When in the Rio de la Plata, and in company with the Eagle 50 and French war-steamer Gazendi, he landed the Apollo’s men, and, by throwing up a battery, contrived for several days to defend the east point of Maldonado against a strong detachment of Oribe’s army. His exertions in bringing the Apollo safely out of Waterloo Bay, Cape of Good Hope, with the 73rd Regt. on board, after she had lost all her anchors from the effects of tremendous rollers which had set in, have, we understand, been noted at the Admiralty.
Commander Radcliffe, during the earlier part of his career, was struck by lightning and supposed for some time to be dead: he also, while lying at St. Helena, fell from the cross-jack to the deck and was severely hurt; and on another occasion a block from aloft fell on his head. The effects of these accidents he still feels. He married, 11 May, 1840, Julia Pittis, daughter of the late W. Dore, Esq. Agents – Collier and Snee.
RADFORD, K.H. (Captain, 1832. f-p., 22; h-p., 29.)
Samuel Radford entered the Navy, in April, 1796, as Fst.-cl. Vol., on board the Aquilon 32, Capts. Wm. Edw. Cracraft and Thos. Boys, with whom he was employed in the Channel and West Indies, part of the time as Midshipman, until transferred, in Aug. 1800, to the Triumph 74, Capts. Elias Harvey and Sir Robt. Barlow. On leaving that ship, after having served in her on the Home and, Mediterranean stations, he was nominated, in Dec. 1804, Master’s Mate, a rating he had held for some time, of the Barfleur 98, Capt. Geo. Martin, lying at Spithead. For conduct he had displayed on board the Triumph he was appointed, at the recommendation of Sir R. Barlow, Sub-Lieutenant, 29 Jan. 1805, of the Boxer gun-brig, Lieut-Commanders Sir Geo. Mouat Keith and Fras. M‘Lean. He was ordered, 24 May, 1806, to act as Lieutenant of the Ariadne 20, Capts. Lord Viscount Falkland and Arthur Farquhar, employed on the Home and Baltic stations; was confirmed to that vessel 18 Aug. following; and was next, in the course of 1809, appointed to the Aboukir 74, Capt. Geo. Parker, and Désirée 36, commanded by his former Captain, Farquhar. In the Aboukir he accompanied the expedition to the Walcheren; and in the Désirée (of which ship and the Ariadne he was for nearly eight years First-Lieutenant) he found frequent opportunities of distinguishing himself. In command of her boats, and of those of the Quebec 32, Britomart sloop, and Bold gun-brig, he made an attack, on the night of 29 May, 1810, on several armed vessels lying in the Vlie. One of them, a French lugger, of 6 guns and 26 men, was driven on shore and burnt, and four (a French lugger of 12 guns and 42 men, a schuyt privateer, of 4 guns and 17 men, a Dutch gun-boat, and a small row-boat) were captured and brought out.[1] A few days previously to this he had burnt on the beach, near Haarlem, the British schooner Cuckoo, which had been cast away, and was then in possession of
- ↑ Vide Gaz. 1810, p. 807.
