—- Rear Admiral Sir Home Riggs Popham in the uniform of a Lieutenant- unknown artist (1783) 

“Rear Admiral Sir Home Riggs Popham, KCB (12 October 1762 – 2 September 1820), was a British Royal Naval commander who saw service during the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars. He is remembered for his scientific accomplishments, particularly the development of a signal code that was adopted by the Royal Navy in 1803. ” (x)

—- Captain Sir Edward Hughes– Violante Beatrice Siries (1761) (x)

—- Admiral Sir Francis Geary– George Romney (c.1782-1783)

—- Lieutenant George Belson, Corps of Marines, outside Marine Barracks guard room, Chatham– Richard Livesay (c.1780)

“George Belson was commissioned into the Corps of Marines as a second lieutenant on 6 May 1778 and served with the Chatham Division. In 1791 Belson was appointed to Barrack Master of the Royal Marines at Chatham and four years later he became captain on half-pay. He continued to serve in this post at the same rank until 1832 and died in 1855, aged almost 90.” (x)

—- Admiral Adam Duncan, 1st Viscount Duncan– Henri-Pierre Danloux (1798) (x)

—- Captain (later Admiral) Sir Hyde Parker– George Romney (c. late 1700s) (x)

“He was born in Devonshire, England, the second son of Admiral Sir Hyde Parker, 5th Baronet (1714–1783). He entered the Royal Navy at an early age, and became lieutenant on 25 January 1758, having passed most of his early service in his father’s ships. From 1766 onwards for many years he served in the West Indies and in North American waters, particularly distinguishing himself in breaking the defenses of the North River at New York in 1776.

He reached flag rank on 1 February 1793, the same day that war was declared against the new French Republic. As Rear Admiral, he served under Samuel Hood at Toulon and in Corsica. From 1796 to 1800 he was in command at Jamaica and ably conducted the operations in the West Indies. He became a full Admiral on 14 February 1799.

In 1801 he was appointed to command the fleet destined to break up the northern armed neutrality, with Vice-Admiral Horatio Nelson as his second-in-command. Copenhagen, the first objective of the expedition, fell in the Battle of Copenhagen on 2 April 1801 to the fierce attack of Nelson’s squadron – Parker, with the heavier ships, taking little part due to the shallowness of the channel. At the height of the battle Parker, who was loath to infringe the customary rules of naval warfare, raised the flag to disengage. Famously, Nelson ignored the order from his commander by raising his telescope to his blind eye and exclaiming “I really do not see the signal“(although this is generally accepted to be a myth). Nelson pressed on with the action and ultimately compelled the Danish forces to capitulate.Parker’s hesitation to advance up the Baltic Sea after his victory was later severely criticised. Soon afterwards he was recalled and Nelson succeeded him. He died on 16 March 1807.” (x)

—- Portrait of a Warrant Officer– British School (c.1790) (x)

—- Captain William Hoste– Henry Edridge (1811)

“Captain Sir William Hoste, 1st Baronet KCB RN (26 August 1780 – 6 December 1828), Royal Navy captain, was the son of Dixon Hoste, rector of Godwick and Tittleshall in Norfolk. Dixon Hoste had arranged for Hoste’s name to be entered in the books of HMS Europa as a Captain’s servant when he was just 5 years old, although he would not actually go to sea until he reached the age of 12 or 13.

Although, perhaps best known as one of Lord Nelson’s protégés, Hoste was one of the great frigate captains of the Napoleonic wars, taking part in six major actions including the capture of a heavily fortified port. He was however absent from Trafalgar having been sent with gifts to the Dey of Algiers.” (x)

Portrait of a Lieutenant- British School (c.1800)

—- Admiral of the Fleet, Sir Peter Parker, 1st Baronet– Lemuel Francis Abbott (c.1799)

“Admiral of the Fleet Sir Peter Parker, 1st Baronet (1721–1811) was a British naval officer. Peter Parker was born probably in Ireland. He became a lieutenant in the Royal Navy in 1743 and captain in 1747. In 1761, he took command of HMS Buckingham and helped cover operations on Belle Île. For 10 years he was out of the service on account of the reduction of the navy. He was knighted in 1772 and rejoined the service in 1773.

During the American Revolution, he was sent to provide naval support for an expedition reinforcing Loyalists in the Southern Colonies. Parker hoisted his flag aboard HMS Bristol, and on June 28, 1776, led a naval attack against the fortifications on Sullivan’s Island (later called Fort Moultrie after their commander), protecting Charleston, South Carolina. After a long and hard-fought battle, Parker was forced to call off the attack, having sustained heavy casualties, including the loss of HMS Actaeon, grounded and abandoned. Commodore Parker was himself wounded by a flying splinter which injured his leg and tore off his breeches, an incident that occasioned much mirth in the newspapers.

He subsequently served under Lord Howe in the invasion and capture of New York City and commanded the squadron that captured Newport, Rhode Island, and later became Commander-in-Chief, North American Waters, and then Commander-in-Chief, Jamaica. At this time, Parker acted as a patron and friend of Horatio Nelson, then serving aboard the Bristol, an attachment which would endure for the remainder of Nelson’s life.

He was created baronet in 1783. In 1793 he became Commander-in-Chief, Portsmouth. In 1799 he succeeded Lord Howe as Admiral of the Fleet, and was Chief Mourner at Lord Nelson’s funeral in 1806.” (x)

A ballad written on the occasion of his battle at Sullivan’s Island (x)

A Narrative by Sir Peter Parker of his Attack on Sullivan’s Island, June 28, 1775 (x)