The Life and Family of Admiral Sir Philip Broke, Bt
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FRIENDS OF HMS TRINCOMALEE SUMMER 2016 The Life of Sir Philip Broke TS Foudroyant at the Movies Mess Deck Crossword / Wordsearch / Future events Annual General Meeting Notice is hereby given of our: Annual General Meeting 2016 Wednesday 14th September at 7.30pm Hart Village Hall, Hartlepool, TS27 3AW AGENDA: 1. Welcome and apologies for absence 2. Minutes of the last Annual General Meeting held on 23rd September 2015 3. Chairman’s report 4. Honorary Treasurer’s report and accounts for the 12 month period ending 31st March 2016 5. Election of Trustees 6. Appointment of Honorary Auditor 7. Any other business (Notified to the Secretary prior to the meeting) Members interested in joining the Committee are warmly encouraged to make themselves known to the Secretary of the ‘Friends’. All candidates for election need at least one nominee from the present Committee. The closing time for all nominations to be submitted to the Secretary is 2nd September 2016. Ian Purdy Hon. Secretary Any correspondence concerning the Friends Association should be sent to: The Secretary, Ian Purdy 39 The Poplars, Wolviston, Billingham TS22 5LY Tel: 01740 644381 E-mail: [email protected] Correspondence and contributions for the magazine to: The Editor, Hugh Turner Chevin House, 30 Kingfisher Close, Bishop Cuthbert, Hartlepool TS26 0GA Tel: 01429 236848 E-Mail: [email protected] Membership matters directed to: The Membership Secretary, Martin Barker The Friends of HMS Trincomalee, Jackson Dock, Maritime Avenue, Hartlepool TS24 0XZ E-Mail: [email protected] –– 22 –– Editorial At the time of writing this editorial, our negotiations with the National Museum of the Royal Navy are still in progress. I am delighted to report that our present membership fees do not require any adjustment and they will remain the same until 31st August 2017. Members are able to visit the Historic Quay at Hartlepool, and our ship, in the usual way on presentation of their membership cards. With the changes in the management of the Historic Quay and our ship having only occurred at the beginning of June, there is a period of transition at present. Due to this the remaining three meetings of the Friends this year will be held at Hart Village Hall, the full address being: Hart Village Hall Front Street Hart Village Hartlepool TS27 3AW This is a fully accessible venue. Hopefully we will be in a position to return to the Historic Quay for our evening meetings in the New Year. In this issue of our magazine, Keith Atkinson has provided an informative article for us relating in part to our Patron, Lord De Saumarez, who is paying an informal visit to Hartlepool this Summer accompanied by his wife. During the last hundred years of our ship's history it has been useful as a setting for movies. The earliest I am aware of is from 1927 as detailed within. Should the now annual cryptic crossword be over challenging, there is a word search included in this issue. The cover picture is of our ship, being an oil painting I was presented with by R Walker in 2012. Finally should any members be interested in standing for election as a Trustee for the Friends of HMS Trincomalee, they are warmly encouraged to make contact with our Secretary, or any existing committee member. The closing date for nominations is 2nd September 2016. Hugh Turner (Editor ) –– 23 –– The life and family of Admiral Sir Philip Broke, Bt. This article will show the link across time between HMS Trincomalee, Sir Philip Broke of the Shannon, Lord De Saumarez and Trincomalee’s Midshipman (Sir) Lambton Loraine. Philip Broke's Early Life Philip Broke was born on the 9th September 1776, at Broke Hall, in the village of Nacton, Ipswich, which stands alongside the river Orwell.The son of Philip and Elizabeth Bowes Broke, the family itself has a distinguished pedigree. Philip Broke could count amongst his ancestors a Chief Baron of the Exchequer and a naval Captain, Packington Broke, killed at the battle of Solebay in 1665. As a small boy Philip Broke would frequently walk along the banks of the Orwell contemplating the fishing boats and other passing vessels. When not watching ships it would appear that he was somewhat of an amateur shipwright and could often be found cutting out ships from pieces of paper or wood. At the age of 12, Philip, an enthusiastic, red-headed young man managed to persuade his father, much against his wishes, to enrol him at the Naval Academy at Portsmouth. For the next three years he was able to study the art of seamanship and the theory and science of naval gunnery, something which would stand him in good stead in his later life. First Steps In 1792, at the conclusion of his studies, he was appointed Midshipman in the sloop Bulldog (Captain George Hope). Philip’s studious nature won him many friends and his first captain would become a useful patron. For a young midshipman arguably there is no better berth than in a small, active ship. The letters that young Broke writes home are full of tales of pursuit, cutting out expeditions and prize taking. –– 24 –– Broke Hall Nacton In 1795 Broke is commissioned as third Lieutenant of the frigate Southampton and sent to serve with Nelson in the Mediterranean. He is present at the battle of Cape St Vincent on 14th February 1797 and continues to serve in the Mediterranean, returning home after five years to a hero’s welcome. 1798 is a bleak year for Great Britain. It is a year of great unrest in Ireland. Philip’s next appointment is to the frigate Amelia, part of the channel fleet under command of Alexander Hood, Lord Bridport. In May, Irish rebellion erupted and word came that France was planning an expedition to assist the rebels. This would sail from Brest. Amelia was despatched to watch Brest and report on French movements. Finally, In October, the French sailed for Ireland. On October 11th, they were sighted by the British and a general chase began. An action commenced between the two fleets on the 12th, with the British ultimately victorious. Invasion plans were thus thwarted. Amelia was placed in charge of the captured French vessels, but shortly afterwards she was sent to Greenock for supplies and then Portsmouth. Philip Broke would stay with Amelia for around 2 years. Independent commands then followed in the brig Falcon and the sloop Shark (the latter under Admiral Duncan in the North Sea). Shark was a poor ship and mainly employed in escort duty for Britain’s Baltic trade. Post Captain A strong feature of Georgian era politics was patronage and Broke certainly benefited from it. His father, a staunch Tory, had been actively lobbying and at the age of 25 his son was made Post Captain. If he could avoid an early demise he was now guaranteed, in time, to reach flag rank. –– 25 –– It is now 1801 and Philip is on leave. He begins a relationship with Sarah Louisa, second daughter of Sir William Middleton of Shrubland Park, not far from Ipswich. They marry in November 1802. The marriage would last 39 years. It was clearly a success. Philip’s journals often refer to “Loo” and he always wore a small blue case suspended around his neck which contained a lock of her hair. Unfortunately at this time his naval career hit the buffers. For four years he would be unemployed on half pay, until in 1805 after a further period of lobbying he is given a command of a worn, badly undermanned 32 gun frigate, Druid. Although Philip is happy to be back at sea, service in Druid was probably tedious. It is 1806 and Britain is at a low ebb, both Nelson and Prime Minister Pitt are dead. Britain’s enemies have largely been swept from the seas by a combination of battle victories and blockade. Druid patrols relentlessly, becoming more worn with little to show for it. Broke uses the time effectively though, honing his men’s gunnery skills. He considers, as do British fighting instructions for the time, that a shot fired above men standing on an enemy deck is a waste and that the sole purpose of gunnery was to kill or incapacitate opposing manpower. Aiming at rigging was not the Royal Navy way. Shannon Finally, welcome news arrives, he is to take command of HMS Shannon, a new fast sailing frigate of the Leda class of which HMS Trincomalee is a surviving example. This is undoubtedly a step up. The Shannon is described by writers at the time as “a very fine frigate of 38 guns”. A former messmate wrote to Broke: “We hear your new ship is a very fine craft; and I hope you will enjoy better health than in the damp old Druid” The entry for Shannon gives dimensions, complement and armament as follows: • Dimensions and tons: 150’ 1½“, 125” 2 7/8 x 39’9”x 13’9” 1052 55/94 • Men: 284 • Guns: Upper Deck 28 x 18lb, Quarterdeck 8x9lb and 6x 32lb carronades, Forecastle 2x 9lb and 2 x 32lb carronades. • Built: Brindley, Frindsbury • Ordered 1802, Keel laid down August 1804, launched 5th May 1806, hulked 1831 On appointment to Shannon, Broke immediately put his scientific approach to work. His crew, pitifully thin of trained seamen, was brought up to standard and once again gunnery arrangements were fine tuned. Backsights were fitted to guns and constantly adjusted and degrees of elevation painted on barrels of carronades to assist with accuracy. Chocks were fitted to carronade slides.