A Naval Biographical Dictionary/Bevis, Thomas
BEVIS. (Commander, 1829.)
Thomas Bevis entered the Navy, 5 Nov. 1797, at a very early age, as Fst.-cl. Vol., on board the Terror bomb, Lieut.-Commander Rich. Horsley, from which he removed, in Dec. 1800, to the Otter fire-ship, Capt. Geo. M‘Kinley. In that vessel he attended the expedition to Copenhagen in 1801, and in the battle of 2 April, having been temporarily transferred to the Dart sloop, Capt. John Ferris Devonshire, attached to the division of the fleet under Lord Nelson, was very hotly engaged. He subsequently served with Capt. Geo. M‘Kinley in the Ardent 64 – then for a short time in the Tartar frigate, Capt. Jas. Walker, at Spithead – and again under Capt. M‘Kinley, chiefly as Master’s Mate, in the Pelican sloop, Abergavenny 54, Ganges 74, and Roebuck 44, all on the Jamaica station, until appointed Acting-Lieutenant, 10 Nov. 1804, of the Diligence 18, Capt. Alex. Robt. Kerr, stationed off Boulogne, where, during a period of 12 months, he appears to have been almost daily employed, either on boat service or in actual collision with the enemy. He rejoined Capt. M‘Kinley, in Nov. 1805, as Master’s Mate, on board the Roebuck, at North Yarmouth; next accompanied him into the Quebec 32; and was only officially promoted to the rank of Lieutenant, after a further servitude, as Midshipman, in the Royal George 100, bearing the flag off Cadiz of Sir John Thos. Duckworth, 24 Sept. 1806. We then find him joining in succession – 24 Nov. 1806, the Antelope 50, Capts. Henry Bazely and Edw. Galway, in which ship he made a voyage to the Cape of Good Hope – 24 April, 1809, the Isis 50, Capt. Woodley Losack, under whom he attended the expedition to Flushing – 29 Jan. 1810, as Senior Lieutenant, the Beagle 18, Capt. Wm. Brooking Dolling, employed on the Home station – and, 7 Sept. 1810, the Galatea 36, Capt. W. Losack, on the Cape of Good Hope and West India stations, where he served, nearly the whole time in a similar capacity, until July, 1814. On 20 May, 1811, while cruizing off Madagascar in company with the 36-gun frigates Astrea and Phoebe, and 18-gun brig Racehorse, the whole under the orders of Commodore Chas. Marsh Schomberg, the Galatea fell in with the three French 40-gun frigates Renommée, Clorinde, and Néréide, having each 200 troops on board. In the long and desperate conflict which ensued, the Galatea, owing to the situation of the combatants from light and variable airs, became peculiarly the recipient of a most destructive fire from the Renommée and Clorinde, which, besides filling the hold with four feet of water, completely riddled her hull, badly wounded her masts, yards, and bowsprit, cut to pieces her rigging of every sort, killed 16 of her crew, and wounded 46 – a loss exceeding that of the Astrea and Phoebe united. The Renommée and Néréide were ultimately captured, but the Clorinde effected her escape. Among the wounded on board the Galatea was Mr. Bevis himself, in the right thigh, but who, nevertheless, could not be prevailed upon to leave the deck for more than a few minutes.[1] Yet – notwithstanding the facts we have stated, although the First-Lieutenants of the two other frigates were promoted, and the Admiralty expressed their satisfaction at the conduct of the Galatea – yet was Mr. Bevis, without any one drawback on his gallant and meritorious conduct, passed over, and suffered to continue for a further period of 18 years on the Lieutenants’ list. His succeeding appointments were – 1 Nov. 1814, as First, to the Bombay 74, flag-ship of Sir Chas. Vinicombe Penrose in the Mediterranean, whence he returned in July, 1816 – 25 Aug. 1818, to the Euryalus 42, Capt. Thos. Huskisson, from which frigate he invalided in April, 1819 – 18 Feb. 1821, to a command in the Coast Guard – and 2 Dec. 1828, again as First-Lieutenant, to the Prince Regent 120, bearing the flag at the Nore of Hon. Sir Henry Blackwood. He was at length advanced to his present rank 3 Aug. 1829; and since 5 Feb. 1839, previously to which period he had held the same office at Milford and Holyhead, has been employed as Superintendent of the Packet service at Liverpool. He is also Resident Agent for Transports at the latter port, having received the appointment in April, 1843.
- ↑ Vide Gaz. 1811, p. 2191.