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A Naval Biographical Dictionary/Dacres, Sidney Colpoys

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1672187A Naval Biographical Dictionary — Dacres, Sidney ColpoysWilliam Richard O'Byrne

DACRES, K.L.H., K.R.G. (Captain, 1840.)

Sidney Colpoys Dacres is son of Vice-Admiral the late Sir Rich. Dacres, G.C.H.,[1] by Miss Martha Phillips Mllligan; brother of Capt. R. I. Dacres, of the Royal Artillery; brother-in-law of Capt. Wm. Fairbrother Carroll, R.N., C.B.; and first-cousin of Rear-Admiral Jas. Rich. Dacres.

This officer entered the Navy 8 Feb. 1817; passed his examination in 1824; received his first commission 5 May, 1827; and was appointed, 18 Jan. 1828, to the Blonde 46, Capt. Edm. Lyons. In Oct. following he landed in command, with Lieut. Alfred Luckraft, of a party of seamen, and, by erecting batteries and otherwise, effectively co-operated with the French in reducing Morea Castle, the last hold of the Turks in the Peloponnesus,[2] Obtaining a second promotal commission, 28 Aug. 1834, Capt. Dacres assumed command, 16 Aug. 1836, of the Salamander steamer; for the importance of his services in which vessel off the north coast of Spain in 1839-40, he was promoted to Post-rank on 1 Aug. in the latter year. He has since been on half-pay.

Capt. Dacres is a Knight of the Legion of Honour, and of the order of the Redeemer of Greece. He married, 1 Oct. 1840, Emma, daughter of D. Lambert, Esq., of Tavistock Square, London, and has issue.

  1. Sir Richard Dacres, born in Sept. 1761, was brother of the late Vice-Admiral J. R. Dacres. He entered the Navy in 1775; served during the early part of the first American war as Midshipman in the Renown, 50; shared afterwards, as First Lieutenant of the Alcide 74, in Admiral Graves’ action off the Chesapeake, in the different skirmishes with the Comte de Grasse’s squadron, at St. Christopher’s, and in Rodney’s glorious victory; commanded the Pompée 74, in the expeditions to the Dardanella and Copenhagen, in 1807; and, from a Feb. 1808 until Nov. 1816, offciated as Governor of the Royal Naval Asylum. He became a Rear-Admiral 29 March, 1817; a Vice-Admiral 22 July, 1830; and a G.C.H. 25 Jan. 1836. Sir Richard died at Bath 22 Jan. 1837.
  2. Vide Gaz. 1828, p. 2201.