A Naval Biographical Dictionary/Edmonds, Thomas
EDMONDS. (Retired Commander, 1843. f-p., 16; h-p., 33.)
Thomas Edmonds entered the Navy, 22 July, 1798, as Fst.-cl. Vol., on board the Pluto sloop, Capts. Henry Folkes Edgell and Henry Barwell, on the Newfoundland station, where, until Feb. 1806, he further served, as Midshipman, in the Isis 50, flag-ship of Vice-Admiral Jas. Gambier, Camilla 20, Capt. Bridges Watkinson Taylor, and Isis again, bearing the flag of Sir Erasmus Gower. He then became Sub-Lieutenant of the Explosion, Lieut.Commander Edw. Elliott, and, being promoted, while in the Vanguard 74, Capt. Alex. Fraser, to the rank of full Lieutenant, 28 April, 1807, was next appointed in succession, on various stations, to the Childers sloop, Capts. Thos. Innes, Fras. John Nott, Wm. Henry Dillon, and Joseph Packwood, Arethusa 38, Capts. Robt. Mends and Fras. Holmes Coffin, Dauntless 18, Capt. Daniel Barber, Cornwall 74, Commodore Edw. W. C. R. Owen, and Thracian 18, Capt. John Carter. On 14 March, 1808, while under Capt. Dillon in the Childers, whose force consisted, with a crew of 65 men, of only 14 12-pounder carronades, Mr. Edmonds assisted in ultimately beating off, after an intermittent action of six hours’ duration, and a loss to the British of 2 men killed and 8 wounded, the Danish man-of-war brig Lougen, of 20 guns and 160 men. Under Capt. Mends we find him most actively employed in co-operation with the patriots on the north coast of Spain, where, with the exception of Castro, he witnessed the destruction, in the summer of 1810, of all the batteries from St. Sebastian to St. Andero, on which were found altogether about 100 pieces of cannon. He left the Thracian in Jan. 1814; and did not afterwards go afloat. His acceptance of his present rank took place 17 Jan. 1843. Agents – Messrs. Stilwell.