A Naval Biographical Dictionary/Fowler, Thomas Richard
FOWLER. (Lieut., 1815. f-p., 9; h-p., 32.)
Thomas Richard Fowler was born in 1793.
This officer entered the Navy, 20 March, 1806, as Fst.-cl. Vol., on board the Spartiate 74, Capt. Sir Eras. Laforey, under whom we find him co-operating, as Midshipman, in the reduction, during the summer of 1809, of the islands of Ischia and Procida. While afterwards attached, from the close of the latter year until his attainment of his present rank 11 Feb. 1815, to the Horatio 38, Capts. Geo. Scott, Lord Geo. Stuart, and Wm. Henry Dillon, he assisted at the capture, 21 Feb. 1810, after a long chase and a running-fight of an hour, of La Nécessité French frigate, of 26 guns and 186 men, laden with naval stores and provisions; and on 2 Aug. 1812 he was severely wounded in the arm, and highly spoken of for his conduct, at the capture, off the coast of Norway, by four boats under the orders of Lieut. Abraham Mills Hawkins, of a Danish schooner and cutter, mounting 10 guns between them, after a sanguinary combat in which the British lost altogether men killed and 16 wounded, and the enemy, out of 52 men, 10 killed and 13 wounded.[1] In consideration of the sufferings entailed on him by the latter affair, Mr. Fowler obtained a gratuity of 30l, from the Patriotic Fund, and a Greenwich pension of 10l. He also, during his employment in the Horatio, commanded that ship’s launch in the river Scheldt, and cruized off Berzen-op-Zoom, when besieged by the British army in 1813. Since his promotion he has not been able to procure employment afloat.
Lieut. Fowler, for the last 14 years, has officiated as Secretary to the Ophthalmic Hospital at Charing Cross. He married in 1824.
- ↑ Vide Gaz. 1812, p. 1710.