A Naval Biographical Dictionary/Herbert, George Flower
HERBERT. (Commander, 1828. f-p., 25; h-p., 19.)
George Flower Herbert is eldest son of Joseph Herbert, Esq., President of the island of Montserrat.
This officer entered the Navy, 11 Sept. 1803, as Fst.-cl. Vol., on board the Ganges 74, Capt. Thos. Fras. Fremantle, of which ship, employed on the India station and off Ferrol, he almost immediately became a Midshipman. Between Dec. 1804 and Jan. 1811 he served, on the Home, Cadiz, and West India stations, latterly as Acting-Lieutenant, in the BarFLBDH, Neptune, and Dreadnought 98’s, Capts.Geo. Martin, T. F. Fremantle (under whom he fought in the Neptune at Trafalgar, and took part, while for a time detached, in several actions with the Spanish gun-boats near Gibraltar), and Wm. Lechmere, Royal George 100, and San Josef 110, flag-ships of Sir John Thos. Duckworth, Nijaden 36, Capt. Fred. Cottrell, Neptune 98, and Statira 38, bearing each the flag of Hon. Sir Alex. Inglis Cochrane, and Port d’Espagne 18, Capt. Geo. Grey Burton. On 28 Feb. 1811 (after having been for a few weeks borne as a Supernumerary on the books of the Dragon 74, Rear-Admiral Sir Fras. Laforey) he rejoined the Nijaden, in the capacity of Acting-Lieutenant; and, being confirmed to her 16 May following, was subsequently, in March, 1812, present, when, under Capt. Farmery Predam Epworth, she contrived, during her passage home from Lisbon, to effect an escape from a pursuing squadron of five French line-of-battle ships. Mr. Herbert’s subsequent appointments were – 30 April, 1812, with Capt. Epworth, to the Nymphe 38, from which vessel, fitting at Portsmouth, an attack of illness obliged him at once to invalid – 21 April, 1813, to the San Josef 110, flag-ship of Sir Rich. King in the Mediterranean, where he witnessed, 5 Nov. 1813 and 13 Feb. 1814, two partial actions with the Toulon fleet, and was present at the capture of Genoa in April, 1814 – 28 Sept. 1814, to the Ulysses 44, Commodore Thos. Browne, on accompanying whom to the coast of Africa, he assisted at the destruction of a slave-factory – in the course of 1816, to the Impregnable, Berwick, and Impregnable again flag-ships at Plymouth of Sir John Thos. Duckworth and Lord Exmouth – 6 April, 1820, after 17 months of half-pay;- to the command of the Harpy Revenue-cutter – 25 Oct. 1824, to the Herald yacht, Capt. Henry John Leeke – 7 June, 1825, to the Albion 74, Capt. John Acworth Ommanney, lying at Portsmouth – and 22 Aug. 1825, 4 Aug. 1826, and 18 Jan. 1827, to the Warspite 76, Boadicea 46, and Java 52, all flag-ships in the East Indies of Rear-Admiral Wm. Hall Gage. He attained his present rank 7 July, 1828; and, with the exception of a command, from 18 May, 1837, until Aug. 1840, of the Téméraire 104, Ocean 80, and Poictiers 72, guard-ships at Sheerness and Chatham, has since been on half-pay.
Commander Herbert married Mary, youngest daughter of the late Capt. Harding, R.N., and niece of Rear-Admiral Jas. Bowen, formerly a Commissioner of the Navy. Agents – Messrs. Stilwell.