A Naval Biographical Dictionary/McGladery, John
M‘GLADERY. (Lieut., 1811. f-p., 43; h-p., 10.)
John M‘Gladery was born in Dec. 1776, near Dungannon, co. Tyrone.
This officer (who had been seven or eight years in the Merchant service) was impressed, 28 Nov. 1794, into the Navy, from the wreck of the ship Wildman, of London, and rated A.B., on board the Culloden 74, Capt. Thos. Troubridge; under whom, it appears, he was successively present in Hotham’s action 13 July, 1795, in the battle off Cape St. Vincent 14 Feb. 1797, at the ensuing attack upon Santa Cruz, Teneriffe, in the action off the Nile 1 Aug. 1798, and at the capture of Naples, Rome, Genoa, &c. He received a splinter-wound in the right eye in Hotham’s affair; experienced a similar injury in the St. Vincent achievement; and, being one of the landed party at Santa Cruz, was so severely hurt by a sabre-cut in the head as to be reported among the slain. Removing in Aug. 1800 to La Victorieuse 12, Capt. John Richards, he took part, in the capacity we believe of Quartermaster, in most of the operations connected with the campaign of 1801 in Egypt, from the landing of the troops in Aboukir Bay until the fall of Alexandria, including the reduction of Marabout Castle and a variety of boat skirmishes. In March, 1803, Mr. M‘Gladery, who had previously attained the rating of Midshipman, was transferred to the Foudroyant 80, in which ship, bearing the flags of Admirals Sir Thos. Graves, Sir John Borlase Warren, Albemarle Bertie, and Sir Wm. Sidney Smith, he served for upwards of five years, on thg Home, North American, Lisbon (whence he witnessed the flight of the Royal Family of Portugal), and Brazilian stations, he was present, 13 March, 1806, at the capture of the Marengo 80, bearing the flag of Admiral Linois, and 40-gun frigate Belle Poule. In Sept. 1803, on his arrival at the Cape of Good Hope in the Sylvia cutter, Lieut.-Commander Augustus Vere Drury, he was nominated, having passed his examination 5 Oct. 1805, Acting-Lieutenant of the Leopard 50, flag-ship of the above-named Admiral Bertie. Exchanging, in May, 1810, into the Otter sloop, Capt. Jas. Tomkinson, he witnessed, in the following Sept., the re-capture of H. M. S. Africaine, and the capture of the French frigate La Vénus and her prize the Ceylon 32; and on rejoining Admiral Bertie, shortly afterwards, in the Africaine, he co-operated in the reduction of the Isle of France and its dependencies, being on the occasion allowed to superintend the debarkation of the troops. Having unluckily mislaid his passing certificate, he was not confirmed in the rank of Lieutenant until 24 April, 1811; from which period he remained unemployed until the receipt of his present appointment in the Coast Guard 1 Nov. 1821. Agents – Hallett and Robinson.