A Naval Biographical Dictionary/Nicholls, Thomas Willcocks
NICHOLLS. (Retired Commander, 1843. f-p., 14; h-p., 36.)
Thomas Willcocks Nicholls died in 1847.
This officer entered the Navy, 1 Sept. 1797, as L.M., on board the Viper gun-brig, Lieut.-Commander John Pengelly, on the Channel station, where, and on the coast of Spain, he continued employed, the greater part of the time in the capacity of Midshipman, in the Haerlem 64, Capt. Geo. Burlton, Ajax 74, Capts. Hon. Alex. Inglis Cochrane and John Pakenham, Indefatigable 46, Capts. Hon. Henry Curzon and Matthew Henry Scott, and Aggressor gun-brig, Lieut.-Commander Thomson, until 1802. Joining next the Africaine 38, Capt. Thos. Manby, he served for some time at the blockade of Helvoetsluys and the Texel, and was on board that ship in a gale in which she was totally dismasted. On arriving with convoy in the West Indies in 1805, he was received as, a Supernumerary on board the Northumberland 74, bearing the flag of Hon. Alex. Cochrane, who, on 18 Nov. in the same year, appointed him Sub-Lieutenant of the Pert, Capt. Pringle. In the ensuing Dec, and in March, 1806, and Feb. 1807, he was successively nominated, also in the West Indies, Acting-Lieutenant of the Dolphin, Hippomenes, and Canada, to which latter ship, commanded by Capt. John Harvey, the Admiralty confirmed him 13 Aug. 1807. His last appointments were – 1 Aug. 1808 (seven months after he had left the Canada), to the Leviathan 74, commanded by Capt. Harvey in the Mediterranean, where he remained for a period of two years – and, 28 April, 1814, to the command (which he retained until 9 Sept. 1815) of the Bramble 8, on the American station. He was placed on the list of Retired Commanders 19 Oct. 1843.