A Naval Biographical Dictionary/Thomas, Frederick Jennings
THOMAS. (Rear-Admiral, 1846. f-p., 15; h-p., 33.)
Frederick Jennings Thomas, born in April, 1787, in the New Forest, co. Hants, is second and youngest son of the late Sir John Thomas, Bart., of Wenvoe Castle, co. Glamorgan, by Mary, daughter of John Parker, Esq., of Hasfield Court, co. Gloucester; and uncle of the present Sir Edmond Stephen Thomas, Bart., an officer in the Army.
This officer entered the Navy, 1 March, 1799, as Fst.-cl. Vol., on board the Boston 32, Capt. John Erskine Douglas; with whom he continued to serve on the American and West India stations, as Midshipman and Master’s Mate, until Aug. 1803. During that period he proved a volunteer on every occasion that involved difficulty or danger; and in one instance, while conducting a valuable prize to Bermuda, his coolness, intrepidity, and promptitude had the effect of thwarting a plan laid by the prisoners, who were greatly superior to the British, for re-taking the vessel. Joining, in Sept. 1803, the Prince of Wales 98, bearing the flag of Sir Robt. Calder, he took part in that ship in the action fought, 22 July, 1805, with the combined fleets of France and Spain off Cape Finisterre. He was nominated, 19 Sept. following, Acting-Lieutenant of the Spartiate 74, Capt. Sir Fras. Laforey; and on 21 Oct. in the same year he shared in the glories of Trafalgar. His appointment to the Spartiate being confirmed 14 Feb. 1806, he continued employed in her, off Rochefort and in the Mediterranean (where he assisted at the blockade of Toulon, contributed to the defence of Sicily, and partook of a variety of operations on the coast of Italy), until Nov. 1809. In the course of the ensuing month he joined the Antelope 50, bearing the flag of Sir John Thos. Duckworth; under whom we find him shortly afterwards proceeding, with his Britannic Majesty’s Ambassador, to Cadiz. On his arrival there he succeeded, although the French army had surrounded the city, in procuring information relative to their movements in the interior of Andalusia, which proved of advantage to the interests of Spain, and was by him forwarded to the British government. He also, at imminent hazard, made a survey of the enemy’s lines and fortifications; and this, with a description of their naval position and forces, and the soundings they occupied, he communicated in a chart to the First Lord of the Admiralty, Lord Mulgrave, whose thanks he obtained in return. Continuing (with the exception of a few months in 1810, during which he was First-Lieutenant of, and equipped for foreign service, the Nereus 36, Capt. Peter Heywood) at Cadiz, Mr. Thomas was enabled, through resources peculiarly his own, to furnish government with the first information of the enemy’s intention of attacking the valuable fortresses of Tarifa and Ceuta. While successfully engaged with a detachment of armed vessels under his orders in counteracting their projected enterprises by water, he boarded and, after a desperate resistance, retook, two valuable Spanish ships, which had been beguiled by the French under their batteries. In towing these from the shore he was for four hours exposed to a galling fire. He was subsequently presented with the thanks of the merchants of Cadiz in a gold box for his “energy and personal risk in defence of the trade.” . Although surrounded for many weeks by hardships, which materially injured his health, Mr. Thomas, by his unexampled vigilance, prevented a junction between the enemy’s land and sea forces. In his determination, indeed, to effect this object he resolutely maintained the station he had taken up throughout two tremendous gales, during which several vessels, of the same class as the one he commanded, foundered alongside. In an unsuccessful attack made in Oct. 1810 by the troops under Lord Blayney, supported by part of the flotilla, on the castle of Frangerola, the gun-boat he was in was sunk after an action of two hours, and he himself wounded. Nevertheless he landed and remained with the army, still engaged with the enemy, until obliged to repair on board the Rambler, bearing the broad pendant of Commodore Robt. Hall, who conferred upon him a high eulogium and gave him up the temporary command. He remained therefore on deck, and in action, until the orders he had received were fulfilled; and for his conduct he received the thanks of the Commander-in-Chief. After he had for some time had charge of a division of the Cadiz flotilla, and had afforded fresh proofs of “gallant intrepidity” and “sound judgment,” he was awarded a second promotal commission, dated 4 March, 1811, and was appointed second in command of the flotilla. He removed on this occasion to the Rambler, the vessel above named, which had been rated as a sloop-of-war. On 5 July following he made a valiant but ineffectual attempt to capture a French armed schooner in the River Guadalquivir; he subsequently, having volunteered his services, bore an important part in the expulsion of the French from Seville; and he then, about Aug. 1812, became senior commander of the flotilla. To sum up his services on the coast of Spain, we may observe that he was present at the storming and annihilation of 12 batteries, and at the capture and destruction of several hundred pieces of ordnance and of upwards of 150 sail of vessels; that he fitted out at his own expense two armed vessels, resembling in rig and construction the French privateers of Rota and San Lucar, which proved of great protection to trade and succeeded in often decoying the enemy; that he co-operated with the Spanish naval and military forces in every enterprise undertaken against the French in the south of Spain; and that he was particularized by its government for his “patriotism, bravery, and zeal.” Notwithstanding that several strong applications had been made to the Admiralty in his favour, especially by Lord Fitzroy Somerset, Military Secretary to the Marquess of Wellington, and by the British Ambassador at Cadiz, Capt. Thomas was not promoted to Post-rank until 8 Dec. 1813; some time previously to which he had been ordered to act as Captain in the San Juan 74, bearing the flag of Rear-Admiral Sam. Hood Linzee at Gibraltar. He returned to England with that officer in 1814 in the Eurotas frigate; and did not afterwards go afloat. He accepted his present rank 1 Oct. 1846. Although he had served longer at Cadiz than any other Commander, and had signalized himself, as we have shown, in a very remarkable manner, he appears to have been the only one suffered to remain without honorary distinction.
Rear-Admiral Thomas invented, in 1818, a lifeboat, to pull and sail at the average rate, with three keels (the two outer supporting the bilge and preventing the vessel from upsetting or sinking); in 1820 he suggested some plans for constructing a pier at Brighton, similar to that at Ryde, in the Isle of Wight, and for sheltering it by a breakwater, to be formed of forest timber; and in 1821 he tendered a schedule for the opening of a communication between the S.E. and S.W. parts of Sussex by means of a bridge across the River Arun, with the view of obviating the circuitous route through Arundel. He is the author of a work entitled “England’s Defence.” He married, 7 Aug. 1816, Susannah, only daughter of the late Arthur Atherley, Esq., and sister of Arthur Atherley, Esq., M.P. for Southampton, by whom he has issue two sons and two daughters.