Royal Naval Biography/Davies, Lewis

by John Marshall

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LEWIS DAVIES, Esq.
[Captain of 1827.]

A Companion of the Most Honorable Military Order of the Bath; Knight of the Royal French Order of St. Louis; and Knight (2d class) of the Imperial Russian Order of St. Anne.

This officer is a brother of the late LieutenantColonel Davies, (known throughout all India by the appellation of “Tiger Davies” from his frequent daring encounters with that ferocious animal,) who was assassinated in May 1827) at Mominabad, by a party of the Nizam’s third regiment of native horse, while endeavouring to quell by remonstrance a spirit of insubordination which some of that corps had manifested.

Mr. Lewis Davies passed his examination in May 1808, obtained the rank of lieutenant in Sept. following; and was promoted from the Seringapatam frigate. Captain Charles Sotheby, to the command of the Rose sloop, on the Mediterranean station, Jan. 26th, 1826.

The Rose was attached to the combined force under Sir Edward Codrington, and sustained a loss of three men killed and fifteen officers and men wounded, at the battle of Navarin, Oct. 20th, 1827^[1]. On the second day after that memorable event, we find Mons. De Rigny writing to the British Vice-Admiral as follows:–

“Sir,– I hasten to do myself the honor to inform your Excellency, from a detailed report made by Captain Hugon, of the Armide, that the excellent manoeuvre of Captain Davies, when the Rose came and resolutely cast her anchor within pistol-shot of two Turkish corvettes, relieved the Armide in a few minutes from her unfavorable position; and it is my duty, and at the same time a great pleasure to me, to assure your Excellency, that on this occasion Captain Davies did every thing that could be expected from a brave and experienced officer. I am, with the highest consideration, your very faithful servant,

(Signed)“H. De Rigny, Rear-Admiral.”

It appears, from other accounts, that l’Armide, previous to her being supported by the Rose, was exposed to the undivided fire of no less than five of the enemy’s ships; and that Commander Davies received some personal injury by the explosion of a Turco-Egyptian brûlot. On the day after the action, he was promoted to the vacancy caused by the death of Captain Bathurst, of the Genoa; but ordered to continue in the command of the Rose, and sent with despatches to Smyrna. “If times had been chivalrous,” says Sir Edward Codrington, “and I had had chivalrous power, I should have knighted him on the field of battle.” The other rewards bestowed upon Commander Davies were a Companionship of the Bath, the Cross of St. Louis, and the Order of St. Anne. Among the wounded on this occasion were Lieutenant Maine Lyons, Messrs. Douglas Curry (third son of Captain Richard Curry, R.N.,) and M. Williams, midshipmen, of the Rose. The former officer lost his leg, and only survived four days: – we have a melancholy satisfaction in transcribing a letter subsequently addressed to his nearest male relative, whose own gallant services are already known to our readers:–

H.M.S. Rose, Malta, Nov. 29th, 1827.

“Dear Sir,– Your brother’s loss is deplored by all who knew him, for his kindness of heart and evenness of temper; but he was chiefly admired for his cool self-possession in danger; he was often under fire from pirates, when in command of the Rose’s boats, and was always successful; but it was at the battle of Navarin that he pre-eminently distinguished himself, in command of the boats, by towing a fire-vessel clear of u French line-of-battle ship, under a dreadful fire of grape, which must have insured his promotion had he survived. Yours,

(Signed)“L. Davies.”

“To Captain Edmund Lyons, R.N.”

Captain Davies subsequently commanded the Ariadne 28, which ship he brought home from the Mediterranean, and paid off at Plymouth, in May 1828.

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1. 27 Jun 1803