John Pilfold
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John Pilfold |
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|---|---|
| Born | 10 September 1768 Horsham, Sussex, England |
| Died | 12 July 1834 Stonehouse, Devon , England |
| Occupation | Royal Navy Officer |
Captain John Pilfold, RN, CB[1] (1768 - 12 July 1834) was an officer of the Royal Navy whose solid naval career during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars was highlighted by one shining piece of fame when he commanded the ship of the line HMS Ajax in Nelson's division at the battle of Trafalgar whilst only a lieutenant.
Born in 1768, Pilfold followed the usual method of introduction to the Royal Navy of the day, joining a ship aged 13 and slowly learning his trade as a midshipman in HMS Crown under the capable guiodance of William Cornwallis. He distinguished himself in the battle of the Glorious First of June in 1794, and was specially recommended by his dying captain John Harvey of the HMS Brunswick for his bravery and competence. This brought him to the attention of Admiral Howe, who made him a lieutenant on his own flagship, the HMS Queen Charlotte. He was again heavily engaged with the enemy in 1795 when he was aboard the HMS Russell during the battle of Groix in which three enemy ships were taken.
As a reward he was posted to the 18 gun sloop HMS Kingfisher, and made some money from prizes captured during operations off the Spanish and Potuguese coasts sailing from Lisbon. He was also instrumental in preventing a local outbreak of mutiny following the larger rebellions at home at Spithead and the Nore in 1797. In 1798 he was again moved, to another big ship the 74 gun HMS Impetueux in which he gained some notoriety in 1800 for leading a rading party into the Morbihan River and destroying a dozen French ships and wrecking port facilities in the river. Ashore as a notorious and wealthy first lieutenant, Pilfold met and married his wife, Mary Anne Horner during the Peace of Amiens, but was back abaord ship in 1803 moving from the HMS Hindostan to the HMS Dragon and from there to the Ajax, which was then commanded by Captain William Brown.
Ajax was engaged at the battle of Cape Finisterre, and Brown was embroiled in the scandal which followed and resulted in the court martial of the admiral in charge, Sir Robert Calder. Called home to give evidence at the trial, Brown placed Pilfold in charge of the Ajax, which joined Nelson's fleet during the blockade of Cadiz. On the 21 October, Ajax was sixth in Nelson's line, and was heavily engaged with the Intrépide and Argonauta, fighting them both to a standstill and remarkably only suffering two dead and nine wounded during the whole engagement. Pilfold returned home to rapturous praise in December 1805, and received his promotion to Post Captain at Christmas, which was followed over the next ten years with further rewards including his own coat of arms and initiation to the Order of the Bath.
Pilfold however never again commanded at sea, as a ship was not provided for him and he gradually gave up ambitions of further promotion and retired to Wales and Devon with his family. There he divided his time between farming, minor shore-based naval appointments and funding the lifestyle of his nephew, the poet Percy Bysshe Shelly. He died in 1834, two years after his wife and three years after a deblitating stroke which left him "quite childish". He was buried at Plymouth, but the churchyard [2] containing his tombstone was destroyed by German bombers in the Blitz in 1941 and it is now a car park with no indication who lies buried beneath it.
[edit] Further reading
- The Trafalgar Captains, Colin White and the 1805 Club, Chatham Publishing, London, 2005, ISBN 186176247X
