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the peace of Amiens; regulations for officers
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Redfish



Joined: 03 Dec 2007
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Location: Arnhem

Post Posted: Mon Mar 24, 2008 7:14 pm    Post subject: the peace of Amiens; regulations for officers Reply with quote

I have some questions about regulations during peace-time:

If a Captain on half pay would go abroad during the peace, would he have been obliged to report it to, or ask permission from, the Admiralty?

Would a Captain, who had fallen ill and resign his command during peacetime be obliged to report fit for duty during peacetime if he had recovered? Or could he wait until he learned it was war again?

Would a Captain who is reported ill be obliged to report to, or ask permission from, the Admiralty during peacetime for going abroad to visit a relative if he had not yet fully recoverd but was well enough to visit his cousin?

What would be the punishment/consequences for disobeying these rules?
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PMarione
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Joined: 26 Mar 2007
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Post Posted: Mon Mar 24, 2008 9:46 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

To my knowledge officers on half-pay had to let the Admiralty know of their whereabouts specially if going abroad.
They were normally not allowed to serve in foreign navies although many made a career in the Russian, Turkish, Egyptian and the various South-American navies.

When in commission, the only excuse accepted was ill-health. That's the reason why you may think that the officers' body had very poor health.

Contrary to seamen there seems never have been any shortage of officers. While on half-pay an officer had to show himself a lot to fetch a commission. Any bit of patronage had to be put at work to try to get one. Any Admiralty official, flag officer or captain was continually pestered by people trying to get a commission for a relative (see any letter collection, memoirs or biography).

Here is a famous caricature by George Cruikshank of the infamous waiting room at the Admiralty where officers and young gentlemen had to spend days and days to get an interview.



The writing on the wall reads:
In sore affliction, tried by God's command
Of patience, Job, the great example stands
But in these days, a trial more severe
Had been Job's lot, if God had sent him here.

So the Admiralty had not to find an officer, just the reverse.

Admiralty of the period was not good at paperwork. For example ADM11_51 at TNA is the register where was kept the date of death of the officers (important knowledge to stop the half-pay). It makes amusing reading: there is a column named authority for the source of the death report and often you find "the Times", "the Portsmouth Telegraph" or simply newspapers. So the Admiralty was aware of an officer's death by the obituaries in the papers!

In Cochrane times as CinC in Peru, Brazil and Greece, officers serving with him had their names stuck off the Navy List (ie dismissed the service) for serving in foreign navies.
Another story was if they served in an enemy's navy in time of war. No problem there: the yardarm if they were taken. I know no example in the RN but one in the French Navy.
I am no specialist of the American war so I don't know what happened to officers serving the rebel's navy when taken.

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Redfish



Joined: 03 Dec 2007
Posts: 59
Location: Arnhem

Post Posted: Tue Mar 25, 2008 6:09 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

PMarione wrote:
"So the Admiralty had not to find an officer, just the reverse."

So if a Captain fell ill and was obliged to resign his command and return home at the beginning of the Peace of Amiens, he would have a hell of a job trying to be commissioned again after the resumption of the war?

Would it have been extra difficult fur such a Captain to be commissioned again if he did not try to be commissioned again as soon as he reported his full recovery during the Peace, but actually asked the Admiralties permission to go abroad to visit relatives instead?
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PMarione
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Post Posted: Tue Mar 25, 2008 6:35 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

To your 1st question:
Certainly so. In time of peace when ships in commission fell to maybe 10% of the war number. Naturally the Lords of the Admiralty were no fools and they tried to select the best officers. So it depended of the "value" and services of the officer (and of his connexions). Flag officers also had their say in the captains they wanted to serve under them.

I am not sure that I understand your 2nd question.
At the resumption of the war, Napoleon had the good idea to jail all the Englishmen found in France. So most probably your captain would have found himself in Verdun as a "detenu" for the rest of the war if he was unlucky and still in France after the war started again.

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Redfish



Joined: 03 Dec 2007
Posts: 59
Location: Arnhem

Post Posted: Tue Mar 25, 2008 6:57 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

No indeed this was not the case. The English Captain went to visit a Dutch cousin and uncle (his mother was Dutch and married an Englishman) during the summer of the Peace and safely returned in the Autumn of 1802.
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PMarione
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Post Posted: Tue Mar 25, 2008 9:14 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Very difficult to answer.
Depended of his connexions and relations in the Service and the strength of his desire to be employed.
I don't think that coming back after an illness or after a trip on the Continent would have done a difference.
But who knows?

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