George Fowler Hastings

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

George Fowler Hastings
Companion of the Order of the Bath

CB (28 November 1814 – 21 March 1876) was an officer of the Royal Navy, who saw service during the First Opium War and the Crimean War. In a naval career spanning over 50 years Hastings saw service across the British Empire, and rose to the rank of vice-admiral. His service as commander in chief on the Pacific Station of the Royal Navy at Esquimalt on the British Columbia Coast
of what is now Canada is today commemorated in the names of several locations and geographic features.

Family and early life

Hastings was born on 28 November 1814, the second son of

third rate HMS Revenge, followed by his transfer in September 1837 to the wooden paddle sloop HMS Rhadamanthus.[1]

Cricket

Hastings played a single first-class match for Hampshire in 1843 against Nottinghamshire.[3] In the match, Hastings scored 5 runs in Hampshire's first innings before being bowled out. In Hampshire's second innings he was dismissed for a duck.[4]

Command

Admiral Hastings, centre, with officers of HMS Sparrowhawk, on the Pacific Station

Hastings was promoted to commander on 30 June 1838, and was appointed to the

Coastguard
in January 1839.
China Station in time to take part in the last actions of the First Opium War then being fought.[1][5] He remained in eastern waters after the end of the war, countering pirate operations on the coast of Sumatra. He was involved in the attack by the boats from Harlequin on the pirate enclaves of Quallah Batto and 'Murdoo', and his good service in these operations led to his promotion to captain, which came when he paid off the Harlequin on 31 January 1845.[1][5]

Hastings was appointed to his next command, the steam paddle

pence as his share from the Bom Successo, £398 18 shillings for Esperanca,[11] £91 4 shillings 5¼ pence for Sophia and £106 19 shillings 10 pence for Apollo,[12] £128 6 shillings 10 pence for Pilot, £250 11 shillings 11 pence for Ventura,[13] £85 16 shillings 10 pence for Sociedade,[14] and £333 2 shillings 10 pence for the unnamed brigantine;[15] a total of nearly £1500, worth around £170,000 today.[16]

An appointment to the steam frigate

Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB) on 2 January 1857,[18] and was also awarded the third class of the Medjidie, an award he was authorised to accept on 3 April 1858.[1][19][20]

He remained aboard Curacoa until May 1857. He briefly commanded

broadside ironclad HMS Zealous as his flagship.[1] He received another promotion on 10 September 1869 when he was raised to vice-admiral,[23] and returned to Britain in November that year.[1] His final position came with his appointment to be Commander-in-Chief, The Nore in February 1873.[1] He retained the post for the usual three years, stepping down on 14 February 1876. He died shortly afterwards, on 21 March 1876 at his home at 41 Stanhope Gardens, South Kensington, London.[1]

Family and legacy

Hastings married Mathilde Alice at the British consulate at Calais on 14 September 1864.[1][24] A second ceremony was held the following day at the bride's home town of Saint-Omer.[24] The marriage produced three sons and a daughter, with Mathilde outliving George and dying in 1916.[1]

Hastings's period as commander of the Pacific station during a period of extensive mapping and exploration around the region led to his name being commemorated, particularly in numerous geographic features.

Hastings-Sunrise.[25] The fjord Hastings Arm on the North Coast of British Columbia was named after him, as was the nearby Mount Fowler.[26]

Their daughter, Frances Alice Hastings (26 July 1870 – 3 February 1945), married Gordon George William Henry (1868–1947), on 4 November 1895.[27]

Notes

a.

Oxford Dictionary of National Biography describes him as entering the navy in September 1824, while parliamentary papers from 1863 give an entry date of 14 August 1824.[1][5] The parts of his service record preserved by The National Archives do not show a date for his entry.[2]

b. ^ The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography claims that Hastings was in command from August 1852. J. J. Colledge's Ships of the Royal Navy and Lyon and Winfield's The Sail and Steam Navy List record that Curacoa was not launched until 13 April 1854. His service record notes his appointment to the ship on 11 August 1854.[2]

Footnotes

  1. ^
    doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/12571. (Subscription or UK public library membership
    required.)
  2. ^ a b c d "RN Officer's Service Records—Image details—Hastings, George F—Admiralty: Officers' Service Records (Series III), Officers Time of Service" (fee usually required to view pdf of original documents). DocumentsOnline. The National Archives. Retrieved 27 February 2009.
    "RN Officer's Service Records—Image details—Hastings, George F—Admiralty: Officers' Service Records (Series III), Commission and Warrant Branch: Executive Officers A-L" (fee usually required to view pdf of original documents). DocumentsOnline. The National Archives. Retrieved 27 February 2009.
  3. ^ Hampshire v Nottinghamshire (1843)
  4. ^ "George Hastings". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 27 March 2022.
  5. ^ a b c d Parliament of the United Kingdom, House of Commons. Parliamentary Papers. p. 70.
  6. ^ "No. 21200". The London Gazette. 15 April 1851. p. 1023.
  7. ^ "No. 21278". The London Gazette. 2 January 1852. p. 14.
  8. ^ "No. 21300". The London Gazette. 12 March 1852. p. 786.
  9. ^ "No. 21386". The London Gazette. 30 November 1852. pp. 3493–3494.
  10. ^ "Chasing Freedom Information Sheet". Royal Naval Museum. Archived from the original on 10 December 2009. Retrieved 2 April 2007.
  11. ^ "No. 21209". The London Gazette. 13 May 1851. p. 1275.
  12. ^ "No. 21255". The London Gazette. 21 October 1851. p. 2759.
  13. ^ "No. 21285". The London Gazette. 27 January 1852. p. 233.
  14. ^ "No. 21310". The London Gazette. 16 April 1852. p. 1102.
  15. ^ "No. 21395". The London Gazette. 28 December 1852. p. 3917.
  16. ^ UK Retail Price Index inflation figures are based on data from Clark, Gregory (2017). "The Annual RPI and Average Earnings for Britain, 1209 to Present (New Series)". MeasuringWorth. Retrieved 11 June 2022.
  17. ^ "No. 21673". The London Gazette. 8 March 1855. pp. 993–998.
  18. ^ "No. 21955". The London Gazette. 2 January 1857. p. 12.
  19. ^ Bulletins and Other State Intelligence. p. 1544.
  20. ^ "No. 22122". The London Gazette. 3 April 1858. pp. 1735–1736.
  21. ^ "The Navy". Evening Standard. London. 30 November 1857. p. 3.
  22. ^ "No. 22730". The London Gazette. 28 April 1863. pp. 2246–2247.
  23. ^ "No. 23537". The London Gazette. 17 September 1869. p. 5108.
  24. ^ a b The Gentleman's Magazine. p. 515.
  25. ^ Snyders. Namely Vancouver. p. 131.
  26. ^ "BCGNIS Query Results: Hastings Arm". Archived from the original on 15 August 2007. Retrieved 26 February 2009.
  27. ^ Mosley, Charles, editor. Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knightage, 107th edition, 3 volumes. Wilmington, Delaware, U.S.A.: Burke's Peerage (Genealogical Books) Ltd, 2003.

See also

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to George Fowler Hastings.
Military offices
Preceded by Commander-in-Chief, Pacific Station
1866–1869 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Commander-in-Chief, The Nore
1873–1876 		Succeeded by
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=George_Fowler_Hastings&oldid=1218415810"