Pulteney Malcolm
Sir Pulteney Malcolm | |
---|---|
Admiral | |
Battles/wars | American Revolutionary War French Revolutionary Wars War of 1812 Napoleonic Wars |
Awards | Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George |
Relations | Sir Charles Malcolm (brother) Sir James Malcolm (brother) Sir John Malcolm (brother) |
1778–1793, Midshipman to Lieutenant
He entered the navy in 1778, during the American Revolutionary War, on the books of the Sibyl, commanded by his uncle, Captain Pasley. With Pasley he afterwards served in the Jupiter, in the squadron under Commodore George Johnstone, and was present at the action in Porto Praya and at the capture of the Dutch Indiamen in Saldanha Bay. In 1782 the Jupiter carried out Admiral Pigot to the West Indies. Malcolm was thus brought under the admiral's notice, was taken by him into the flagship, and some months later, on 3 March 1783, was promoted to be lieutenant of the Jupiter.
He continued serving during the peace, and in 1793, at the beginning of the
1794–1804, Post-Captain
Early in 1794 Commodore Ford took him into his flagship the Europa, and on 3 April promoted him to the command of the Jack Tar, which he took to England. On 22 October he was posted, and a few days later appointed to the Fox frigate. In February 1795 he convoyed a fleet of merchant ships to the Mediterranean; thence he went to Quebec, and afterwards was employed for some time in the North Sea. Later on he was sent out to the East Indies, and towards the end of 1797 into the China Seas, under the command of Captain Edward Cooke, in whose company he entered Manila Bay under false colours, on 14 January 1798 in the bloodless Raid on Manila, and carried off three Spanish gunboats. After some further cruising among the islands the Fox returned to India, where, on 18 June, Malcolm was appointed by Rear-Admiral Rainier to be his flag captain in the Suffolk, and afterwards in the Victorious. He continued to serve in this capacity during the war. On her homeward passage, in 1803, the Victorious proved exceedingly leaky, and, meeting with heavy weather in the North Atlantic, was with difficulty kept afloat till she reached the Tagus, where she was run ashore and broken up. Malcolm, with the officers and crew, returned to England in two vessels which he chartered at Lisbon.
1804–1805, Battle of Trafalgar
In February 1804 Malcolm went out to the Mediterranean in the
On 17 October Donegal was sent to Gibraltar for water and a hurried refit. On 20 October Malcolm learnt that the combined fleet was coming out of Cadiz. His ship was then in the Mole, nearly dismantled; but by the greatest exertions he got her out that night, and on 22 October she sailed from Gibraltar with her foreyard towing alongside. It was blowing a gale from the westward, but she succeeded in getting through the Straits, and on the morning of 24 October re-joined the fleet, too late for the battle of Trafalgar, fought on 21 October, but in time to render most valuable assistance to the disabled ships and more disabled prizes. She captured the Rayo, which had made a sally from Cadiz on 23 October; and in the night of 24 October, when some of the prisoners on board the French ship Berwick cut the cable and let her go on shore, on which she almost immediately broke up, the Donegal's boats succeeded in saving a considerable number of her men. She afterwards took charge of the Spanish prize Bahama, and brought her to Gibraltar. Writing to Sir Thomas Pasley on 16 December Collingwood said: "Everybody was sorry Malcolm was not there [sc. at Trafalgar], because everybody knows his spirit, and his skill would have acquired him honour. He got out of the Gut when nobody else could and was of infinite service to us after the action."[2]
1806–1816, Captain to Rear-admiral
The Donegal continued off to cruise off Cadiz till the close of the year, when she sailed for the West Indies with Sir
The Donegal was paid off in 1811, and Malcolm was appointed to the
1816–1838, Commander-in-chief
In 1816–17 he was Commander-in-chief on the
In the final years of his life, he became Chairman of the Oriental Club[5] which had been founded by his brother General Sir John Malcolm.[6]
He attained the rank of
Personal life
He married, on 18 January 1809, Clementina, eldest daughter of the Hon.
Memorials
The post-war Royal Navy
There is a memorial statue, by Edward Hodges Baily, to Malcolm in the Nelson Chamber of the crypt of St Paul's Cathedral while another statue stands in Langholm.[10][11][12][13]
See also
References
- ^ JSTOR:Obituary Notice of the Late Vice-Admiral Sir Charles Malcolm, President of the Ethnological Society | Richard Cull | Journal of the Ethnological Society of London (1848–1856), Vol.3 (1854) pp 112-114 | 1854 | Royal Anthropological Society of Great Britain and Ireland [1]
- ^ Nicolas, vii. 242
- ^ Gurney, W.B. (1809). Minutes of a court-martial . . . on the trial of James Lord Gambier. Mottey, Harrison & Miller.
- ^ Marshall, John (1823). . Royal Naval Biography. Vol. 1, part 2. London: Longman and company. p. 598.
- ISBN 9780824062699. Retrieved 28 January 2009.
- ^ "A Quiet Oasis in the Centre of London". Retrieved 27 January 2009.
- ^ "Significant Scots: Sir Malcolm Pulteney". Retrieved 10 April 2009.
- ^ "History of Adelaide Through Street Names". Archived from the original on 6 May 2009. Retrieved 10 April 2009.
- ^ "Pulteney Point Lighthouse, British Columbia Canada". Lighthousefriends.com. 2012. Retrieved 22 January 2012.
- Sinclair, W.p. 455: London; Chapman & Hall, Ltd; 1909.
- ^ "War Memorials Register: Admiral Sir P Malcolm". Imperial War Museum. Retrieved 5 April 2021.
- ^ Historic Environment Scotland. "High Street, Statue of Sir Pulteney Malcolm (in Library Garden) (Category C Listed Building) (LB37124)". Retrieved 5 April 2021.
- ^ "War Memorials Register: Admiral Sir P Malcolm". Imperial War Museum. Retrieved 5 April 2021.
- Attribution
- This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: "Malcolm, Pulteney". Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co. 1885–1900.