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  1. #1
    Valued member of Brit-Gen emmteeyess's Avatar
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    Default Nelson's Navy - calculating length of service

    I know my ggg.grandfather, Barney Appleby, served in Nelson's navy. He was granted a Greenwich Pension in 1814 with 18yrs service in. (actually 1 day short of 18yrs). This would make his joining date around 1796 - or slightly earlier if allowing for breaks in service between ships.

    I know he was also a prisoner of the French from 1804 to at least 1806 (I have seen muster documents to show this). He was released sometime between 1806 and 1814, but I don't know when (yet). I've booked myself a visit to TNA in November to dig a bit deeper.

    So, my question is - would his time as a PoW still count as service in the Royal Navy? He was paid Lloyd's money while in France, and mustered by the navy. Depending on how many years he was a PoW, and if they count towards his service (if at all) I may be looking for him joining the navy anytime between 1796 back to 1786, when he would have been 13yr old.

    Any ideas anyone?

    Cheers, MTS

  2. #2
    Brick wall demolition expert!
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    I can't answer your question, but you might get some answers from the National Maritime Museum at Greenwich in particular the Caird Library and Archive: https://www.rmg.co.uk/national-maritime-museum

  3. #3
    Valued member of Brit-Gen emmteeyess's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by emmteeyess View Post
    ...I know he was also a prisoner of the French from 1804 to at least 1806 (I have seen muster documents to show this). He was released sometime between 1806 and 1814, but I don't know when (yet). I've booked myself a visit to TNA in November to dig a bit deeper.

    So, my question is - would his time as a PoW still count as service in the Royal Navy?
    Just to keep any interested parties up to date - Yes, his time in a French Pow camp did count towards his period of service.
    I've managed to document his service from ship's musters and pay books at TNA. I can't post a readable image of my spreadsheet but here's a schematic of it - with months accross the top and years down the side.



    From the top -
    The pale green is service on HMS Artois from 05/05/1796
    The pink is a couple of weeks in Plymouth Hospital - discharged.
    The white is 3 months or so I can't document.
    The grey is a merchant ship Rose in June from where he volunteered onto the Orion.
    The beigey colour is 11 months or so on the Orion, including at the Battle of the Nile
    The next pink is a couple of weeks in Gibraltar Hospital.
    The pale blue is 44 months on HMS Defence. Not sure when he left that ship (the 6 months of white spaces)
    The next grey is a merchant ship the Argo from which Barney was press ganged onto the Hussar
    The dark blue is 12 months on the Hussar till it was wrecked and he was captured by the French.
    The fawn colour is his time at Givet in France - 10yrs plus 2 or 3 months. He was still paid from the Hussar's books during this time.
    The next green is on the Artois, a receiving ship at Sheerness
    After the next couple of months he is granted a pension 01/09/1814 after 17y 11m 3w 6days total service.

    I'm so pleased to have all the documented evidence I have, though still a bit disappointed that I can't quite pinpoint the dates in the 11 or so blank months between some of his ships.
    Still there's a lot of info I do have, so I can't complain.
    Just got to write it all up now for my cousins.

    Cheers, MTS

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