John Commerell

{{Short description|Royal Navy Admiral of the Fleet (1829–1901)}} {{Use British English|date=May 2015}} {{Use dmy dates|date=May 2026}} {{Infobox military person | honorific_prefix = Admiral of the Fleet | name = Sir John Commerell | honorific_suffix = {{post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100%|VC|GCB}} | image = John Edmund Commerell.jpg | image_size = | alt = | caption = Sir John Commerell | nickname = | birth_date = {{birth date|1829|01|13|df=yes}} | birth_place = Grosvenor Square, London | death_date = {{death date and age|1901|05|21|1829|01|13|df=yes}} | death_place = Rutland Gate, London | burial_place = Cheriton Road Cemetery, Folkestone | allegiance = United Kingdom | branch = Royal Navy | service_years = 1842–1899 | rank = Admiral of the Fleet | unit = | commands = Portsmouth Command North America and West Indies Station Cape of Good Hope Station {{HMS|Monarch|1868|6}} {{HMS|Terrible|1845|6}} {{HMS|Scorpion|1863|6}} {{HMS|Magicienne|1849|6}} {{HMS|Fury|1845|6}} {{HMS|Snake|1838|6}} {{HMS|Weser||6}} | battles = First Opium War Uruguayan Civil War Crimean War Second Opium War Third Anglo-Ashanti War | awards = Victoria Cross Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath Order of the Red Eagle (Prussia) Knight of the Legion of Honour (France) Order of the Medjidie, First Class (Ottoman Empire) | relations = | other_work = Member of Parliament }} Admiral of the Fleet '''Sir John Edmund Commerell''', {{postnominals|country=GBR|size=100%|sep=,|VC|GCB}} (13 January 1829 – 21 May 1901) was a Royal Navy officer. As a junior officer, he was present at the Battle of Vuelta de Obligado in November 1845 during the Uruguayan Civil War. He also took part in operations in Sea of Azov during the Crimean War and went ashore with the quartermaster and a seaman, to destroy large quantities of enemy forage on the shore. After a difficult and dangerous journey they reached their objective – a magazine of corn – and managed to ignite the stacks, but the guards were alerted and immediately opened fire and gave chase. The men had difficulty in escaping, but they finally reached their ship and the lookouts later reported that the forage store had burned to the ground. He and his colleague, Quartermaster William Thomas Rickard, were awarded the Victoria Cross, the highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.

Commerell went on to be Commander-in-Chief, Cape of Good Hope Station, Commander-in-Chief, North America and West Indies Station and then Commander-in-Chief, Portsmouth. He was also a Conservative politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1885 to 1888.

==Early career== [[File:BombardementOfSebastopolHMSRodney.jpg|thumb|left|The bombardment of Sevastopol at which Commerell was present: he was awarded the Victoria Cross for his bravery during the Crimean War]] Born the son of John Williams Commerell and Sophia Commerell (née Bosanquet), Commerell was educated at Clifton College and joined the Royal Navy in March 1842.<ref name=odnb>{{cite ODNB|url=http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/32520?docPos=1|title=John Edmund Commerell|year=2004 |doi=10.1093/ref:odnb/32520 |access-date=29 December 2014}}</ref> He was appointed to the third-rate HMS ''Cornwallis'' and saw action in China in August 1842 during the First Opium War.<ref name=heath53>Heathcote, p. 53</ref> He then transferred to the paddle frigate HMS ''Firebrand'' on the South America Station and was present at the Battle of Vuelta de Obligado in November 1845 during the Uruguayan Civil War.<ref name=heath53/> At Punta Obligado he helped cut the chain that defended the Paraná River.<ref name=heath53/> He transferred to the sloop HMS ''Comus'' at Woolwich in May 1848 and, having been promoted to lieutenant on 13 December 1848, transferred to the paddle frigate HMS ''Dragon'' in the Mediterranean Fleet in April 1849 and to the screw frigate HMS ''Dauntless'' at Devonport in August 1850.<ref name=heath53/>

Commerell joined the frigate HMS ''Vulture'' in February 1854 and saw action in the Baltic Sea during the Crimean War.<ref name=heath53/> He became commanding officer of the gun vessel HMS ''Weser'' in February 1855; however the ship caught fire near Constantinople and was beached before being towed off and joining the bombardment of Sevastopol in June 1855.<ref name=heath53/> He then took part in operations in Sea of Azov and, having been promoted to commander on 29 September 1855, went ashore with the quartermaster and a seaman, to destroy large quantities of enemy forage on the shore. After a difficult and dangerous journey they reached their objective – a magazine of corn – and managed to ignite the stacks, but the guards were alerted and immediately opened fire and gave chase. The men had difficulty in escaping, but they finally reached their ship and the lookouts later reported that the forage store had burned to the ground. He and his colleague, Quartermaster William Thomas Rickard, were awarded the Victoria Cross.<ref name=heath53/> His citation reads: {{blockquote|Date of act of Bravery, 11 October 1855 "When commanding the 'Weser,' in the Sea of Azoff, crossed the Isthmus of Arabat, and destroyed large quantities of forage on the Crimean shore of the Sivash."<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=21971|page=651|date=24 February 1857}}</ref>}}

Commerell became commanding officer of the steam vessel HMS ''Snake'' in the Mediterranean Fleet in February 1856 and, having been awarded French Legion of Honour, 5th class on 2 August 1856<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=21909|page=2699|date=4 August 1856}}</ref> and the Turkish Order of the Medjidie, fifth class on 3 April 1858,<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=22122|page=1736|date=3 April 1858}}</ref> he became commanding officer of the paddle sloop HMS ''Fury'' on the East Indies and China Station in October 1858.<ref name=heath54>Heathcote, p. 54</ref> He was second-in-command of a naval brigade which landed in China, but then had to retreat to their boats after facing firm resistance, at Battle of Taku Forts in June 1859 during the Second Opium War.<ref name=heath54/>

Promoted to captain on 18 July 1859, Commerell went on to be commanding officer of the paddle frigate HMS ''Magicienne'' on the East Indies and China Station in September 1859 and commanding officer of the turret ship HMS ''Scorpion'' at Portsmouth in May 1865.<ref name=heath54/> After that he became commanding officer of the frigate HMS ''Terrible'' in May 1866 and assisted the SS ''Great Eastern'' to lay the fifth (and first successful) Atlantic cable.<ref name=heath54/> He was appointed a Companion of the Order of the Bath (civil division) on 2 November 1866<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=23179|page=5770|date=2 November 1866}}</ref> and became commanding officer of the turret ship HMS ''Monarch'' in the Channel Squadron in May 1869.<ref name=heath54/> He was also appointed a Companion of the Order of the Bath (military division) on 2 June 1869.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=23503|page=3180|date=2 June 1869}}</ref>

==Senior command== [[File:John Edmund Commerell Vanity Fair 3 August 1889.jpg|thumb|Admiral Sir John Commerell as depicted in ''Vanity Fair'' in 1889.]] [[File:HMS Northampton (1876).jpg|thumb|left|The armoured cruiser HMS ''Northampton'', Commerell's flagship as Commander in Chief, North America and West Indies Station]] Promoted to commodore, second class in February 1871, Commerell became Commander-in-Chief Cape of Good Hope and West Coast of Africa Station, with his broad pennant in the corvette HMS ''Rattlesnake''.<ref name=heath54/> However, in August 1873, when he was undertaking a reconnaissance up the Pra River at the start of the Third Anglo-Ashanti War, he was wounded in the lung, and had to resign his command.<ref name=heath54/> Advanced to Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath on 31 March 1874,<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=24082|page=1921|date=31 March 1874}}</ref> he was appointed a Groom in Waiting to the Queen on 26 May 1874.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=24098|page=2779|date=26 May 1874}}</ref>

Promoted to rear admiral on 12 November 1876,<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=24384|page=6098|date=17 November 1876}}</ref> Commerell became second-in-command of the Mediterranean Fleet, with his flag in the armoured frigate HMS ''Agincourt'', in July 1877.<ref name=heath54/> This was a time of great tension in the region with the Russo-Turkish War at its peak.<ref name=heath54/> He then became Junior Naval Lord in the Second Disraeli ministry in December 1879 where he sat until the Government fell in May 1880.<ref name=heath54/> In the 1880 general election he stood unsuccessfully for parliament at Southampton.<ref name="craig1832-1885">Craig (1977), p. 280</ref>

Promoted to vice admiral on 19 January 1881,<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=24927|page=340|date=25 January 1881}}</ref> Commerell became Commander in Chief, North America and West Indies Station, with his flag in the armoured cruiser HMS ''Northampton'', in November 1882.<ref name=heath54/> At the 1885 general election he was elected Member of Parliament for the Southampton seat,<ref name="craig1885-1918">Craig (1974), p. 189</ref> which he held until he resigned from the House of Commons on 15 May 1888.<ref name="hoc-resignations">{{cite web|url=http://www.parliament.uk/documents/commons/lib/research/briefings/snpc-04731.pdf |title=Appointments to the Chiltern Hundreds and Manor of Northstead Stewardships since 1850 |author=Department of Information Services |publisher=House of Commons Library |date=9 June 2009 |access-date=29 December 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110206041753/http://www.parliament.uk/documents/commons/lib/research/briefings/snpc-04731.pdf |archive-date= 6 February 2011 }}</ref> As a member of parliament he lobbied hard for the Naval Defence Bill.<ref name=odnb/>

Promoted to full admiral on 12 April 1886,<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=25578|page=1839|date=16 April 1886}}</ref> Commerell was advanced to Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath on 21 June 1887<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=25712|page=3362|date=21 June 1887}}</ref> and became Commander-in-Chief, Portsmouth in June 1888.<ref name=heath54/> He was appointed a Groom in Waiting to the Queen again on 31 December 1891.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=26239|page=3|date=1 January 1892}}</ref>

Commerell was promoted to admiral of the fleet on 14 February 1892,<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=26262|page=1108|date=26 February 1892}}</ref> advanced to the Turkish Order of the Medjidie, first class on 5 March 1894<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=26492|page=1369|date=6 March 1894}}</ref> and retired in January 1899.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=27043|page=298|date=17 January 1899}}</ref> On 4 February 1901 he was made a Grand Cross of the Prussian Order of the Red Eagle.<ref>{{citation|title=Königlich Preussische Ordensliste (supp.)|volume=1|chapter-url=https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015025921423&view=1up&seq=5&skin=2021|page=[https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015025921423&view=1up&seq=615&skin=2021 7]|language=German|location=Berlin|publisher=Gedruckt in der Reichsdruckerei|year=1895|chapter=Rother Adler-orden|via=hathitrust.org}}</ref> He died at his home at Rutland Gate in London on 21 May 1901 and was buried at Cheriton Road Cemetery, Folkestone.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.memorialsinportsmouth.co.uk/vc/commerell.htm |title=The Victoria Cross Awarded to Men of Portsmouth - John Edmund Commerell VC|publisher= Memorials & Monuments in Portsmouth|access-date=28 June 2019}}</ref> Edmund Rock and Commerell Point in British Columbia, Canada, were named in his honour.<ref>{{BCGNIS|28092|Edmund Rock}}</ref><ref>{{BCGNIS|29502|Commerell Point}}</ref> His Victoria Cross is on display in the Lord Ashcroft Gallery at the Imperial War Museum, London.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.victoriacross.org.uk/ccroynav.htm|title=Location of Victoria Crosses|publisher=National Museum of the Royal Navy|access-date=29 December 2014}}</ref>

==Family== In 1853 Commerell married Matilda Bushby; they had three daughters.<ref name=heath53/> His brother, William, was a first-class cricketer.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Players/36/36591/First-Class_Matches.html |title=First-Class Matches played by William Commerell |publisher=CricketArchive |access-date=2019-08-22 |url-access=subscription}}</ref>

==References== {{reflist|30em}}

==Sources== *{{cite book|last=Heathcote|first=Tony|title=The British Admirals of the Fleet 1734 – 1995|publisher=Pen & Sword Ltd |year=2002 |isbn=0-85052-835-6}} *{{cite book|last=Craig|first=F. W. S.|author-link= F. W. S. Craig|title=British parliamentary election results 1832–1885|orig-year=1977|edition= 2nd|year=1989|publisher= Parliamentary Research Services|location=Chichester|isbn= 0-900178-26-4}} *{{cite book|last=Craig|first=F. W. S.|title=British parliamentary election results 1885–1918|orig-year=1974|edition= 2nd|year=1989|publisher= Parliamentary Research Services|location=Chichester|isbn= 0-900178-27-2}}

==External links== {{Commons category|John Edmund Commerell}} *{{Hansard-contribs | sir-john-commerell | Sir John Commerell }} *{{DP-xlink|http://dreadnoughtproject.org/tfs/index.php/John_Edmund_Commerell}} *[http://www.pdavis.nl/ShowBiog.php?id=1119 William Loney] Career History

{{s-start}} {{s-par|uk}} {{succession box | title = Member of Parliament for Southampton | with = Alfred Giles | years = 1885–1888 | before = Henry Lee and Alfred Giles | after = Alfred Giles and Francis Henry Evans }} {{s-mil}} {{s-bef | before=Sir William Dowell}} {{s-ttl | title=Commander-in-Chief, Cape of Good Hope Station | years=1871–1873}} {{s-aft | after=Sir William Hewett}} |- {{s-bef|before=Lord Gillford }} {{s-ttl|title=Junior Naval Lord |years=1879–1880}} {{s-aft|after=Sir Anthony Hoskins}} |- {{succession box|title=Commander-in-Chief, North America and West Indies Station|before=Sir Leopold McClintock|after=The Earl of Clanwilliam|years=1882–1885}} |- {{succession box | title=Commander-in-Chief, Portsmouth | years=1888–1891 | before=Sir George Willes | after=The Earl of Clanwilliam}} {{s-end}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Commerell, John Edmund}} Category:1829 births Category:1901 deaths Category:Military personnel from the City of Westminster Category:British military personnel of the Third Anglo-Ashanti War Category:Knights of the Legion of Honour Category:Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies Category:Crimean War recipients of the Victoria Cross Category:Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath Category:Lords of the Admiralty Category:People from Mayfair Category:Recipients of the Order of the Medjidie, 1st class Category:Royal Navy admirals of the fleet Category:Royal Navy personnel of the Crimean War Category:Royal Navy personnel of the Second Opium War Category:Royal Navy recipients of the Victoria Cross Category:UK MPs 1885–1886 Category:UK MPs 1886–1892