John Edmund Commerell
Encyclopedia
Admiral of the Fleet
Sir John Edmund Commerell VC
GCB
(13 January 1829 – 21 May 1901) was an English
Royal Navy
officer who was awarded the Victoria Cross
, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British
and Commonwealth
forces. He was a Conservative
politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1885 to 1888.
Sussex. He entered the Royal Navy in 1842 and was present at all operations at the Parana
from 1845 to 1846. At Punta Obligado he helped cut the chain that defended the river. He served in Gulf of Bothnia
in 1854 (medal), at Sebastopol and in operations in Sea of Azov
, (medal with two clasps Legion of Honour, and Medjidie), twice mentioned in despatches, and received the V.C. for hazardous service in the Putrid Sea.
in the Royal Navy
during the Crimean War
when the following deed took place for which he was awarded the VC.
On 11 October 1855 in the Sea of Azov
, Crimea
, Commander Commerell of HMS Weser, with the Quartermaster (William Thomas Rickard
) and a seaman, went to destroy large quantities of forage on the shore of the Putrid Sea. 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 pursuit was so hot that the men had difficulty in escaping, but they finally reached their ship and the lookouts later reported that the fodder store had burned to the ground.
and a division of seamen in the Battle of Taku Forts (1859)
when he was strongly mentioned in despatches. He served in HMS Magicienne
during operations in China in 1860. In 1866, he commanded the frigate HMS Terrible
assisting the Great Eastern
to lay the fifth (and first successful) Atlantic cable. He was awarded the CB (military and civil)
in 1866. From 1871 to 1873, he was Commander-in-Chief, Cape of Good Hope and West Coast of Africa Station
. However in August 1873, when he was making a reconnoitre up the River Prah, he was wounded in the lung, and had to resign his command. He was a naval A.D.C. to Queen Victoria from 1872 to 1877. He was awarded K.C.B. in 1874 and was a Groom in Waiting to the Queen from 1874 to 1879. From 1879 to 1880 he was a Junior Naval Lord
. He became Commander in Chief on the North America and West Indies Station in 1882 holding the post until 1885.
for Hampshire
. In 1880
he stood unsuccessfully for parliament at Southampton
. However at the 1885 general election
he was elected Member of Parliament
for the seat, which he held until he resigned
from the House of Commons on 15 May 1888. In June 1888 he became Commander-in-Chief, Portsmouth
. He retired in 1891.
Edmund Rock and Commerell Point in British Columbia, Canada, were named in his honour. His VC is on display in the Lord Ashcroft Gallery at the Imperial War Museum
, London.
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Admiral of the Fleet
An admiral of the fleet is a military naval officer of the highest rank. In many nations the rank is reserved for wartime or ceremonial appointments...
Sir John Edmund Commerell VC
Victoria Cross
The Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....
GCB
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
(13 January 1829 – 21 May 1901) was an English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
officer who was awarded the Victoria Cross
Victoria Cross
The Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....
, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and Commonwealth
Commonwealth of Nations
The Commonwealth of Nations, normally referred to as the Commonwealth and formerly known as the British Commonwealth, is an intergovernmental organisation of fifty-four independent member states...
forces. He was a Conservative
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1885 to 1888.
Early life and career
Commerell was born in London, the son of J W Commerell of Stroud Park, HorshamHorsham
Horsham is a market town with a population of 55,657 on the upper reaches of the River Arun in the centre of the Weald, West Sussex, in the historic County of Sussex, England. The town is south south-west of London, north-west of Brighton and north-east of the county town of Chichester...
Sussex. He entered the Royal Navy in 1842 and was present at all operations at the Parana
Battle of Vuelta de Obligado
The naval Battle of Vuelta de Obligado took place on the waters of the Paraná River on November 20, 1845, between the Argentine Confederation, under the leadership of Juan Manuel de Rosas, and an Anglo-French fleet.- Background :...
from 1845 to 1846. At Punta Obligado he helped cut the chain that defended the river. He served in Gulf of Bothnia
Gulf of Bothnia
The Gulf of Bothnia is the northernmost arm of the Baltic Sea. It is situated between Finland's west coast and Sweden's east coast. In the south of the gulf lie the Åland Islands, between the Sea of Åland and the Archipelago Sea.-Name:...
in 1854 (medal), at Sebastopol and in operations in Sea of Azov
Sea of Azov
The Sea of Azov , known in Classical Antiquity as Lake Maeotis, is a sea on the south of Eastern Europe. It is linked by the narrow Strait of Kerch to the Black Sea to the south and is bounded on the north by Ukraine mainland, on the east by Russia, and on the west by the Ukraine's Crimean...
, (medal with two clasps Legion of Honour, and Medjidie), twice mentioned in despatches, and received the V.C. for hazardous service in the Putrid Sea.
Details of VC award
Commerell was 26 years old, and a CommanderCommander
Commander is a naval rank which is also sometimes used as a military title depending on the individual customs of a given military service. Commander is also used as a rank or title in some organizations outside of the armed forces, particularly in police and law enforcement.-Commander as a naval...
in the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
during the Crimean War
Crimean War
The Crimean War was a conflict fought between the Russian Empire and an alliance of the French Empire, the British Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and the Kingdom of Sardinia. The war was part of a long-running contest between the major European powers for influence over territories of the declining...
when the following deed took place for which he was awarded the VC.
On 11 October 1855 in the Sea of Azov
Sea of Azov
The Sea of Azov , known in Classical Antiquity as Lake Maeotis, is a sea on the south of Eastern Europe. It is linked by the narrow Strait of Kerch to the Black Sea to the south and is bounded on the north by Ukraine mainland, on the east by Russia, and on the west by the Ukraine's Crimean...
, Crimea
Crimea
Crimea , or the Autonomous Republic of Crimea , is a sub-national unit, an autonomous republic, of Ukraine. It is located on the northern coast of the Black Sea, occupying a peninsula of the same name...
, Commander Commerell of HMS Weser, with the Quartermaster (William Thomas Rickard
William Thomas Rickard
William Thomas Rickard VC, CGM was an English recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces....
) and a seaman, went to destroy large quantities of forage on the shore of the Putrid Sea. 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 pursuit was so hot that the men had difficulty in escaping, but they finally reached their ship and the lookouts later reported that the fodder store had burned to the ground.
Later career
In 1859, Commerell commanded HMS FuryHMS Fury
Ten ships of the Royal Navy have borne the name HMS Fury, whilst another was planned but later cancelled:*HMS Fury was a 14-gun sloop launched in 1779 and broken up in 1787.*HMS Fury was a gunboat commissioned in 1782 at Gibraltar....
and a division of seamen in the Battle of Taku Forts (1859)
Battle of Taku Forts (1859)
The Second Battle of Taku Forts, in June 1859, was an Anglo-French attack on a series of Chinese forts protecting Taku, China during the Second Opium War...
when he was strongly mentioned in despatches. He served in HMS Magicienne
HMS Magicienne
Five ships of the Royal Navy have been named HMS Magicienne. The origins of the name are from the French word for a female magician or sorceress and are used following the capture of the French frigate Magicienne in 1781....
during operations in China in 1860. In 1866, he commanded the frigate HMS Terrible
HMS Terrible (1845)
HMS Terrible was when designed the largest steam-powered wooden paddle wheel frigate built for the Royal Navy. She was designed by Oliver Lang and laid down at HMNB Devonport under the name HMS Simoom, but was renamed on 23 December 1842, and launched on 6 February 1845...
assisting the Great Eastern
Great Eastern
-Transport:, a steamship built by Isambard Kingdom Brunel in 1858, one of the largest ships in its era* Great Eastern Railway, a defunct English railway company formed in 1862** First Great Eastern, a defunct train operating company on the Great Eastern Main Line...
to lay the fifth (and first successful) Atlantic cable. He was awarded the CB (military and civil)
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
in 1866. From 1871 to 1873, he was Commander-in-Chief, Cape of Good Hope and West Coast of Africa Station
Cape of Good Hope Station
The Cape of Good Hope Station was one of the geographical divisions into which the British Royal Navy divided its worldwide responsibilities. It was formally the units and establishments responsible to the Commander-in-Chief, Cape of Good Hope....
. However in August 1873, when he was making a reconnoitre up the River Prah, he was wounded in the lung, and had to resign his command. He was a naval A.D.C. to Queen Victoria from 1872 to 1877. He was awarded K.C.B. in 1874 and was a Groom in Waiting to the Queen from 1874 to 1879. From 1879 to 1880 he was a Junior Naval Lord
Fourth Sea Lord
The Fourth Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Supplies was formerly one of the Naval Lords and members of the Board of Admiralty which controlled the Royal Navy of the United Kingdom.-History:...
. He became Commander in Chief on the North America and West Indies Station in 1882 holding the post until 1885.
Political career
Commerel was a J.P.Justice of the Peace
A justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer elected or appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice or merely deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...
for Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
. In 1880
United Kingdom general election, 1880
-Seats summary:-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987* British Electoral Facts 1832-1999, compiled and edited by Colin Rallings and Michael Thrasher *...
he stood unsuccessfully for parliament at Southampton
Southampton (UK Parliament constituency)
Southampton was a parliamentary constituency which was represented in the British House of Commons. Centred on the town of Southampton, it returned two Members of Parliament from 1295 until it was abolished for the 1950 general election....
. However at the 1885 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1885
-Seats summary:-See also:*List of MPs elected in the United Kingdom general election, 1885*Parliamentary Franchise in the United Kingdom 1885–1918*Representation of the People Act 1884*Redistribution of Seats Act 1885-References:...
he was elected Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for the seat, which he held until he resigned
Resignation from the British House of Commons
Members of Parliament sitting in the House of Commons in the United Kingdom are technically forbidden to resign. To circumvent this prohibition, a legal fiction is used...
from the House of Commons on 15 May 1888. In June 1888 he became Commander-in-Chief, Portsmouth
Commander-in-Chief, Portsmouth
The Commander-in-Chief, Portsmouth was a senior commander of the Royal Navy for hundreds of years. Portsmouth Command was a name given to the units, establishments, and staff operating under the post.-History:...
. He retired in 1891.
Personal and legacy
Commerell married Matilda M Bushby, daughter of Joseph Bushby of St. Croix, West Indies in 1853. He died at the age of 72 and was buried at Cheriton Road Cemetery, Folkestone.Edmund Rock and Commerell Point in British Columbia, Canada, were named in his honour. His VC is on display in the Lord Ashcroft Gallery at the Imperial War Museum
Imperial War Museum
Imperial War Museum is a British national museum organisation with branches at five locations in England, three of which are in London. The museum was founded during the First World War in 1917 and intended as a record of the war effort and sacrifice of Britain and her Empire...
, London.
External links
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