AdmiralSir George PocockorPococke,KB(6 March 1706 – 3 April 1792) was aBritishofficer of theRoyal Navy.
Sir George Pocock | |
|---|---|
 Vice-Admiral George Pocock, byThomas Hudson | |
| Born | 6 March 1706 |
| Died | 3 April 1792(aged 86) Curzon Street,Mayfair |
| Allegiance |  Kingdom of Great Britain |
| Service |  Royal Navy |
| Years of service | 1718–1766 |
| Rank | Admiral |
| Commands | HMSCumberland East Indies Station |
| Battles / wars | |
| Awards | Knight of the Bath |
Family
editPocock was born inThames DittoninSurrey,the son ofThomas Pocock,a chaplain in the Royal Navy. His great grandfather was Rev. Dr. Laurence Pocock, Rector ofBrightwaltoninBerkshire,[1]and his ancestors had long been resident at adjoiningChieveleyin the same county.
Early career
editGeorge Pocock entered the navy in 1718, serving aboardHMSSuperbunder the patronage of his maternal uncle, CaptainStreynsham Master(1682–1724).[2]He became lieutenant in April 1725 and commander in 1733. In 1738 he was promoted topost-captainand granted command of the 20-gunHMSAldborough.[3]After serving in the West Indies he was sent to join theCommander-in-Chief, East Indies,Rear-AdmiralCharles Watson,in 1754 as captain of the 58-gunHMSCumberland.[2]Watson's squadron co-operated withClivein the conquest ofBengal.In 1755 Pocock became rear-admiral, and was promoted to vice-admiral in 1756.[4]
Command of British naval forces in Indian waters
editOn the death of Watson in 1757 Pocock took the command of the naval forces in theEast Indies.[2]In 1758 he was joined byCommodoreCharles Steevens(d. 1761), but the reinforcement only raised the squadron to seven small line-of-battle ships. War being now in progress between France and England the French sent a naval force from their islands in theIndian Oceaninto theBay of Bengalto the assistance ofPondicherry.To intercept the arrival of these reinforcements for the enemy now became the object of Pocock. The French force was indeed of less intrinsic strength than his own.Comte D'Achéwho commanded it had to make up his line by including several Indiamen which were only armed merchant ships. Yet the number of the French was superior and Pocock was required by the practice of his time to fight by the old official fighting instructions. He had to bring his ships into action in a line with the enemy, and to preserve his formation while the engagement lasted.[4]
All Pocock's encounters with D'Aché were indecisive. The firstbattle,on 29 April 1758, failed to prevent the Frenchmen from reachingPondicherry.[2]After a second and more severeengagementon 3 August, the French admiral returned toMauritius,and when the monsoon set in Pocock went round toBombay.He was back early in spring, relieving theSiege of Madras,but the French admiral did not return to the Bay of Bengal until September. Again Pocock was unable to prevent his opponent from reaching Pondicherry, and a well-contestedbattlebetween them on 10 September 1759 proved again indecisive. The French government was nearly bankrupt, and D'Aché could get no stores for his squadron. He was compelled to return to the islands, and the British were left in possession of theCoromandelandMalabar Coasts.Pocock went home in 1760, and in 1761 was made aKnight of the Bathand admiral.[2][4]
Later career
editIn 1762 he was appointed to the command of the naval forces in thecombined expedition which took Havana.The siege, which began on 7 June and lasted until 13 August, was rendered deadly by the climate. The final victory was largely attributable to the vigorous and intelligent aid which Pocock gave to the troops. His share in the prize money was no less than £122,697. On his return to England Pocock is said to have been disappointed because another officer,Sir Charles Saunders,was chosen in preference to himself as a member of theAdmiralty Board,and to have resigned in consequence. It is certain that he resigned his commission in 1766.[4]His memorial inWestminster Abbey,a statue of Britannia holding a thunderbolt, is byJohn Baconand was erected in 1796.[5]
In 1763 Pocock married Sophia Dent (1733–1767), the widow of his friendCommodore Digby Dent,daughter of George Francis Drake of Madras and step-daughter ofGeorge Morton Pittwho had inherited Pitt's house at Twickenham now known asOrleans House.Their sonGeorge(1765-1840) who married Charlotte Mary, daughter ofEdward Long (historian),was created a baronet and their daughter Sophia (died 1811) marriedJohn 4th Earl Powlett.[6]
References
edit- ^Bernard Burke (1865).Genealogical and Heraldic Dictionary of the Peerage and Baronetage of the British Empire.Harrison. p. 886.
- ^abcdePocock, 2004
- ^Winfield, Rif (2007).British Warships of the Age of Sail 1714–1792: Design, Construction, Careers and Fates.Seaforth. p. 249.ISBN978-1-84415-700-6.
- ^abcdChisholm 1911.
- ^"Sir George Pocock".Westminster Abbey.Retrieved9 August2022.
- ^Tom Pocock, 'Pocock, Sir George (1706–1792)’,Oxford Dictionary of National Biography,Oxford University Press, 2004
Sources
edit
- This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain:Chisholm, Hugh,ed. (1911). "Pocock, Sir George".Encyclopædia Britannica.Vol. 21 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 873.
- Laughton, John Knox (1896)..InLee, Sidney(ed.).Dictionary of National Biography.Vol. 46. London: Smith, Elder & Co.
- Pocock, Tom. "Pocock, Sir George (1706–1792)".Oxford Dictionary of National Biography(online ed.). Oxford University Press.doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/22421.(Subscription orUK public library membershiprequired.)
