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Of all the historical figures featured in my Fighting Sail series, Sir Home Riggs Popham (1762-1820) is probably one of the lesser known, although I found him hard to include for a different reason.
In introducing any character there are certain parameters that should be observed; they must be recognisable without becoming clichéd, individual but not too extreme, but most of all, they have to be believable. If any break this rule or stand out as being overly surreal or avant-garde in any way, the entire story can fall apart. Those drawn from history usually comply, the vast majority being well rounded and presentable (or, if not, have been made so by the passage of time), but in the case of Home Popham I was left with a dilemma. However extreme the man's personality may have been, and only so much can be drawn from even the most detailed biography, his actions alone are enough to reveal a brilliant mind, yet one that was not without faults, together with a personality that can only be described as eccentric. I had intended to feature him more prominently but the closer I researched the more unconventional he appeared and I was forced to draw back for fear of including a character that many would consider implausible.
He was, however, real and, I believe, every bit as bizarre as his brief appearance here suggests. Even a cursory inspection reveals an attitude and temperament that would attract classification today, while his ability to make enemies verged on the pathological. And his career was every bit as singular; in the forty or so years he was active, Popham organised and led operations on both land and sea, carried out extensive scientific surveying in India and the Far East (he was responsible for discovering a passage that ultimately established modern day Penang), involved himself in commercial activities that undoubtedly included smuggling, established the Sea Fencibles and carried out delicate diplomatic roles in India, the Middle East and Russia. He also narrowly avoided bankruptcy on at least one occasion, fought a major legal action that went as far as the House of Commons and was not backward in accepting honours as well as blatant financial inducements from foreign powers. But though his failures could be truly massive, and despite the many instances of him being recalled, reprimanded or, on one occasion, removed from the Navy list, Popham continued to attract important positions and was finally made Commander-in-Chief of Jamaica before retiring due to ill health in 1817.
Today he is probably best remembered for his Telegraphic Signals or Marine Vocabulary; a remarkable work that truly reflects his intense and often obsessive nature. Though initially introduced in 1803 it was not universally adopted by the Admiralty until the end of the French Wars, when most of his opponents had either died or ceased to take an active interest, and the system continued to be of service to the Royal Navy until well into the twentieth century.
If fictional, the character of Popham would probably have been rejected on the grounds of being too radical but, though my depiction of him in Sealed Orders is not extensive, I believe it to be typical of the man. And though he might not have been the archetypal naval hero, I was particularly pleased to have included him, even in such a limited way.
The Battle of Cape Ortegal (also known as Strachan's Action) took place on the 4th of November 1805 off southern Spain and is generally regarded as the last chapter in the Trafalgar Campaign. Although evenly matched in line-of-battleships, the addition of four fifth rate frigates made the British force far superior to that commanded by Contre-Amiral Dumanoir Le Pelley. Dumanoir was a veteran of the earlier battle off Cape Trafalgar where he commanded Formidable (80) in the vanguard squadron which was cut off from most of the fighting by Nelson's masterful tactics. He escaped with the battleships that were later met off Cape Ortegal. During the action Strachan sent his frigates in to chase and partially disable the heavier French and so allow his liners to catch them; hardly a radical step in itself although the single-deckers were then allowed to remain in action and actually exchanged broadsides with the larger ships. Ultimately all four French two-deckers were captured and saw service in the British fleet with Dumanoir being held prisoner in Tiverton until his return to France in 1809. There he faced two courts of enquiry and a court martial but, after finally being acquitted of all charges, he was promoted to Vice-Amiral in 1819.
The attack on Buenos Aries was launched by Popham in very much the way I have described although in reality there was no battle squadron conveniently on hand to defend Cape Town and the recently captured station was left with limited naval protection. Though the campaign was initially successful, Buenos Aries being captured on June 27th 1806, Popham's forces were not generally welcomed by the inhabitants and it was clear from the outset their tenure would be brief. The Spanish subsequently counter-attacked and Buenos Aries was retaken less than two months later. Popham's naval squadron bombarded the recaptured city but, when news of his exploits reached England, he was recalled and censured for leaving his original post.