Hugh Popham -- "A Damned Cunning Fellow: The Eventful Life of Rear-Admiral Sir Home Popham KCB, KCH, KM, FRS 1762-1820"

Nelson made his name as a superb fleet commander, Thomas Cochrane for ship-to-ship actions and unconventional warfare, Sidney Smith for inshore operations and as grand arsonist, and now Home Riggs Popham is revealed as an expert in combined (land-sea) amphibious operations. I somehow doubt that Popham will be recognized as being at the same level as the others, but he was brilliant none-the-less.

In Flanders as a young officer serving under the Duke of York (George III’s second son), Popham used his position as transportation officer to move troops by sea, land them properly, and supply them well. HRH forced the Admiralty to promote Popham several times over the heads of more senior officers until he reached the rank of post captain -- without ever commanding a ship on his own. That surely must have been a singular accomplishment. Envy erupted among his fellow officers. Later in his career he led the combined operation to support the guerrilla campaign in Northern Spain and earned Wellington’s gratitude as such action drew French troops away from him.

In addition to his well-known Signaling Code and his involvement with the creation of the Sea Fencibles, Popham had a varied and strangely different naval career. Don’t expect to read of great fleet battles or warship-to-warship battles. There is little of that stuff in Popham’s life. His life did not revolve around Nelson, like so many others, either.

It would be impossible to even list all the unusual things that Hugh Popham relates in his book, but here are a few examples. After Commodore Popham took a combined land and naval force and successfully captured Cape Colony (Cape of Good Hope), he decided (on his own) to capture Rio de la Plate (Buenos Aires). He did so. Shortly after he sent all the booty home, the land force was overwhelmed and captured. He was court martialed for exceeding his orders and found guilty. He was only reprimanded and almost immediately given command of a small squadron. Four months later he was Flag Captain under Admiral James Gambier in his attack against the Danes at Copenhagen. The more senior captains were incensed at his promotion to Flag Captain, and sent letters of protest – they detested him... and they weren’t alone.

Early in his career he asked for a two year leave to go to India to improve his seamanship skills. He stayed there for three, trading illegally under the blind eye of certain East India Company officials. When he returned to England, he was accused of smuggling and his ship was confiscated. He talked his way back into the navy but spent many years trying to recover his property.

He was one of a group that was assigned to evaluate the "infernal" weapons of Robert Fulton. As a member of another group, he set the new department of hydrography on its path.

Popham’s shore telegraph or land semaphore (similar to an earlier French design) consisted of a tall mast with two movable arms. It was used ashore until 1847. There is a lot more information at the threadCLICK HERE.

What is further interesting is that Popham's shore system was adopted for ship use. This "sea-semaphore" was eventually mounted on a wheeled truck which could be moved to the best position to be clear of the sails. Popham suggested this "sea-semaphore" even though he had just spent 16 years developing his flag signaling system. [I don’t recall a single book, either first-hand account or fictional, that includes this particular device. Does anyone?]

Popham was extremely personable and charmed such diverse people as Czar Paul I and King Henry I of Haiti.

He had some giant personality flaws including an ego and self-promotion that rivaled P. T. Barnum. As a member of Parliament, he defended himself brilliantly… and often. While charges of embezzlement were disapproved, the taint of those charges never were forgotten by his enemies. He was in-and-out of the court system for most of his life, either being sued or suing others.

He died in September 1820 and is buried with his wife, Elizabeth, in the church of St. Michael and All Angels, Sunninghill, Berkshire, not far from his home. The author notes that a memorial there that contained symbols of his signal book, flags, and semaphore as well as words of his main achievements at Copenhagen, Buenos Aires, North Coast of Spain, and Cape of Good Hope, has been totally erased by wind and rain. How sad! Since this book was published in 1991, I looked to see if anything was on-line about a replacement memorial but could not find a thing.


Don