Francis Erskine Loch | |
|---|---|
| Born | April 1788 |
| Died | 13 February 1868 Cheltenham |
| Allegiance | United Kingdom |
| Service | Royal Navy |
| Years of service | 1799–1868 |
| Rank | Admiral |
| Commands | HMSRover HMSSparrow HMSMinstrel HMSEden HMSHastings HMSVictory Stangate Creekquarantine site |
| Battles / wars | |
AdmiralFrancis Erskine Loch (April 1788–13 February 1868) was a senior commander in theRoyal Navy during the early 19th century. He served as naval aide-de-camp toQueen Victoria.
He was born in April 1788 inDrylaw House north ofEdinburgh (now within the city boundary) the son of George Loch (1749–1788) and his wife Mary Adam, daughter ofJohn Adam of the Adam family of architects.[1]
He entered theRoyal Navy on 1 September 1799 aged eleven as acabin boy under Captain Andrew Todd onHMS Queen Charlotte in theMediterranean with the fleet ofLord Keith. On 17 March 1800 Loch narrowly escaped death when the ship was destroyed by fire and blew up killing 673 men off the Italian coast nearLeghorn. Loch was one of the few survivors. Loch served as amidshipman aboardHMS Audacious,HMS Foudroyant aadHMS Minotaur. He was present at theblockade ofGenoa in May 1800 aboardMinotaur. Still with Lord Keith's fleet, he joinedHMS Mondovi under Captain John Stewart. He was placed on the island ofRhodes overseeing the equipping ofgunboats bound forEgypt andLake Mareotis early in 1801. He took part in the landings atAboukir Bay and was among the party thatcut out a Greek vessel from under the guns of the castle overlooking the bay. He then joinedHMS Africaine and thenHMS Pearl until November 1801 before transferring back toFoudroyant. He returned home in 1802.[2]
From May 1803 to 1805 he served under his cousin, Captain Adam on the captured French frigateChiffonne in theNorth Sea and theEnglish Channel. OnChiffonne he saw major action on 10 June 1805 whenChiffonne was among the Royal Navy vessels that drove two Frenchcorvettes and 15 gun-vessels ashore atFecamp. The French warships had been escorting 14 transports. In December 1805, he transferred toHMS Resistance with CaptainCharles Adam. In January 1806 he was promoted tolieutenant onHMS Diadem under Rear AdmiralCharles Stirling. His most important action in this period was onHMS Queen Charlotte (the replacement ship to the earlier one of that name), at the blockade ofRio de la Plata. He stayed withQueen Charlotte until his promotion tocaptain.[2]
His first command was onHMS Rover in 1812. He moved toHMS Minstrel in 1815, andHMS Eden in 1821. In the latter he served in theEast Indies andPersian Gulf, acting as the senior officer for this zone. His last active service was from June to September 1839 onHMS Hastings in the Mediterranean.[3]
He was invalided out of active service in the summer of 1839. From September 1839 to September 1841 he was commander of HMSVictory, not the famous ship, but a guard-ship placed atPortsmouth. In 1847 he was made navalaide-de-camp toQueen Victoria (a prestigious but non-active role). Loch then underwent several promotions, but without command: rear admiral (1850); vice admiral (1857); admiral (1860).[3]
He retired to Edinburgh in 1860, living at 22 George Square as neighbour to ReverendPatrick Clason.[4] He died inCheltenham on 13 February 1868.[3]
Loch's had several important family connections: great grandfather-William Adam; great uncle –Robert Adam; uncle –William Adam of Blair Adam; cousin – Admiral Sir Charles Adam; nephew – CaptainGranville Gower Loch RN
In 1822 he was married to Jesse Robertson in Edinburgh.[5] Jesse was the daughter of Major Robertson, Barrack-Master-General of North Britain.[3] Their known children were:[1]
Francis' children included Major GeneralGranville George Loch (1870–1950)
His diary and sketch-books are held at the National Archive inKew.[6]