John Wilson (Royal Navy officer)
Royal Navy admiral (1834-1885)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Rear-Admiral John Crawford Wilson (1834 – 4 July 1885) was a Royal Navy officer who was appointed Commodore in command of the Australia Station.
John Wilson | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1834 |
| Died | 4 July 1885 (aged 50–51) |
| Allegiance |  United Kingdom |
Branch |  Royal Navy |
Rank | Rear-Admiral |
| Commands | HMS Narcissus HMS Impregnable HMS Thunderer HMS Wolverine Australia Station (1878–1882) |
| Spouses | Mary Gore Georgina Emma Blackett
(m. 1871) |
Early life
Wilson was born in 1834 to James Wilson, Chief Justice of Mauritius, and Margaret Crawford. He was the 10th of 12 children.[1]
Naval career
Wilson was appointed a lieutenant in the Royal Navy in 1855. Promoted to captain in 1865, he was given command of HMS Narcissus, HMS Impregnable, HMS Thunderer and HMS Wolverine. He was appointed Commodore in command of the Australia Station in 1878.[2][3][4]
In 1879, in response to the murders of island traders, Wilson led a punitive expedition on HMS Wolverine against natives in the New Hebrides and Solomon Islands.[5][6][7] Wilson also personally led a raid on Brooker Island which had been the site of a number of instances of cannibalism.[8]
He was promoted to the rank of rear admiral in 1881 at the conclusion of his term in Australia.[9]
Family
Wilson's first marriage was to Mary Gore. He married again in 1871, this time to Georgina Emma Blackett. They had two children, Julia (b. 1872) and Alexander (b. 1876).[1]