NAVAL ACHIEVEMENTS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 12 April 1941, Page 7

NAVAL ACHIEVEMENTS

ROBERT FAULKNOR'S GREAT FEATS. His life was very short, but he made full use of it. Born in 1763, he came of a family of naval men. As a captain in the navy he took part in the Relief of Gibraltar. In 1794 this heroic and altogether fearless seaman sailed with Sir John Jervis for the West Indies, distinguishing himself there by his brilliant conduct at the capture of Fort Martinique. He was told to assist another ship which intended battering the fort and to cover a landing party. When the other vessel missed her opportunity, this impulsive young man undertook the task himself. Running his ship close under the very wall of the fort —raked by fire by the shore guns, but indifferent to the shots, lie leaped overboard at the head of the sloop’s company., attacked like a demon let loose, drove back all opposition, and ran on to victory. He was Robert Faulknor—and it is something that when he was afterwards received by the admiral the band was instructed to play the air: See the conquering hero comes! Appointed to a finer ship, he came into contact with the French frigate Pique in January, 1795. He was then under 22. Meeting shortly after midnight, the two vessels opened a terrible fire. The Pique was magnificently handled by the French, but Faulknor manoeuvred his ship, the Blanche, with great skill. Unhappily she lost her main and mizzen masts, the Pique ran on board, and Faulknor actually had the temerity to run in front of his own guns in order to lash the enemy ship to his own. He did it' with his body exposed to continual fire—he himself being perfectly cool till a bullet found his heart and he dropped dead. So passed one of the most promising men in the navy —cool, clear, calculating Robert Faulknor.