Leopold Heath
Encyclopedia
Vice Admiral
Sir Leopold George Heath KCB
(18 November 1817 – 7 May 1907) was a Royal Navy
officer who went on to be Commander-in-Chief, East Indies Station
.
in 1830 and was involved in the capture of Borneo
in 1846. He was beachmaster during the British landings at Eupatoria during the Crimean War
and then became acting Captain of HMS Sans Pareil
in the Black Sea
before taking personal charge of the Port of Balaclava
.
He later commanded HMS Seahorse, HMS Melampus, HMS Arrogant
, HMS Dauntless
and then HMS Cambridge
. He was appointed Vice-President of the Ordnance Select Committee at Woolwich
in 1863 and Commander-in-Chief, East Indies Station
in 1867 and the following year took charge of the naval aspects of the Expedition to Abyssinia
. He served on a committee for torpedo defence in 1870 and retired in 1877.
In retirement he lived at Anstie Grange in Holmwood
in Surrey
. He became a Director of the Hand in Hand Fire & Life Insurance Society
, of the Central Bank of London
and of the Eastern and South African Telegraph Company. In 1897 he published Letters from the Black Sea during the Crimean War, 1854-55.
) and a daughter.
Vice Admiral (Royal Navy)
Vice admiral is a flag officer rank of the British Royal Navy. It equates to the NATO rank code OF-8 and is immediately superior to rear admiral and is subordinate to the full admiral rank.The Royal Navy has had vice admirals since at least the 16th century...
Sir Leopold George Heath KCB
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
(18 November 1817 – 7 May 1907) was a Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
officer who went on to be Commander-in-Chief, East Indies Station
East Indies Station
The East Indies Station was a formation of the British Royal Navy from 1865 to 1941.From 1831 to 1865 the East Indies and the China Station were a single command known as the East Indies and China Station...
.
Naval career
Heath joined the Royal NavyRoyal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
in 1830 and was involved in the capture of Borneo
Borneo
Borneo is the third largest island in the world and is located north of Java Island, Indonesia, at the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia....
in 1846. He was beachmaster during the British landings at Eupatoria during the Crimean War
Crimean War
The Crimean War was a conflict fought between the Russian Empire and an alliance of the French Empire, the British Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and the Kingdom of Sardinia. The war was part of a long-running contest between the major European powers for influence over territories of the declining...
and then became acting Captain of HMS Sans Pareil
HMS Sans Pareil (1851)
HMS Sans Pareil was a 70-gun screw propelled ship of the line of the Royal Navy.-Planning and construction:Sans Pareil was initially designed as an 80-gun second rate, to the lines of the earlier HMS Sans Pareil, a French prize captured in 1794. She was ordered on 27 February 1843 and laid down on...
in the Black Sea
Black Sea
The Black Sea is bounded by Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus and is ultimately connected to the Atlantic Ocean via the Mediterranean and the Aegean seas and various straits. The Bosphorus strait connects it to the Sea of Marmara, and the strait of the Dardanelles connects that sea to the Aegean...
before taking personal charge of the Port of Balaclava
Balaklava
Balaklava is a former city on the Crimean peninsula and part of the city of Sevastopol which carries a special administrative status in Ukraine. It was a city in its own right until 1957 when it was formally incorporated into the municipal borders of Sevastopol by the Soviet government...
.
He later commanded HMS Seahorse, HMS Melampus, HMS Arrogant
HMS Arrogant (1848)
HMS Arrogant was a wood screw frigate of the Royal Navy, launched in 1848 and sold in 1867. During the period of 1848–1850 it was commanded by Robert FitzRoy. On 15 April 1854 the Arrogant was one of a number of Royal Navy ships that captured the Russian brig Patrioten. The Arrogant served...
, HMS Dauntless
HMS Dauntless (1847)
The third HMS Dauntless was a wooden-hulled steam screw frigate, launched at Portsmouth in 1847.-History:First intended as a paddle vessel, she was designed by John Fincham, and partially redesigned to take screw propulsion; in an effort to improve her initially disappointing performance she was...
and then HMS Cambridge
HMS Cambridge (1815)
HMS Cambridge was an 80-gun third rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched on 23 June 1815 at Deptford Dockyard. She was built to the lines of the Danish ship Christian VII, which had been captured in 1807 at the Second Battle of Copenhagen....
. He was appointed Vice-President of the Ordnance Select Committee at Woolwich
Woolwich
Woolwich is a district in south London, England, located in the London Borough of Greenwich. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London.Woolwich formed part of Kent until 1889 when the County of London was created...
in 1863 and Commander-in-Chief, East Indies Station
East Indies Station
The East Indies Station was a formation of the British Royal Navy from 1865 to 1941.From 1831 to 1865 the East Indies and the China Station were a single command known as the East Indies and China Station...
in 1867 and the following year took charge of the naval aspects of the Expedition to Abyssinia
1868 Expedition to Abyssinia
The British 1868 Expedition to Abyssinia was a punitive expedition carried out by armed forces of the British Empire against the Ethiopian Empire...
. He served on a committee for torpedo defence in 1870 and retired in 1877.
In retirement he lived at Anstie Grange in Holmwood
Holmwood
Holmwood is a civil parish in Surrey, England. The parish has a population of 850.Holmwood forms part of Mole Valley Borough Council's area; the main settlements are North Holmwood and South Holmwood both of which are bypassed by the A24 road. The smaller settlement of Mid Holmwood is alongside the...
in Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
. He became a Director of the Hand in Hand Fire & Life Insurance Society
Hand in Hand Fire & Life Insurance Society
The Hand in Hand Fire & Life Insurance Society was one of the oldest British insurance companies.The company was founded in 1696 at Tom's Coffee House in St. Martin's Lane in London...
, of the Central Bank of London
Midland Bank
Midland Bank Plc was one of the Big Four banking groups in the United Kingdom for most of the 20th century. It is now part of HSBC. The bank was founded as the Birmingham and Midland Bank in Union Street, Birmingham, England in August 1836...
and of the Eastern and South African Telegraph Company. In 1897 he published Letters from the Black Sea during the Crimean War, 1854-55.
Family
In 1854 he married Mary Emma Marsh; they had a son (Admiral Sir Herbert HeathHerbert Heath
Admiral Sir Herbert Leopold Heath KCB MVO was Second Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Personnel in the Royal Navy.-Military career:...
) and a daughter.