John Allday
From Saint George Squadron
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Character Information
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Captain John Allday's background and information
Captain's Biography
John Allday was born in Falmouth, Cornwall, the son of Kenneth Allday. His father volunteered for the King's Service rising from Ordinary Seaman to Sailing Master of HMS St. Andrew, 96 guns. Kenneth Allday was killed in action in 1692 during the Battle of La Hogue while leading a boat from the St. Andrew during the raid which resulted in the burning of 12 French ships of the line while at anchor. Because of his bravery during this action which saved the life of the Captain of St. Andrew, William Pears, Captain Pears agreed to educate and sponsor young John Allday as a midshipman in the Royal Navy when John turned 12.
John's first assignment was on board the HMS Captain, a 70 gun 3rd rate commanded by Captain James Keen. Also serving as a midshipman aboard the Captain was the Valentine Keen and a lifelong friendship started.
John Allday passed his examination for Lieutenant on February 1, 1702 and was assigned to his first frigate as Third Lieutenant. While under this 3 year commission, primarily in the Mediteranean station, he rose to Second Lieutenant. When this commission ended, after 2 months leave at Falmouth, he was assigned Second Lieutenant on HMS St. Albans, a 50 gun 4th rate. Rising to the rank of First Lieutenant of the St. Albans, he distinguished himself in several actions in 1708-9 during the Wars of Spanish Succession, in particular at the capture of Minorca. He was promoted to Commander and given the command of the HMS Sparrow, a 16 gun sloop of war attached to the Mediteranean squadron and tasked with anti-piracy patrols.
In 1714, John Allday was promoted to Captain, Royal Navy and assigned command of the HMS Gibraltar, a new 20 gun 6th rate. He served the next 3 years in the Indian Ocean working to protect merchant ships sailing between England and the new colonies in India. While on India Station, Allday was promoted to Post Captain and ultimately returned to England in 1717. Suffering from fever (malaria) that he caught in India, Allday spent the next 18 months at his Falmouth home recuperating and trying to get a new ship from the Admiralty.
The Admiralty returned John Allday to the active service ranks in 1720 and assigned him to West India Station. The Keen family was instrumental in Allday's return to active duty and assignment to the West Indies as Valentine Keen was there heading up the establishment of the English Harbor Master Dockyard to support the efforts of the Royal Navy. Based on his leadership skills, Allday was tasked by the Admirality to organize, train, and form a new squadron for West Indies, The Queen's Own in late 1720. The Queen's Own fought throughout 1721 and into 1722 before Admiralty orders transferred the squadron to the Mediteranean Station in early 1722.
John Allday appealed to Admiral Keen and other senior officers at the Admiralty to remain on West Indian station along with several other Captain's of 'The Queen's Own'. In addition to the need to support fleet operations in the region, John Allday, Valentine Keen, and Kate Somervell were also working on behalf of the Admiralty to investigate and uncover possible shameful and near traitorous actions of General Sir James Somervell. Sir James was the late husband of Kate and was suspected in providing assistance to pirates that resulted in a successful raid on the Royal Navy base at St. Johns in early 1721. Because of the interest at Admiralty and by some at Parliament to determine the true facts of the actions of Sir James, the decision was made to permit Allday, Keen, and Lady Somervell to remain on station in the West Indies.
Once in receipt of the decision, John Allday, Valentine Keen, and Kate Somervell requested assignment to St. Georges Squadron and reported for duty in April, 1722.
Friends and Family
Valentine Keen, Freetrader. Close friend, associate, and shipmate. Son of Captain James Keen, who was John Allday's first commanding officer. Responsible for the English Harbor Master Dockyard, St. Johns.
Valentine Keen comes from a long history of established naval officers. Born in Chatham, he practically grew up around the Royal Dockyard on the River Medway. His grandfather fought De Ruyter during the Dutch wars, and his father rose from a fleet command to Port Admiral of Portsmouth before his present assignment in the Admiralty. The extended Keen family also includes a number of prominent merchants with extensive business in the East and West Indies in addition to several Members of Parliament. Valentine's younger brother, James, is presently working on setting up a Master Dockyard at His Majesty's Colony in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The goal of this dockyard is to support Royal Navy operations against the French fortifications being constructed at Fort Ste. Anne (now being called Louisbourg by the French) and threatening our interests on the Grand Banks.
Valentine Keen rose to the rank of Captain in the Royal Navy, with his last command being HMS Hotspur. Given his skills in organization and in trade, the Admiralty then appointed him to the Royal Dockyard at Chatham as aide de camp to the Captain of the Dockyard. He excelled in his ability to ensure the quality production of vessals for the Royal Navy and in the motivation of the dockyard workers. In 1720, based on his experience and success at Chatham, the Admiralty provided Captain Keen with the charter to build and establish the English Harbor Master Dockyard at St. Johns. Since 1720, Captain Keen has overseen the production of nearly 100 ships including First Rates, Couronne Mastercraft Galleons, and other Rates for His Majesty's Navy. At the last inventory of materials, Captain Keen is responsible for nearly 30 million doubloons of materials and ships. The role of Valentine Keen's father as an Admiral at the Admiralty, and the influence of his family, play no little role in the success of Captain Keen.
Kate Somervell, Privateer. Cousin of John Allday and widow of General Sir James Somervell who died in a Pirate attack on St. Johns in early 1721. There is some scandal being rumored regarding Sir James and his business interests in the Caribbean.
Lady Somervell is the Scotish cousin of John Allday. Born in Argyll, she is related to John Allday via John's mother - who was the sister of Kate's mother. She has one brother, James Campbell, who fled Argyll for North America after the Massacre of Glencoe, and prior to the Jacobite uprising. James, shipwrecked on Prince Edward Island in 1704, established his business there before expanding his business, working with 'The Queen's Own' squadron in the West Indies during 1721-22.
Kate married Sir James Somervell in 1718 in London (having met him in 1717) and moved to St. Johns in 1719 when Sir James was appointed General / Inspector General to the Crown for the West Indies. Sir James, not only had substantial ground military experience on the Continent during the War of Spanish Succession, but also had extensive trade contacts through his family across the Indies and Meditaranean - including running slaves to the southern North American colonies. Once established in St. Johns, Sir James expanded his operations, often in direct opposition to the national interests at Port Royal, Jamaica. Rumour has it that he expanded his slavery operations considerably.
Kate was extremely distressed by the actions of her husband. She appealed to her cousin, John Allday, to investigate on his arrival into the West Indian Station. Evidence was starting to mount of not only the slave running actions of Sir James, but of his corruption and partnerships with certain Brethern elements which not only increased his wealth, but was counter productive to Crown activities in the West Indies. Kate became more estranged from her husband as his focus drifted even further from that of National interests and more towards personal financial gain. At great risk to herself, she began to provide information on Sir James to Captain Allday.
Before a full case could be presented that would overcome the support of Sir James at Court and Parliament, a massive Brethern attack on St. Johns was successful at defeating both the sea and land defenses. Pirates overran St. Johns and during this process, Sir James disappeared. His Aide de camp, Col. Paul Smythe, declared that Sir James died during the last stand at the St. Johns' Fortress, but no body was ever found or identified.
Three months after the raid on St. Johns, Kate learned from a mysterious communique, that Sir James still lived and resided somewhere in Tortuga / Matthew Town in full partnership with the slavers / pirates who dramatically increased his personal wealth since 1719. This anonymous message also indicated that he provided the information to the Brethern that enabled their successful attack and that his orders at the end led to the collapse of resistance and the sacking of St. Johns.
Kate is concerned that her personal reputation is tied that of her Late / missing husband and is fully committed to working with John Allday and Valentine Keen to discover the truth about Sir James Somervell and restore her reputation. Making this difficult is the support that Sir James has at Court and in Parliament - as his actions also made his partners quite wealthy. Lady Somervell is not lacking enemies and only survives on her own guile, audacity, and the timely assistance of her friends / relatives.
James Campbell, Freetrader.
Kate Somervell's brother, James fled his home in Argyl and shipyard in Campbeltown, after the Massacre of Glencoe. On the way to Boston, his ship nearly foundered off the Canadian Maritimes and he landed in Prince Edward Island. He started a small shipyard there before moving to Halifax, Nova Scotia where he built a larger shipyard to support the maritime trade from Canada to Britain. In addition to shipments of materials from Canada to Europe, James developed a growing trade from Halifax, Boston, and New York to the Antilles. In order to develop new business operations, James started developing camps, quarries, plantations, and mills in the Antilles to feed raw and manufactured goods into his trade network starting in 1721.
Through his Sister, and her cousin, John Allday, James was introduced to Valentine Keen and both have been business partners since. Possessing a tenacious streak, James is one of the merchants who believes in fighting as well as promoting economic growth.
Ships Under Commission
- HMS Prince of Wales, Trinity class 2nd Rate Warship
- HMS Terrible, Wenden class 3rd Rate Warship
- HMS Illustrious, Valiant class 3rd Rate Warship
- HMS Achates "Old Katie", Macedon class 4th Rate Warship
- HMS Southampton, Capricieux Mastercraft class 5th Rate Mastercraft Frigate
In Dockyard undergoing major refit:
- HMS Victory, Invincible class 1st Rate Warship
- HMS Nassau, Reason class 4th Rate Warship
- HMS Canada, Mercy class 5th Rate Naval Frigate
Captain Keen's Ships Under Commission:
- HMHV Queen Elizabeth, Couronne class Galleon
- HMHV Queen Anne, Khan class Merchantman Flute
- HMHV Cornwall, Hercules class Heavy Frigate
- HMHV Queen Mary, San Mateo Trader class Galleon
- HMHV Firefly, Bermuda Trader's Sloop
- HMHV Unrivaled, Dauntless class Large Frigate - Undergoing major refit in dockyard
Captain Somervell's Ships Under Commission:
- HMS Osprey, Hercules class Mastercraft Frigate
- HMS Valkyrie, Hercules class Heavy Frigate
- HMS Vengeance, Vengeance class Large Frigate
- HMS Tigerhawk, Hercules class Sleek Frigate
- HMS Redhawk, Discovery class Medium Frigate
- HMS Sparrowhawk, Hermes Sleek Packet Boat - Undergoing refit in dockyard
- HMS Black Harrier, Intrepid class Large Frigate - Undergoing refit in dockyard
Captain Campbell's Ships Under Commission:
- HMHV Royal Enterprise II, Couronne Mastercraft class Mastercraft Galleon
- HMHV Royal Enterprise, Mont Blanc class Huge Merchantman
- HMHV Anemone, Khan class Merchantman Flute
- HMHV Formidable, Hercules class Heavy Frigate
- HMHV Surprise, Hercules class Sleek Frigate
- HMHV Adventurer, Trinidad class Frigate - Undergoing refit in dockyard
- HMHV Relentless, Raa class Mastercraft Frigate - Undergoing refit in dockyard
- HMHV Greyhound, Hermes class Mastercraft Packet Boat - Undergoing refit in dockyard
- HMHV Revenge, Hellbrand class Dromedary Merchantman - Undergoing refit in dockyard
Record of Achievement
- April 20, 1722 - Enlisted in the squadron
- May 17, 1722 - Promoted to Master
- July 1, 1722 - Promoted to Esquire
Port Battle Record
Records prior to July 1721 were lost as the result of enemy attack
| Port | Date | Battle type | Enemy | Result | Ship | Role |
| Bluefields | July 19th 1721 | Defense | Spain | Victory | HMS Illustrious | Captain |
| Charlestown | September 24th 1721 | Defense | Pirates | Victory | HMS Illustrious | Captain - Land Victory |
| West End | October 5th, 1721 | Defense | Pirates | Victory | HMS Achates | Captain - Land Victory |
| Irish Point | October 18th, 1721 | Attack | France | Defeat | HMS Achates | Captain |
| Roseau | October 20th, 1721 | Attack | France | Defeat | HMS Illustrious | Captain |
| Spanish Town | October 22nd, 1721 | Defense | Pirates | Victory | HMS Achates | Captain |
| Nassau | November 3rd, 1721 | Defense | France | Defeat | HMS Illustrious | Captain |
| Puerto Cabezas | November 12th, 1721 | Defense | France | Defeat | HMS Southampton | Captain |
| Nassau | November 23rd, 1721 | Defense | France | Defeat | HMS Illustrious | Captain |
| Gibara | December 31st, 1721 | Attack | Spain | Victory | HMS Illustrious | Captain |
| Spanish Town | December 31st, 1721 | Defense | Pirates | Victory | HMS Illustrious | Captain |
| Port de Paix | January 2nd, 1722 | Attack | France | Victory | HMS Illustrious | Captain |
| Cayo de Marquis | January 4th, 1722 | Attack | France | Defeat | HMS Prince of Wales | Captain |
| Cartagena | January 7th, 1722 | Attack | Spain | Victory | HMS Terrible | Captain |
| Guanica | January 7th, 1722 | Attack | Pirates | Victory | HMS Terrible | Commodore - Black Squadron |
| St. Johns | January 12th, 1722 | Defense | Pirates | Victory | HMS Illustrious | Captain |
| Nassau | January 13th, 1722 | Defense | France | Defeat | HMS Illustrious | Captain |
| Puerto Cabezas | January 14th, 1722 | Defense | France | Victory | HMS Illustrious | Captain - Senior Officer Land Defense |
| West End | February 17th, 1722 | Defense | France | Defeat | HMS Canada | Captain |
| Riding Rocks | February 21st, 1722 | Defense | France | Defeat | HMS Illustrious | Captain |
| Bridgetown | March 6th, 1722 | Defense | Spain | Victory | HMS Illustrious | Captain |
| Spanish Town | March 11th, 1722 | Defense | Spain | Defeat | HMS Illustrious | Captain |
| Nassau | March 24th, 1722 | Defense | France | Victory | HMS Illustrious | Captain - Land Victory |
| Carlos Harbor | March 25th, 1722 | Attack | Pirates | Victory | HMS Achates | Captain |
| Port of Spain | March 27th, 1722 | Attack | Spain | Victory | HMS Terrible | Captain |
| Orleans | March 28th, 1722 | Attack | France | Victory | HMS Canada | Captain |
| Maracaibo | April 5th, 1722 | Attack | Spain | Victory | HMS Illustrious | Captain |
| Cabo Raphael | April 21st, 1722 | Attack | Pirates | Victory | HMS Achates | Captain |
| Nassau | May 1st, 1722 | Defense | Spain | Defeat | HMS Achates | Captain |
| Spanish Town | May 5th, 1722 | Defense | Spain | Defeat | HMS Illustrious | Captain |
| Cayenne | May 22nd, 1722 | Defense | Spain | Defeat | HMS Achates | Commodore Heavy Squadron |
| West End | June 5th, 1722 | Defense | Pirates | Victory | HMS Achates | Captain - At the Fore of Fleet |
| Spanish Town | June 6th, 1722 | Defense | French | Defeat | HMS Achates | Captain |
| St. Johns | June 7th, 1722 | Defense | Pirates | Defeat | HMS Illustrious | Captain |
| Nassau | June 23rd, 1722 | Defense | French | Defeat | HMS Achates | Commodore, Blue Squadron |
| Spanish Town | June 26th, 1722 | Defense | French | Victory | HMS Achates | Captain |
| West End | June 26th, 1722 | Defense | Pirates | Victory | HMS Achates | Captain |
| Charlestown | June 29th, 1722 | Defense | Pirates | Defeat | HMS Achates | Captain |
| Nassau | July 19th, 1722 | Attack | French | Defeat | HMS Achates | Captain |
| Port of Spain | August 11th, 1722 | Attack | Spain | Victory | HMS Illustrious | Commodore, White Squadron |
| Caracas | August 14th, 1722 | Attack | Spain | Defeat | HMS Achates | Commodore, White Squadron |
| Spanish Town | August 15th, 1722 | Defend | Spain | Defeat | HMS Achates | Commodore, White Squadron |
| Charlestown | August 15th, 1722 | Defend | Pirates | Defeat | HMS Achates | Commodore, White Squadron |
| Maracaibo | August 19th, 1722 | Attack | Spain | Defeat | HMS Southampton | Captain |
| Riding Rocks | August 24th, 1722 | Defend | Spain | Defeat | HMS Achates | Captain |
| Turtling Bay | August 24th, 1722 | Defend | Pirates | Defeat | HMS Achates | Commodore, Red Squadron |
| Nassau | August 25th, 1722 | Attack | Spain | Victory | HMS Terrible | Captain |
| St. Johns | August 26th, 1722 | Defend | Pirates | Defeat | HMS Nassau | Captain |
