Brave old sea dog on whom Nelson kept a weather eye

This is the last resting place of Admiral James Walker who had an adventurous life on the high seas.

Walker was born in Scotland in 1764 and joined the Navy at the tender age of 12. He came from a naval family; his father was good friends with Admiral Lord Rodney and an uncle, General Melville, invented navy guns.

In 1780 Walker was nearly drowned off Jamaica when he was attempting to rescue prisoners from a pirate ship which was sinking. The following year he was appointed to the Princess Royal which was the flagship of Sir Peter Parker who was then the Admiral of the Fleet. Parker promoted Walker to Lieutenant. It is interesting to note that a short time after this, the Admiral was elected as a Member of Parliament for Seaford.

Walker served on a succession of ships and steadily rose through the ranks and by 1797 was commanding the ship-of-the-line, the Monmouth. The Monmouth had 64 guns and in fact had been the first ship that the infamous Captain Bligh served on. The Navy at this time had been troubled by a series of mutinies

On October 11, 1797, the British fleet engaged the Dutch off the coast of Holland in what was later known as the Battle of Camperdown. Walker rallied his crew by addressing them saying: 'My lads, you see your enemy; I shall lay you close abroad and give you an opportunity of washing the stain (of mutiny) off your characters in the blood of your foes'. The Monmouth engaged the Dutch frigate, the Monnikendem and, under Walker's command, the enemy ship was severely damaged and eventually sank. It is recorded that the Monmouth lost 'one petty officer, one seaman, two marines and a boy' during the battle.

Four years later Walker was in action again, this time as captain of the Isis during the Battle of Copenhagen on April 2, 1801. The Danes had shelled British ships and in revenge the Danish navy was attacked. It was during this battle that Lord Nelson was ordered to disengage the British fleet but famously put a telescope to his blind eye and said that he could not see the signal. The British won the day but not without heavy loss, the Isis lost 112 crew including seven men killed when a cannon burst open on the lower gun deck. The ship was so badly damaged it had to be towed back to England for repair but Nelson had noticed Walker's bravery and personally commended him.

Walker was at sea for most of his life, spending many years in the West Indies and the seas around North and South America. While in Rio de Janeiro he became friends with the Prince Regent of Portugal who conferred him with the Order of the Tower and the Sword and presented him with a diamond ring.

The Walker family lived in Sussex and his son Leven Charles Walker (who also served in the Navy) was commander in charge of the Sussex Coastguard based at Blatchington Barracks, Seaford, which was close to where the Salts Recreation Ground is now situated. Walker was appointed Rear Admiral of the Red, a post once held by Nelson, but died in Seaford in 1831. As well as his tomb in the churchyard he is also commemorated under the tower inside the church. The marble memorial was erected by his widow and lists some of his naval achievements including the names of some of the men he served under including, 'Rodney, Howe, Duncan, St Vincent and the immortal Nelson!' How unusual to see a memorial with an exclamation mark on it!

My thanks to Mr Greenwood who has been researching Walker's life in Sussex and Artware Fine Art for permission to reproduce the picture.

KEVIN GORDON