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James Clephan (1768–1851) was a lieutenant in the Royal Navy who took part in the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. He rose from the ranks to become a Captain. A flag presented to him after the battle by the crew of the ship on which he served at Trafalgar was sold at auction for £384,000 on Trafalgar Day 2009. ==Biography== Born in Scoonie in Fife in Scotland in 1768, Clephan was originally a weaver but joined the Merchant Navy when the weaving industry went into decline. He was press ganged into the Royal Navy on 23 July 1794 aged 26. Beginning as an Able Bodied 2nd Class Mate aboard HMS ''Sibyl'', he then made 2nd Class Gunner's Mate on HMS ''Doris'' and master's mate on 10 October 1796.〔(Charles Miller sale catalogue October 2009 )〕 He was promoted to Midshipman on 7 January 1801 and was promoted to lieutenant on 31 July 1801 for distinguished conduct during the successful capture of the French corvette ''Chevrette'' at Brest.〔() ''The Times 8 October 2009 pg 25〕 Despite being wounded and knocked overboard, Clephan was still the first man to reach the enemy's deck. On his promotion Admiral Sir William Cornwallis said "..you well deserve your promotion; few officers have earned it so hardly."〔 Assigned to the 90-gun HMS ''Namur'', Clephan served as her Second Lieutenant until the Peace of Amiens in April 1802. Taking the opportunity to marry during this brief interval, in March 1803 Clephan was appointed First Lieutenant of the 74-gun HMS ''Spartiate'', which had been captured from the French during the Battle of the Nile. He was on board ''Spartiate'' during the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805, after which he was presented with the ship's Union Jack as a mark of esteem from the crew. He served on board ''Spartiate'' until December 1809.〔 In 1811 he joined HMS ''Dragon'', and in April was promoted to commander and given the sloop HMS ''Charybdis'' in which he captured two American vessels, the brig ''William Rathbone'' and the privateer ''Blockade'' in 1813 during the American War of 1812. In 1814–15 he participated in the British expedition against New Orleans and, on its failure, conveyed the despatches. In August 1815, with the Peace, he was paid off at Deptford and placed on half pay.〔 In the 1830s Clephan is recorded as living at 3 Salisbury Place in Newington, Edinburgh.〔http://digital.nls.uk/directories/browse/pageturner.cfm?id=83400051&mode=transcription〕 He retired in 1840 with the rank of captain. He was one of only 16 press ganged men to attain the rank of Captain out of an estimated 300,000 men.〔 Clephan retired to Edinburgh and died there in 1851 aged 83.〔() Trafalgar union jack up for sale October 2009〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「James Clephan」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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