# A Naval Biographical Dictionary/Wilkinson, John James

Layout 4
​WILKINSON. (Lieutenant, 1827. f-p., 25; h-p., 13.)
John James Wilkinson was born 5 April, 1791. This officer entered the Navy, 16 Aug. 1809, as Midshipman, on board the Phaeton 38, Capt. Fleetwood Broughton Reynolds Pellew, attached to the force in the East Indies. In July, 1810, having returned with convoy to England in the Dédaigneuse 36, Capt. Wm. Wilbraham, he joined the ​Macedonian 38, Capts. Lord Wm. FitzRoy, Hon. Wm. Waldegrave, and John Surman Garden, on the Lisbon station; where he removed, in April, 1812, to the Barfleur 98, Capt. Sir Thos. Masterman Hardy, bearing the flag of Hon. Geo. Cranfield Berkeley. In Oct. 1810 he was for three weeks employed in command of the Macedonian’s launch at Alhandra and Villa Franca with a division of gunboats under the orders of Lieut, (now Capt.) Maurice Fred. Fitzhardinge Berkeley, who had been sent up the river Tagus for the purpose of co-operating with the right wing of the Army under General Hill in the retreat of Lord Wellington to the lines of Torres Vedras. He was frequently, while thus engaged, in action with the enemy’s batteries, and for his conduct was officially noticed by Lieut. Berkeley. On the return of the Barfleur to Portsmouth he joined, in Oct. 1812, the Ramillies 74, Capt. Sir T. M. Hardy, and sailed for the coast of North America; where we find him present, as Master’s Mate, at the blockade of New London, at the capture of Moose Island and Washington, in the attack upon Baltimore, and at the bombardment of Stonington. He also commanded the pinnace of the Ramillies, in company with the boats of a squadron under Capt. Nicholas Lockyer at the capture, on Lake Borgne, near New Orleans, of five American gun-boats under Commodore Jones, whose resistance was maintained with so much obstinacy that the British suffered a loss of 17 men killed and 77 wounded. Mr. Wilkinson, in his own boat, had 1 man killed and 2 wounded. In Jan. 1816, nearly five months after he had left the Ramillies, he was appointed Admiralty Midshipman (he had passed his examination 6 Sept. preceding) of the Comus 28, Capts. Thos. Tudor Tucker and Jas. John Gordon Bremer; under the latter of whom he had the misfortune to be wrecked on a reef of rocks off St. Shotts, Newfoundland, 24 Oct. in the same year. He was employed subsequently – from 25 Dec. 1816 until 4 June, 1817, in the Ister 36, Capt. Thos. Forrest, at Leith – from 5 June, 1817, until 25 Oct. 1821, as First-Mate, in the Tiger Revenue-cutter, Lieut.-Commanders Thos. Jager and Rich. Fegen, in the North Sea – from 27 Oct. 1821 until 5 Jan. 1823, as Admiralty Midshipman, in the Spencer and Bulwark 74’s, Capts. Sir Thos. Lavie and Thos. Dundas, at Plymouth – and from 2 Feb. 1823 until promoted to the rank of Lieutenant, 28 April, 1827, again as First-Mate, in the Sprightly Revenue- cruizer, in the Channel. While belonging to the latter vessel he succeeded on one occasion, with but 2 men and a boy, in capturing, at night, off the north coast of Cornwall, the crew of the Dutch smuggling lugger Bijou, of Flushing, 14 in number, 2 of whom were severely wounded in the encounter. He had charge of a station in the Coast Guard from April, 1830, until July, 1831; and has been serving since 27 Nov. 1844 as Admiralty Agent on board a contract mail steam-vessel.
Lieut. Wilkinson married in 1830, and has issue three sons