Complex sentence: The son of John Friend of Ramsgate and Mary Curling of the Isle of Thanet, Matthew Curling Friend joined the Royal Navy as a Midshipman in July 1806 and was promoted Lieutenant in February 1815.
Split into simpler sentences: The son of John Friend of Ramsgate and Mary Curling of the Isle of Thanet. He joined the Royal Navy as a Midshipman in July 1806 and was promoted to Lieutenant in February 1815.