Sir Thomas Thompson , 1st Baronet Sir Thomas Boulden Thompson , 1st Baronet GCB ( 28 February 1766 – 3 March 1828 ) was an officer of the Royal Navy . He served during the American Revolutionary , French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars , eventually rising to the rank of Vice - Admiral . He was one of Horatio Nelson ' s Band of Brothers at the Battle of the Nile in 1798 . Family and early life . Thompson was born in Barham , Kent on 28 February 1766 . His uncle , through his mother , was Commodore Edward Thompson , and it was through this relative ' s influence that Thomas joined the navy in June 1778 , when Edward was appointed to command the sloop . He served on the " Hyaena " with his uncle , spending most of the time in the waters off the British Isles , before accompanying Rodney ' s fleet to the Relief of Gibraltar in January 1780 . The " Hyaena " was later entrusted with carrying copies of Rodney ' s despatches . Thompson later moved to the West Indies , being promoted to lieutenant on 14 January 1782 . He was given command of a small schooner , with which he captured a larger French privateer . After the end of the American Revolutionary War , Thompson was moved onto his uncle ' s flagship , the 50 - gun . He served off the coast of Africa until his uncle ' s death in 1786 , after which he was given command of the sloop . He remained in command for the next twelve months , before returning to Britain where she was paid off . He was promoted to post - captain on 22 November 1790 . Command . Santa Cruz de Tenerife . He spent a number of years on land without command of a ship until the outbreak of the French Revolutionary Wars provided employment . By late 1796 he had secured command of the fourth rate . He then joined the Mediterranean Fleet under John Jervis , and was assigned to the squadron under Horatio Nelson . Thompson took part in Nelson ' s attack on Santa Cruz in July 1797 . Thompson was among those leading the landing parties , under the overall direction of Nelson and Thomas Troubridge . The initial attempts to force a landing were hampered by the wind , and when the parties made a successful landing in the evening of 22 July , they came under heavy fire from the Spanish defenders . Thompson ' s party were able to advance and spike several of the enemy ' s cannon , but the British forces had become dispersed throughout the town , and were forced to negotiate a truce to allow them to withdraw . Thompson himself was wounded in the battle . Battle of the Nile . Thompson was later given command of a squadron , and carried out cruises in the Mediterranean , intercepting French and Spanish ships . He returned to Gibraltar , but was ordered to sea again in June 1798 to reinforce Nelson ' s squadron in their hunt for the French fleet that had earlier escaped from Toulon . He was with Nelson when they located the French fleet , under the command of Vice - Admiral Brueys , moored in Aboukir Bay . In the ensuing engagement Thompson came to the assistance of , which had run aground on shoals in the entrance to the bay . Finding that there was nothing he could do , Thompson took " Leander " into the battle , despite his ship being considerably smaller than the French ships of the line . He anchored between the " Franklin " and Brueys ' flagship the " Orient " , firing on them in company with and until the " Franklin " surrendered . Thompson then took the " Leander " to assist the British attack on the French rear . Fight with the " Généreux " . After the battle Thompson was joined aboard the " Leander " by Captain Edward Berry , and sent with Nelson ' s despatches to Gibraltar . Whilst sailing there , they were spotted on 18 August by the " Généreux " , which had escaped the Battle of the Nile . The French pursued the " Leander " . Being a 60 gun ship to the " Généreux " ′ s 78 , and still having battle damage and men wounded from the Nile , Thompson attempted to escape , but was eventually forced to come to battle . The two eventually clashed in a long running engagement , which eventually resulted in " Leander " being disabled and unmanageable . After conferring with Berry , Thompson agreed to surrender . The " Généreux " had suffered 100 killed and 188 wounded , to the " Leander " ′ s 35 killed and 57 wounded . Arriving on board the French ship , Berry and Thompson were almost immediately stripped of their possessions . The French went on to plunder their prize , even going so far as to steal the surgeon ' s equipment as he tried to attend to the wounded . When Thompson protested , and reminded the French captain of how French prisoners were treated under Nelson , he received the reply ' I am sorry for it ; but the fact is , that the French are expert at plunder . ' Thompson was later repatriated and brought to court - martial aboard at Sheerness . He was honourably acquitted for the loss of his ship , the court deciding that his gallant and almost unprecedented defence of the Leander , against so superior a force as that of le Généreux , was deserving of every praise his country and the assembled court could give ; and that his conduct , with that of the officers and men under his command , reflected not only the highest honour on himself and them , but on their country at large . Berry was also commended , and whilst being rowed back to shore after his acquittal , Thompson was given three cheers by the crews of the ships moored at Sheerness . He was subsequently knighted and awarded a pension of £200 per annum . Copenhagen . Thompson was appointed to command in spring 1799 , joining the fleet under Lord Bridport , off Brest . He then went to the Mediterranean , sailing with the flying squadron . He was involved in the capture of three frigates and two brig s . He returned to England in autumn , and participated in the blockade of Brest , until being assigned to Sir Hyde Parker ' s Baltic expedition in early 1801 . He was present at the Battle of Copenhagen , but ran aground on shoals whilst trying to enter the bay . He continued to fire on the enemy ' s shore batteries , but being a stationary target was heavily damaged , having 11 killed and 63 wounded . Thompson was amongst the wounded , losing a leg . He shared in the thanks of Parliament after the battle and had his pension increased to £500 . He was then appointed to command the yacht . Later life . Thompson was appointed Comptroller of the Navy in November 1806 , an office he held until November 1816 . He was created a baronet on 11 December 1806 . On relinquishing the post of Comptroller he became Treasurer of the Royal Hospital at Greenwich , succeeding the late Sir John Colpoys , and also became Director of the Chest . He became Member of Parliament for Rochester in 1807 , relinquishing the position in June 1818 . He became a Rear - Admiral on 25 October 1809 and a Vice - Admiral on 4 June 1814 . He was appointed a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath in the reorganisation of that order on 2 January 1815 , and a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath on 14 September 1822 , and was formally invested on 21 April 1823 . On his death three years later he was buried at the Greenwich Hospital , where his tomb monument is still visible . Family and personal life . Thomas married Anne Raikes on 25 February 1799 . They had a total of five children , three boys and two girls . The two girls were named Anne and Mary . Their first son , Thomas Boulden , died young . Their second , Thomas Raikes - Trigge inherited the baronetcy . He followed his father and had a career in the navy . Their third son , Thomas John , died in 1807 . Sir Thomas died at the family seat of Hartsbourne , Manor - Place , Hertfordshire on 3 March 1828 .