Stockton Herald, South Durham and Cleveland Advertiser. — 1868-05-01 (Stockton-on-Tees, Cleveland, England)

THE AVENGER OF NELSON.  Another of the veterans of Tarfalgar has been taken from us. Comm inder Jiihn Pollard, R.N., died on the 23rd ult., after a long and severe illness, at his residence in Greenwich Hospital. Our readers will like to hear something of the service of this interesting, though neglected old officer, who was born on the 27th of July, 1787, and entered the navy on the Ist of Nov. 1797, as first-class volunteer on board the Havick, 16, in which sloop, after having chased a large convoy and three armed vessels under the batteries of St. Mali, and been for some time warmly engaged with the enemy, he was wrecked on the 9th of November, 1800, in St. Aubin's Bay, Jersey. Ho next served in the Cambridge, 74; Hercules, 74; Culloden. 74 ; and Canopus, 80; and thence was transferred to the Victory, 100, bearing the flag of Lard Nelson. On the return of the fleet from its pursuit of the combined fleets to the West Indies, Mr Pollard was afforded, as signal midshipman, an opportunity of participating in the action off Cape Trafalgar. On that occasion, while standing on the poop, he was struck by a splinter on the right arm, and chanced to be the first officer who was there hit. A musket ball next passed through the shell of his spy-glass above his hand, and a second one shattered the watch in his pocket. Some time after the Victory had been in action with the French 74-gun ship Redoubtable, the officers and men around him beginning to tall fast, the attention of Mr Pollard was arrested by a number of riflemen crouching in th • tops of the Redoubtable, and directing a detructive fire on the -poop and quarter-deck of the Victory. He immediately seized a musket, and, being supplied by the signal quartermaster with ammunition left by the Marines (who from being picked off so fearfully were ordered by Nelson himself from the poop to the starboard gangway), continued firing at the men in the enemy's tops till not one was to be seen. In the act of handing the last parcel of ball cartridges the quartermasteewas killed on the spot, leaving Mr Pollard, when the action terminated, the only officer alive of those who had been originally stationed on the poop, and thus originated tho belief that it was he who gave the fatal blow to the man who shot Lard Nelson, and this fact was shortly after the action confirmed by his captaiii, Sir Thomas Hardy, who sent for him into the ward room, and in the presence of the officers congratulated him upon having avenged the death of their immortal chief. ()a leaving the Victory the following month he served successively in the Queen, 98, Dreadnough-, 9,3 and Hibernia. 110, bearing the respective flags of L xis Collingwood, Northesk, and St. Vincent, and was made lieutenant November 14th, 18,16 and c flaunted serving, with only an intermission of sixteen months, until 1814, during which time he saw much war service, and wee engag d in many cutting-out expeditions, until September of that year, whoa be had to return hinne sick, and, notwithstanding such distinguished services as we have narrated, Mr Pobard was a lowed to remain unrewarded, and shelved on half-pay till 1828. when he was. appointed for three years, still a lieutenant, to the Ordinary at Sheerness From 1836 to 1853 he served in the Coastguard, and the litter year, ao a tardy recognition of his long services both in war and peace, wao, as a lieutenant, appointed to Greenwich Hospital. It is hard to conceive how an nfficer wh stool such a murderous fire on the poop of the Victory at Trafalgar, and who, if the event had happened in these days, would have been thought worthy of the V duel& Cross, or, at least, rapid advancement until he obtained his fl ig, should have been permitted to pine away in the same rank which he held the year after the action, with the exception of the mere nominal title of "retiring commander." Our reade•s will agree wth us, that this gallant officer, now passed to his re-t, was "not ruined by promotion."—Tinies.