| Administrative History | Augustus Peter Arkwright went to school at Seaforth near Liverpool between 1829 and 1832. He then attended Portsmouth Naval College in 1833 at the age of 12 years old. He left there in June 1835 and joined HMS Barham at the age of 14. Upto July 1850, Augustus served on the HMS Barham, HMS Curacoa, HMS Stag, HMS Pantaloon, and the HMS Caledonia.
He wrote to his parents in Derbyshire from many ports including: Barcelona; Valencia; Malta; and Marseilles in the Mediterranean, Barbados and Jamaica in the West Indies, Rio de Janeiro in South America, Sierna Leone and Bathurst in The Gambia. In 1842 he was part of the British fleet pursuing slave ships off the west coast of Africa. Arkwright on his vessel 'The Prompt' did succeed in capturing a slave ship and received a commendation from the Admiralty for his 'zeal and courage'. |