John Edmund Commerell
Royal Navy admiral of the fleet
Died when: 72 years 128 days (868 months)Star Sign: Capricorn
Admiral of the Fleet Sir John Edmund Commerell, VC, GCB (13 January 1829 – 21 May 1901) was a Royal Navy officer.As a junior officer, he was present at the Battle of Vuelta de Obligado in November 1845 during the Uruguayan Civil War.
He also took part in operations in Sea of Azov during the Crimean War and went ashore with the quartermaster and a seaman, to destroy large quantities of enemy forage on the shore.
After a difficult and dangerous journey they reached their objective – a magazine of corn – and managed to ignite the stacks, but the guards were alerted and immediately opened fire and gave chase.
The men had difficulty in escaping, but they finally reached their ship and the lookouts later reported that the forage store had burned to the ground.
He and his colleague, Quartermaster William Thomas Rickard, were awarded the Victoria Cross, the highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.
Commerell went on to be Commander-in-Chief, Cape of Good Hope Station, Commander-in-Chief, North America and West Indies Station and then Commander-in-Chief, Portsmouth.
He was also a Conservative politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1885 to 1888.
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Royal Navy admiral of the fleet
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