When was Dundas made Lieutenant?

[parelle]

I was skimming my nice new copy of the Muster Book when I noticed that it said that Jack was 5 years senior to Hen as lieutenant (in comparison, Hen was made Post earlier - though I can't remember if he was a Commander or Post in M&C). This was pretty curious to me since, after all, Hen has more influence than Jack, and one of the chief ways this

Comments

[ylla]

Luck with promotions? You not only had to pass the examination for lieutenant, you then had to be given a position as one - Jack might simply have had the luck to be serving with someone who won promotion, or something (he was notoriously lucky in his youth).

The real GHD probably was a few years younger than Jack - born in 1778 - and might not have been made a lieutenant until 1799 - wikipedia's a bit vague on that, and I'm not going hunting around right now. He was made post after the battle of Algeciras in 1801 - so just after the end of M&C.
I think at that point POB was sticking fairly close to the real story - GHD was commander of Calpe at Algeciras, and I don't think he becomes Melville's son in the books until PC or later.

[esteven]

I like the fact that GHD and Thomas, Lord Cochrane were made post within a few weeks of each other as Cordingly points out in Cochrane, the Dauntless :D

[parelle]

I wasn't sure exactly how much O'Brian had based Hen on GHD, but that does look likely - thanks!

[esteven]

The difficulty is that O'Brian, inspired writer that he was, messed up timelines like no other. He obviously mixed RL George Heneage Dundas (no relation to the Melvilles) with book!Hen just as he mixed RL Thomas Cochrane with book!Jack.

Jack is a couple years older than Hen, and took his examination early himself. This is a bit tricky, since they're supposed to be very close in age and served together very early on. I don't think that is a problem, it will only be a few years. As you can see from the wiki, GHD was junior to Lord Cochrane on the Queen Charlotte, so that is from where O'Brian may have taken his cue about their difference in age.

Again, in RL both GHD and Cochrane had been made post by September 1801, which we learn from David Cordingly's wonderful Cochrane, The Dauntless (in the US: The Real Master and Commander)where the author cites a letter of September 4th, 1801 from St Vincent to Lord Keith.

So you see, it is difficult to follow O'Brian.
*sighs*
Hope this helps

[ylla]

See, you were clever enough to link to the thing. I kind of failed to do that :)

[esteven]

Linking seems the only thing I am good for. *g*

[parelle]

Ahhhh, thanks. Yes, I didn't look up the Wiki article - I was writing very quickly in between boxes :) Thank you much for the letter reference as well!