Colonial Despatches

John James Onslow was born May 17, 1796 in England.1 From 1842-47 he served on the HMS Daphne in the Pacific.2

The son of Admiral Sir Richard Onslow (1741- 1817), Onslow entered the navy in 1810, and was appointed captain in 1834.3 He played an important role in the British reoccupation of the Falkland Islands. Commanding the HMS Clio, and accompanied by the Captain Charles Hope and the HMS Tyne, Onslow arrived in Port Egmont on December 20, 1832. From there, he continued to Berkeley Sound, East Falkland, arriving on Jan 2, 1833. After Argentine Captain Jose Pinedo refused to lower the Buenos Aires flag, Onslow ordered the Union Jack to be raised at Port Soledad.4

Onslow died in Blofield, Norfolk on 24 Aug 1856.5

• 1. John James Onlsow, genealogy.links.org.
• 2. Peter Davis, John James Onslow R.N., The Victorian Royal Navy (website). http://www.pdavis.nl/ShowBiog.php?id=545
• 3. Ibid.
• 4. Barry M. Gough, The British Reoccupation and Colonization of the Falkland Islands, Albion: A Quarterly Journal Concerned with British Studies, 22 (Summer 1990): 271-272.
• 5. John James Onslow, Sailing Navies.