A ‘Nelson’s Navy’ letter written by Admiral R. D. Thomas, Royal Navy.
A personal, contemporary copy of a four-sided letter written by Admiral Richard Darton Thomas to the Duke of Northumberland, dated 30 November 1852, outlining Thomas' statement of services, including his having served in the company of Lords Nelson and Collingwood, and seeking the duke's patronage for the Admiral's Good Service Pension and Command of Devonport; together with a copy of the Duke of Northumberland's single-sided reply, again in Thomas' hand, dated 2 December 1852, good condition (2) £80-£100

Richard Darton Thomas (1777-1857) joined the Royal Navy aged 13 in 1790, and served at Martinique in a Boat Service action on 17 March 1794, where he ‘commanded a flat bottomed boat.’ He saw further action at the Battle of Cape St. Vincent in 1797 as a Lieutenant in H.M.S. Excellent, 74 guns. In February 1811, he was appointed Commander of H.M.S. Undaunted, then engaged in operations off the coast of Catalonia and the blockade of Marseilles and Toulon. He was appointed Rear Admiral in 1837, and served as Commander-in-Chief of the Pacific Fleet from May 1841 to December 1844, rising to the rank of Admiral of the White.