G. E. Richards

Rear-Admiral George Edward Richards (1852–1927) was a British naval officer and hydrographer. He commanded the survey ship HMQS Paluma which in the late 19th century surveyed the Great Barrier Reef in Queensland, Australia. Richards served aboard the schooner Renard in 1878,[1] and HMQS Paluma in 1887.[2] He was commanding officer of HMS Rambler surveying the Strait of Belle Isle in 1897.[3]

George Edward Richards
Allegiance United Kingdom
Service/branch Royal Navy
Commands heldHMS Renard
HMQS Paluma
HMS Rambler
HMS Alacrity

Early life

He was the eldest son of Sir George Richards, Hydrographer of the Royal Navy.

On 5 January 1879 he married Emily Rose, the youngest daughter of John de Courcey Bremer, of Rose Bay, Sydney.[4]

Admiralty Chart of Elizabeth Reef in the Coral Sea, surveyed by Richards and Tippinge in 1878

He was a sub-lieutenant aboard HMS Wolverine (2,431 tons) when it reached Brisbane in August 1877.[5]

While in command of Renard (1878–84) he surveyed the Russell Islands, Rendova Island, part of New Georgia and Pocklington Reef.[6] He also surveyed the Duke of York Islands.[7] The Indispensable Reefs and Bampton Reefs were also visited.

He later commanded HMS Alacrity (1881–82) on hydrographic voyages along the coast of Queensland north of Hinchinbrook Island.[8]

The 1887 voyage named the following places:

Captain Richards was placed on the retired list, at his own request, in December 1902.[10] He was promoted to rear-admiral on the Retired list on 1 July 1907.[11]

He died in December 1927.[12]

Legacy

He compiled the first volume of, Pacific Islands ... sailing directions (1885).[13]

He was a birdwatcher and collector and a number of tropical birds are named after him.[14]

References
Wikimedia Commons has media related to G. E. Richards.
  1. Atoll Research Archived 19 September 2009 at the Wayback Machine, retrieved 3 February 2007
  2. Place names of the Whitsundays, retrieved 3 February 2007
  3. Friends of Hydrography Archived 20 August 2007 at the Wayback Machine, retrieved 3 February 2007
  4. Sydney Morning Herald, 29 November 1879, p.1
  5. Brisbane Courier, 21 August 1877, p.2
  6. Dawson, Llewellyn Styles (1885). "Pocklington+reef"&pg=PA190 Memoirs of hydrography Vol 2. Oxford: Oxford University. p. 190. Retrieved 20 April 2021.
  7. "Hydrographical surveys". Nautical Magazine. 50: 124. 1881. Retrieved 20 April 2021.
  8. Sydney Morning Herald, 28 August 1881, p.8
  9. "The Discovery of Australia: Naming Australia's Coastline". Archived from the original on 3 March 2011. Retrieved 7 February 2011.
  10. "No. 27510". The London Gazette. 30 December 1902. p. 8971.
  11. "No. 28036". The London Gazette. 2 July 1907. p. 4522.
  12. Sydney Morning Herald, 20 January 1928, p.16
  13. Richards, George Edward (1885). "Pacific+islands+vol+1"+1885&search_scope=LSCOP-ALL&dscnt=0&scp.scps=scope%3A%28BLCONTENT%29&vl(2084770704UI0)=any&vid=BLVU1&institution=BL&tab=local_tab&vl(freeText0)="Pacific%20islands%20vol%201"%201885&dstmp=1618897137020 Pacific Islands ... sailing directions, Vol 1. London: Hydrographic Department.
  14. Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2020). The Eponym Dictionary of Birds (First ed.). London: Bloomsbury. p. 465. ISBN 9781472982698. Retrieved 20 April 2021.
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