FAWKES, Richard Wentworth.
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"Sunset Memories: Naval and Clerical, 1862 & After." A detailed memoir of the peripatetic adventures at sea of a young naval officer, following in the military traditions of his family, before he swapped a life on the ocean wave for holy orders. Writing during the First World War, the author reflects on a world lost amid significant technological and geopolitical change.Richard Wentworth Fawkes (1848-1920) was born into the distinguished family of Farnley Hall. His grandfather, Walter Ramsden Hawkesworth Fawkes (1769-1825), was the major patron of J. M. W. Turner, and his father, Major Richard Fawkes 1809-1896), served in the 27th Foot and as ADC to Lieutenant-General Sir Edward Barnes, commander-in-chief in India.Fawkes's account opens with memories of his early life, including his education at the same school as Randolph Churchill. His early resolve to enter the church was weakened by the sight of his brother, the future Admiral Sir Wilmot Hawksworth Fawkes, coming home "looking very smart with brass buttons, and with yarns about the sea... I requested that I might follow his example, though I had practically settled to be a clergyman [and might have been a bishop if I hadn't gone to sea" (p. 20).His naval service begins in 1862, when he joins the Britannia at Portland, on the strength of a nomination from Lord Halifax. After passing out, he joins HMS Meeanee and moves among a succession of vessels. Looking back from older age, he recalls the now antiquated practices of the
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