By John D Ellis
Peter Kadett was born on the Island of St Domingo c.1787. Nothing is known of his life prior to enlisting in the Royal Navy. The Black population of St Domingo, led by Touissaint L’Ouverture, had rebelled against the French in 1791 and gained their freedom (despite French and British attempts to quell the rebellion – the latter fearing it would spread to their own slaves in Jamaica).
Peter Kadett served as a Landsman (the basic rank on entry for a Royal Navy Rating) on HMS Shannon (a 38 gun Frigate) between August 1808 and November 1813. By 1809, the Shannon had been commanded by Captain Philip Broke (1776-1841) for three years. Broke trained his crew to the highest standards of gunnery, seamanship and fighting in close ship-to-ship combat. Officers and Ratings were also encouraged to use their initiative in battle by participating in “what-if” role-playing scenarios.
In January 1809, the Shannon captured the French Cutter Le Pommereuil off the Leeward Islands. However, it was for actions during the “War of 1812” against the USA that Broke and the Shannon are best remembered. In October 1812, the Shannon captured the American Privateer Thorn. In May 1813, the French Privateer L’Invincible was taken. However, it was to be the engagement with the American Frigate USS Chesapeake (38 guns) which was to prove the worth of the Shannon and earn Captain Philip Broke (later Sir Philip Bowes Vere Broke, the 1st Baronet Broke) – the nickname “Broke of the Shannon.” The battle between the two ships was brief but intense. Broke was severely injured in fighting, but the crew of the Shannon had been trained by Broke for such an eventuality, and when the action was over, and the Chesapeake struck it’s colours, over 140 US sailors were dead or wounded. On the Shannon, over 80 were dead or wounded. The Chesapeake and her crew were taken to Nova Scotia, where the sailors were imprisoned; the ship was repaired and taken into service by the Royal Navy (being sold and broken up in 1819, and the surviving timbers being used to build Chesapeake Mill in Wickham).
Between November 1813 and February 1816, Kadett served as an Ordinary Seaman on HMS Asia, (Portsmouth). In March 1816 Kadett was on HMS Meander, however, he was transferred to HMS Hecla, a bomb-ship, in time for the “Bombardment of Algiers”. In 1816 a combined British and Dutch fleet bombarded the port and ships of Algiers, in an attempt to suppress piracy by the Barbary States and to force an end to the “White Slave Trade” (which Kadett might have found ironic).
Following the end of the Napoleonic Wars, the peace-time Royal Navy reduced the number of ships and sailors, and with that reduction, Kadett was one of many thousands of men who found themselves in “civvy-street”. His fate would have passed un-noticed but for an incident in 1822 which received the attention of the press, and facilitated identifying him as a “man of colour”.
On leaving the Navy, had Kadett found work in the busy quays of London. Whilst drinking with a female companion in the Blue Boar public-house on Rosemary Lane, he took the precaution of placing his money inside his cap. On leaving the Blue-Boar, Kadett was struck on the head and robbed of his cap (and the monies therein), by a Michael Garvin. Garvin was quickly located by a watchman who took Kadett to the White Hart and Fountain, Rosemary Street, where he immediately identified Garvin, and slapping him on the face, said “you damned thief, give me my money.”
The Morning Advertiser described Kadett as “a poor squalid man of colour, working on the quays.” (The only indication he was Black in any of the records he appears in). However, Kadett himself was clear as to his identity: “I am a seaman; I get my living about the quays”. The Advertiser’s description identified class and ethnicity – it is indicative of how references to people “of colour” were defined in print. Yet, Kadett’s pride in his occupation (he might also have added “veteran”), and his ability to support himself were evident. Michael Garvin was convicted of assaulting Peter Kadett and transported for life.
In 1847, and under the name John P Cadet, (confirmed as Peter Kadett), he claimed the retrospectively awarded Naval General Service Medal 1793-1814 with two clasps: Shannon with Chesapeake and Algiers. Campaign medals were awarded without discrimination.
On the 17th of March 1851 Peter Kadett was admitted to pension by Greenwich Hospital. On entry it was revealed he was a single man, resident in Whitehall and a gardener by occupation. It was also noted that he had served for 8 years and 1 month in the Royal Navy, with his last post being as an Able-Seaman on HMS Mosel. (Suggesting he had continued to serve after the “Bombardment of Algiers”).
Peter Kadett died in Greenwich Hospital, and was interred in the Greenwich Royal Hospital Old Burial Ground on the 28th of March 1854. The location of his medal is unknown.
Sources: Also as John Paul Kadet and Peter Cadet. TNA ADM 6/258. ADM 29/045. ADM 73/47. ADM 171/8. Morning Advertiser, 27th February 1822. Public Ledger and Daily Advertiser, 27th February 1822. www.oldbaileyonline.org/browse.jsp?id=t18220220-53-defend607&div=t18220220-53#highlight General Register Office: Registers of Births, Marriages and Deaths surrendered to the Non-parochial Registers Commissions of 1837 and 1857; Class Number: RG 4; Piece Number: 1675. www.dnw.co.uk/resources/medal-rolls/entry.php?medalroll_id=2&entry_id=2430