Talk:James Scott R.N.

Shetlopedia - The Shetland Encyclopaedia

I have it from local tradition that Scott fought at Trafalgar, but notice that he's not listed on the page about Shetlanders at Trafalgar - is this list definitive and is, then, the story about JS being there spurious? Ex-isle 02:04, 10 July 2007 (MDT)

@Ex-isle - the list is as definite as are the Trafalgar muster rolls kept and published by the British National Archives. Nevertheless he might be one of the not identified up to now: the list has one William Scott (alternatively James) for whom no place of birth is reported. He served as assistant surgeon on the HMS Temeraire from 1 September 1804 until 22 January 1805; rank/rating: surgeon's first mate, left: 23 January 1805 (ships pay book number: SB 26) - so:

from the alternative first name

the ranking (profession)

and the ship's name

he was for some time serving on a ship that fought at Trafalgar

he is listed in the Trafalgar muster roll

but according from the dates provided there he was for some reasons probably not on board of the ship during the battle ...

For the rest we have to do a little trip to Kew to have a closer look at the Navy's pay books ... ;-) Islandhopper 02:37, 10 July 2007 (MDT)

thanks, islandhopper. Strange how the oral tradition and official records intertwine, isn't it? I shall leave it as a ?? for now ... but would be great to inlcude a pic of Turner's "the Fighting Temeraire" :) Ex-isle 03:07, 10 July 2007 (MDT)