A career officer in the Royal Navy, Henry went to sea at the age of 12 in 1841 on H.M.S. Italia on the China Station. Promoted to Lieutenant in 1849 at the age of 20 on H.M.S. Wolverine. In 1852, he was promoted to Lieutenant-Commander and had his first command on H.M.S. Bloodhound, which was engaged in the suppression of slavery off the West Coast of Africa. Had command of H.M.S. Rifleman in Feb 1857. Between 1858 and 1861, he commanded H.M.S. Euryalis with Prince Alfred, the future Duke of Edinburgh, aboard. He next became second in command of the Royal Yacht, Victoria and Albert, and captain in 1863. In 1863 he was promoted to Post-Captain, the youngest in the Royal Navy at the time. In May 1864, four young Post-Captains, lead by Captain, later Admiral, Augustus Charles Hobart-Hampden, with Henry as second in command, chartered the 400 ton steamer D----n -- full name not known -- to run the American blockade of Nassau. After enjoying considerable success for a while, they were finally captured by the Americans and returned to England around the end of the same year. This story is dealt with at length in Admiral Hobart-Hampden's memoirs, "Leaves From My Life" (Longmans Green & Co, 1886). In July 1865 he became Chief Constable of Gloucestershire, a position that he filled with distinction for 45 years until his resignation on 1 Apr 1910. In recognition of the arrangements he made for the visit of King Edward to the Royal Show at Gloucester, he was appointed a member of the Victorian Order (M.V.O.) Source: "The Yesterdays Behind the Door", Mrs Hicks Beach (Liverpool University Press, 1956) Following his retirement from the Royal Navy in 1865, as was then the custom, Henry was promoted to Rear Admiral on 31 Dec 1878, to Vice Admiral on 30 Oct 1884, and finally to Admiral in 1889 Note: Richard Glanville-Brown, August 2005, from "Book of Dignities", Horace Ockerby, 1890