Joseph Ellison

Captain Joseph Ellison was a Royal Navy officer. Having joined the service at the age of nine, he served during the Falklands Crisis in 1770 and went on to participate in the Battle of Bunker Hill and Siege of Pondicherry during the American Revolutionary War, during which he was promoted to lieutenant. On 4 July 1780 Ellison was serving on board HMS Prudente when they engaged, with another British frigate, two French frigates off Cape Ortegal. Ellison was badly wounded in the back during the battle and had an arm destroyed by a cannon ball that was amputated after the British had attained their victory. Having recuperated from his injuries Ellison was appointed to the impress service where he performed so well that he was promoted to commander in 1782 and post-captain in 1783. He took command of HMS Ariadne in April of that year and served in her off Ireland investigating fisheries, but in September he temporarily retired from the navy when his wounds began to become more problematic.