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Personnel => Royal Navy => Topic started by: Relative Stranger on 02 April 2026 05:05:35 pm

Title: "The Sea-gunner's Vade Mecum"
Post by: Relative Stranger on 02 April 2026 05:05:35 pm

I am researching the Simmons family for a relative. There are two men by the name of Robert Simmons who were both in the Royal Navy. In a previous post, PhiloNauticus outlined the career of one of them for me. Now I am looking at his father, also Robert Simmons, who was a gunner. I have a service record of the ships he sailed on. In his death notice in the Sherborne Mercury 16 November 1829, it stated that he was "the author of a very useful book on Naval Gunnery". I was just wondering if this could be "The Sea-gunner's Vade Mecum" published in 1812?

Title: Re: "The Sea-gunner's Vade Mecum"
Post by: PhiloNauticus on 02 April 2026 06:35:23 pm

Robert Simmons was indeed the author -  if you want to see it,  it is available on line - see the link

https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=nyp.33433006791598&seq=7

Title: Re: "The Sea-gunner's Vade Mecum"
Post by: Relative Stranger on 13 April 2026 02:27:09 pm

Thank you for that. I thought there might have been more than one gunner named Robert Simmons so wanted to be sure.