There were no ‘service records’ for this period. If you were not a commissioned officer, then tracing someone is very difficult. You know that he was onboard HMS Hero in 1809 – the ship’s pay books would show when he joined and when he left that ship.
I note that he listed as a Volunteer for his 1809 medal – a Volunteer was ‘…a young Gentleman intended for the Sea Service…’ This basically meant that he was a boy/teenager, and he would have expected to achieve a commission as an officer.
This clearly did not happen.
He became a Warrant Officer in 1829 by becoming a Purser – in the Navy at this time, this meant that he was responsible for the ships stores and provisions and from 1825 for pay. This shift in role eventually meant that the rank of Purser was first amended to Paymaster/Purser and later the latter term was dropped
Because he was now of Warrant rank, he is shown in published Navy Lists.
These show that he became a Purser 17 August 1829 and from then he is shown in the annual Lists. These show the following -
Appointed HMS BRITOMART 22 November 1830
December 1830 – transferred to HMS GANNET
Reported arriving back in England from Jamaica in June 1832 onboard the transport ship Rosslyn Castle
No appointment 1833 - 34
Appointed HMS NIMROD 21 September 1835 where he remained until 1837
No appointments listed after that
May 1849 made Paymaster & Purser
Placed on the Retired List 10 June 1852
Last listed in 1862, which presumes he must have died 1862-63.
I also note [which you probably know] the marriage of Robert Simmonds, purser, in 1839 =
https://devon-cat.swheritage.org.uk/records/DEX/7/b/1/1839/276
