Henry Joshua CODDINGTON ⁵⁰⁸⁵

  General Notes:

The fifth “ECLIPSE” was a 4-gun screw gun vessel, launched at Millwall in 1860. She was of 700 tons, and 200 horse-power. Her length, beam, and draught were 185ft., 28ft., and 8ft. In 1863 the “Eclipse,” commanded firstly by Commander Richard Charles Mayne and secondly by Commander Edmund Robert Fremantle, took part in the second New Zealand War in a squadron of ships under commodore Sir William Wiseman with his broad pennant in “Curacoa.” On June 4th the “Eclipse” co-operated in an attack which was made by the garrison of New Plymouth on the rebel position at the mouth of the Katikara. In October a Naval Brigade of 200 seamen under Commander Mayne landed, captured, occupied, and fortified the town of Merrimi. On November 20th the Naval Brigade of 400 men, under Commodore Sir William Wiseman bombarded and assaulted the town of Rangariri, where the Maoris had strongly entrenched themselves. Four separate assaults were repulsed by the brave defenders, two of which were made by the Naval Brigade under Commander Mayne. On the following day the Maoris surrendered, the British forces having won a costly victory with a loss of 36 killed and 98 wounded. The Naval Brigade losses were 5 killed and 10 wounded, among the latter being Commander Mayne, of the “Eclipse,” who was promoted to captain for his services. In January 1864 the “Eclipse” proceeded to Waikato, and landed a detachment of men under Lieutenant William Fletcher Boughey to co-operate with the troops. The town of Waikato was captured, and the Maoris were defeated at Rangioawhia, with a considerable loss in killed and prisoners. In April 1864 the “Eclipse” contributed to a Naval Brigade 430 strong, which joined the army under Sir Duncan Cameron. On April 29th the combined forces proceeded to attack a Maori stronghold at Gate Pah. The place was bombarded, and at 4.30 p.m. the Naval Brigade, under Commander Edward Hay, moved forward to the assault and entered the works. Inside the pah the rebels fought with desperation, and the Brigade was obliged to retreat with a heavy loss. The Maoris lost about 35 killed and wounded, but the British suffered 27 killed and 66 wounded, to which the Naval Brigade contributed 3 officers and 8 men killed or mortally wounded, and 3 officers and 19 men wounded. The Naval Brigade behaved admirably, and withdrew only when nearly all its leading officers had been shot down. In 1867 this vessel was broken up.

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Committed suicide in his room at Oldbridge after being repremanded by his father for excessive drinking.