William lied about his age when he joined the Kent Militia and then the 3rd Battalion East Kent “The Buffs” Regiment. He was a career soldier, serving in South Africa, Persia and Singapore. When he left the army he settled in Singapore where he married.
Foundering of the Rossgull
A maritime disaster off the coast of Jersey in December 1900. One of the crew aboard the steamship Rossgull was Elijah Jarman Emptage.
Presentation of medals
Six members of the Emptage family took part in the rescue attempt of the crew of the Northern Belle in January 1857. Two lost their lives and three received medals at an earlier event. Now it was Alfred Emptage’s turn to receive his medal at a ceremony where special mention was made of his bravery.
A Boatman’s Life
Born into a family of generations of mariners, Albert John Emptage earnt his living by the sea, having begun to work with boats at the age of eight. Whilst he had a turbulent domestic life, his skill at sea was undisputed. Albert was a member of the Margate lifeboat service for 40 years, many of them as coxswain. It was not just his height which made him a ‘giant of a man’.
George Emptage, Commodore, Bombay Marine, East India Company
Today there are many powerful global companies but the largest and most powerful was the East India Company. It had its own army and navy to protect its interests. George Emptage served in the company’s Bombay Marine, rising to Commodore and seeing action in the Second Anglo-Mysore War in India.
Frederick John Emptage
A difficult childhood and an army career in which he obtained three good conduct badges. But his conduct as a civilian was questionable, as one young lady was to find out. But was there a happy ending?