(1738 - 1814)

Phillip was born in London in 1738, and received his education at the charity school for the sons of seamen at Greenwich Hospital from 1751 onwards. Two years later he was apprenticed to a merchant ship, gaining experience in Arctic whaling and European coastal trading. In 1755 he began his training for an officer's position in the Royal Navy, and he began his climb through the ranks under the guidance of Michael Everitt. During this time he saw action in the Mediterranean and the West Indies.

Phillip married Charlotte Denison in 1763, and they lived in New Forest for a time before separating in April 1769. Phillip then spent the next five years in France, and at the beginning of 1775 he joined the Portuguese Navy and served in Brazilian waters for almost 4 years.

Following the outbreak of hostilities between England and France in 1778 he rejoined the Royal Navy, and by 1781 was post-captain. He served mainly as a strategic adviser until he led a secret expedition to South America in 1783 to attack Spanish settlements. Before he could attack he was ordered to reinforce the India Squadron. He arrived at Madras in July 1783, and then returned to England in April 1784.

In 1786 he was offered the command of an expedition to establish a convict colony at Botany Bay. He supervised the preparations for the voyage which departed in 1787, and landed at Sydney Cove in January 1788 with a party of 759 convicts, 200 marines and their families, and some civil servants.

He then dispatched a party to Norfolk Island, and by the end of the year had established an agricultural station at Parramatta. The early settlers encountered many hardships, including disorder and conflict with the native Aboriginal population, but by the time Phillip had left the colony in 1792 it was clear that it would survive.

In May 1794 he married again, and returned to active service in the Royal Navy in 1796 patrolling the entrance to the Mediterranean. In 1798 he was elected head of the Hampshire Sea Fencibles, and was later to become inspector of the whole force.

Meanwhile, he continued to advise the Home government on matters relating to the colony in Australia, and rose steadily in rank to a senior admiral. He retired to Bath in 1805, and lived there until his death in August 1814.

Despite never achieving the fame he desired in the manner of Nelson or Anson, his policy and work in the colony of New South Wales and the humane treatment of Aborigines ensure that he was one of the most important figures in the history of Australia.

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