Historical information

Charles George De Beauvoir Tupper was the son of Daniel William and Elizabeth Tupper. He entered naval college in 1885 after securing a Royal Navy cadetship. Lieutenant Tupper transferred from HMS Swallow to HMS Racer in May 1893. Both ships were operating from the Cape of Good Hope station at the time. In September 1893 HMS Racer found itself in the
middle of Brazil’s third military coup in four years. The squadron of British ships in Guanabara Bay comprised HMS Beagle, Racer and Sirius. Just before 2 pm on the afternoon of 3 November 1893 a party from each of the ships in the British squadron sailed up the harbour to obtain sand and enjoy a little land based recreation. Apparently, this was a weekly event and the sand was used to swab the ships’ decks. They landed on Governador Island, the largest of the hundred and thirty or so islands in the bay. The island was under the control of the navy insurgents and had two magazines or stores for powder and shells. The cutters from the HMS Racer and Beagle landed on the beach between the two stores.
Charles was killed when the powder magazine exploded at 3.40 pm.

Significance

Charles' father Daniel William Tupper was brevetted Colonel in 1866 and when Brigadier General George Jackson Carey was appointed to command the Australian forces and came to Melbourne, Daniel accompanied him. When Sir Charles Darling, the Governor of Victoria was recalled to England, Carey became Acting Governor of Victoria from May to August 1866. Daniel Tupper served as his Aide-de-Camp or private secretary during this time. Carey returned to England in 1867 to command the 2nd Infantry Brigade at Aldershot with Daniel Tupper as his Aide-de-Camp.

Physical description

Portrait with stained wooden frame. No glass covering the picture. Hooks and wire for hanging on the back. A printed sheet of paper with the hymn 'A voice from heaven' in loving memory of Charles George De Beauvoir Tupper - Died Nov 3 1893 - Aged 21 years has been glued to the back of the frame.

Inscriptions & markings

With Mrs Tupper's kind regards