The Battle of Groix was fought on 23 June 1795 off the Biscay coast of Brittany between elements of the British Channel Fleet, commanded by Admiral Lord Bridport, and the French Atlantic Fleet, under Vice-admiral Villaret de Joyeuse. The British fleet of 14 ships of the line was covering an invasion convoy when it encountered the 12 French ships of the line returning to base at Brest. Villaret ordered his force to take shelter in protected coastal waters, but several ships fell behind. After fierce fights, three French ships were captured; the remainder became scattered and were vulnerable, but Bridport, concerned by the rocky coastline, called off the action. Most historians have considered Bridport's retirement from the battle to be premature, and concluded that an opportunity to destroy the French fleet may have been squandered. The French were trapped in Lorient where food supplies ran out, crippling the fleet. Several French captains were court-martialled following the battle. (Full article...)
Geraldine Ulmar (June 23, 1862 – August 13, 1932) was an American soprano and actress known for her performances in Savoy operas with the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company. In 1879, she made her debut in Boston as Josephine in Gilbert and Sullivan's H.M.S. Pinafore and soon joined the Boston Ideal Opera Company, where she remained as leading soprano for six years. From 1885 to 1886, Ulmar played Yum-Yum in the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company's first American production of The Mikado in New York. Over the next two years she played further Gilbert and Sullivan roles in New York, Germany and England. In London, she was the first to play the leading characters of Elsie Maynard in The Yeomen of the Guard (1888) and Gianetta in The Gondoliers (1889) before leaving D'Oyly Carte in 1890. She remained in Britain to play leading roles in other works, such as O Mimosa San in the musical comedyThe Geisha. In 1904 she retired from the stage and taught singing. Ulmar was married to composer Ivan Caryll for a time. The photo shows Ulmar as Yum-Yum in New York in 1886.
Poster credit: Benjamin Joseph Falk; restored by Adam Cuerden
