[17]The Western Times had reported his predicament in March 1839, that "Bishop Phillpotts has a son of most extraordinary naval abilities—who has displayed valour the most consummate, zeal unabated and unwearied in every clime, discretion the most profound, and talent the most distinguished; and yet he is only a middy after twelve years service, and the infernal whigs will not promote him."

Vouched correct by the West of England Conservative, the Northampton Herald had earlier noted that during those midshipman years, "he has been in active service, and has been in almost every part of the globe.

[4]: 72, 302  On 8 February 1842 he was appointed to the newly commissioned HM Steam Sloop Vixen, under Commander Henry Boyes, RN,[19]: 76  being manned and provisioned at Plymouth, England, for her maiden voyage to the East India station and China.

Vixen, as part of long expected reinforcements from England and India for the First Anglo-Chinese War, HMS Hazard amongst them, joined the British fleet at anchor off Chapoo, China, in May 1842,[20]: 149–150  Then whilst off Woosung following the capture of the town, Vixen was placed in company with HM Ships Cornwallis, Calliope, transport Marion with Sir Hugh Gough and staff, and seven other transports in the first of the six divisions of the General Squadron, for the cruise up the Yangtze River on 6 July to Nanking.

In the afternoon of 15 July, Gough and Sir William Parker went on in the Vixen to reconnoitre Kin Shan and the approaches to Chinkiang at the entrance of the South Grand Canal.

She stood in the river with HM Ships Cornwallis, Blonde, Modeste, Childers, Clio, Driver, and HEIC steamers Auckland, Queen, Pluto, Phlegathon and Medussa during the treaty negotiations that bought an end to the war.

[24] Lieutenant Phillpotts was appointed to HMS Hazard, under Commander Charles Bell, RN,[4]: 226  on 15 December 1842, the day of her arrival at Sydney, New South Wales.

[25] On 25 January Hazard departed Sydney for Tahiti, following HMS Vindictive, which had sailed several days before carrying the British Consul, George Pritchard, to that place.

[35]HMS Hazard touched at Tutuila, Samoan Islands in late April,[36] and arrived back in Sydney on 18 May 1844, having traversed at least a distance of 30,000 miles on that cruise.

[5][45] George Clarke observed the effect of the battle of Kororāreka upon Phillpotts: It galled him terribly, and the poor fellow took it as a reflection on his courage, and was very sore about it.

The two Lieutenants were distinguished by their familiars, one as "Polly" and the other as "Jemima" Clarke, and at Phillpotts suggestion we were nicked off, I, as "Prophecy," Henry as "Litany," and William as "Gospel."

[46]: 84 On 1 July 1845, during the battle of Ōhaeawai, after 32-pounder bombardment of the pā, Colonel Henry Despard put his opinion to his council that the palisades had been loosened and an assault may be successful.

Tāmati Wāka Nene advised Despard that there was no breach, and that "the bravest soldiers in the world could not find a passage for two abreast," and Captain William Biddlecomb Marlow, RE, supported him in this view.

[46]: 85  In consequence, Phillpotts, alone and unarmed, made a daring reconnaissance, walking round the pā to within pistol-shot of the palisades targeted by the gun; so close that his acquaintances within called out "Go back Topi.

Surveyor Johann Pieter (John Peter) Du Moulin, attached to the Commissariat, noted: Some days previous to the assault, it was suggested to the commanding officer that a breach might be effected by powder bags.

He then, out of bravado, left the camp, in mid-day, unarmed, and reached the pa to within a few yards; when a native climbed the second row of palisades, and called out, in broken English,—"go back, Toby, or else you will be shot."

[1] The storming party was to be composed of columns; the advance made up of 2 sergeants and 20 volunteers who were to silently move up to the stockade; followed closely by the assaulting body under Major Ewan Macpherson, 99th Regiment—40 grenadiers of the 58th, 40 grenadiers of the 99th, accompanied by the bluejackets and 30 volunteer militia pioneers carrying hatchets, ropes and ladders; closely followed by a column of 100 men under Major Cyprian Bridge, 58th Regiment—remaining grenadiers of the 58th, 60 battalion rank and file of the 58th, 40 light company rank and file of the 99th; and a supporting column of 100 men under Colonel Hulme, 96th Regiment—the 96th detachment complete with battalion rank and file of the 58th.

[49][50]: 116 [46]: 84 [51]: 290–291 Du Moulin recalled that from the moment before marching off at 3:00 pm: I left the camp for the knoll, a few hundred yards off, (on the top of which a brass 6-pounder was placed, and at the base a 32-pounder naval gun,) for the purpose of witnessing the assault.

On the two former reaching the pa, to within twenty-five yards, they received, nearly simultaneously, a fearful volley from the enemy, which killed Captain Grant, and caused a havock in a body of nearly four hundred of the finest of troops, which threw the whole of the two columns into a mass of confusion.

The natives continued independent firing, which killed Philpotts...[47] Du Moulin's sketch plan placed Phillpotts' body just outside the palisade about halfway along the western flank.

[49] Historian James Cowan says that Phillpotts had run: "along the stockade to the right (the west flank), seeking a place to enter; the outer fence had suffered most damage there.

[52][2] Arthur McCormick's 1908 illustration imagines him there, beside one of the pā's guns, striking in naval full dress coatee with epaulette and clean white trousers, arm embowed, holding in the hand a sword.

Cowan's informants recalled that as casualties were carried from the field, the pā 's victors charged out yelling, shaking guns and long-handled tomahawks.

A white-headed tattooed warrior ran along the palisade to Phillpotts' body, bent over, cut off a portion of scalp with his tomahawk and burst into incantation offering the first battle-trophy to his god of war, Tūmatauenga.