[1] He entered the Royal Navy, and was on board HMS Kingfisher in the blockade of Corfu in 1809; he was captured by the enemy, but managed to escape to Albania.
[1] In 1817 he formed one of a band of adventurous Englishmen who went out to Colombia to aid those fighting for independence from Spain, and was appointed lieutenant-colonel of cavalry in the army of the republic.
He set out again for South America in August of the following year, and offered his services to the republic of Chile; he received the appointment of captain of cavalry.
[1] For sixteen years Sutcliffe remained in the military service of the republic, and took part in the operations of the liberating army in Peru.
After living in the neighbourhood of Manchester, Sutcliffe moved to London in about 1846, and died in poverty in lodgings on 22 April 1849, aged 59.