Kammala wannan jumla: An haifi Alms a Gosport, Hampshire a ranar 15 ga Yuli, 1728, ɗan John da Maryamu Alms. An ce mahaifinsa bawan Duke na Richmond ne. Bayan wani lokaci na aiki a cikin jiragen ruwa na kasuwanci ya shiga cikin jirgin ruwa a 1740, ya shiga 74-gun, kuma a lokacin da yake da shekaru 14 an lasafta shi a matsayin mai kula da sansanin ga Kyaftin Charles Watson, na 60-gun a cikin Bahar Rum. Ya ga aiki a yakin Toulon a ranar 22 ga Fabrairu 1744 kuma kwamandansa ya yaba masa saboda ayyukansa a cikin aikin. Sa'an nan kuma ya shiga cikin bindigogi 74, yana aiki tare da jirgin ruwa na Admiral George Anson a bakin tekun Faransa. Jirgin ruwan Anson ya yi amfani da Faransanci a
Yaƙin farko na Cape Finisterre a ranar 14 ga Mayu, 1747, ya sami nasara mai nasara kuma ya kama wasu jiragen ruwa na Faransa da 'yan kasuwa. Alms ya kasance a cikin "Namur", kuma ya fita a cikin watan Oktoba na shekara mai zuwa zuwa Gabashin Indiya tare da Admiral Edward Boscawen. "Namur" yana daya daga cikin jiragen ruwa uku da suka rushe a bakin tekun Coromandel a cikin hadari a ranar 12 ga Afrilu, 1749, tare da Alms daya daga cikin 23 kawai da aka ceto daga "Namur". An daukaka shi zuwa laftanar a ranar 14 ga Mayu 1749 bayan bala'in, kuma an sanya shi zuwa, wani jirgin ruwa mai dawowa zuwa Ingila a cikin bazara na 1752.