Admiral Admiral is one of the highest ranks in some navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force, and is above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet, ...

Sir David Milne GCB

FRSE Fellowship of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (FRSE) is an award granted to individuals that the Royal Society of Edinburgh, Scotland's national academy of science and letters, judged to be "eminently distinguished in their subject". This soci ...

(May 1763 – 5 May 1845) was a Scottish Royal Navy admiral.

Life

Milne was born in

Musselburgh Musselburgh (; sco, Musselburrae; gd, Baile nam Feusgan) is the largest settlement in East Lothian, Scotland, on the coast of the Firth of Forth, east of Edinburgh city centre. It has a population of . History The name Musselburgh is Ol ...

Midlothian Midlothian (; gd, Meadhan Lodainn) is a historic county, registration county, lieutenancy area and one of 32 council areas of Scotland used for local government. Midlothian lies in the east-central Lowlands, bordering the City of Edinburgh, ...

, Scotland, the son of Susan Vernor and David Milne, an Edinburgh merchant. He entered the Royal Navy as a

midshipman A midshipman is an officer of the lowest rank, in the Royal Navy, United States Navy, and many Commonwealth navies. Commonwealth countries which use the rank include Canada (Naval Cadet), Australia, Bangladesh, Namibia, New Zealand, South Afr ...

in 1779. He served in the West Indies from 1779 to 1783, seeing action in the

Caribbean The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean Se ...

during the American Revolutionary War and in Lord Howe's final relief of the French and Spanish siege of

Gibraltar ) , anthem = " God Save the King" , song = " Gibraltar Anthem" , image_map = Gibraltar location in Europe.svg , map_alt = Location of Gibraltar in Europe , map_caption = United Kingdom shown in pale green , mapsize = , image_map2 = Gib ...

in 1782. From 1783 to 1793, he served in the East Indies. Promoted to

commander Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countries this naval rank is termed frigate captain. ...

, he defeated a French division off Puerto Rico on 5 June 1795, and, in 1796, he participated in the capture of the Dutch colonies of Demerara,

Essequibo Essequibo is the largest traditional region of Guyana but not an administrative region of Guyana today. It may also refer to: * Essequibo River, the largest river in Guyana * Essequibo (colony), a former Dutch colony in what is now Guyana; * Esseq ...

and

Berbice Berbice is a region along the Berbice River in Guyana, which was between 1627 and 1792 a colony of the Dutch West India Company and between 1792 to 1815 a colony of the Dutch state. After having been ceded to the United Kingdom of Great Britain ...

, becoming the British governor of Netherlands Guiana. He continued to fight against the French in Santo Domingo, from 1797 to 1799, losing his ship HMS ''Pique'' but capturing the French frigate ''Seine'' at the action of 30 June 1798 and, in 1800, he captured the French

frigate A frigate () is a type of warship. In different eras, the roles and capabilities of ships classified as frigates have varied somewhat. The name frigate in the 17th to early 18th centuries was given to any full-rigged ship built for speed and ...

''La Vengeance'' off the coast of Africa. On 14 June 1814, he was promoted to Rear-Admiral. At this time he purchased 10

York Place, Edinburgh York Place is a street in central Edinburgh of almost exclusively 18th century buildings, linking Queen Street to Broughton Street and Leith Walk. The street's architecture remains almost completely intact but it is one of the busiest streets ...

, home the late

William Craig, Lord Craig William Craig, Lord Craig FRSE LLD (1745–1813) was a Scottish judge and essayist. Life He was born in Glasgow on 6 June 1745, the son of Rev William Craig Doctor of Divinity, DD (1709–1784) minister of St Andrew's Church in Glasgow. He st ...

. He served as second-in-command of the fleet sent to bombard Algiers in 1816. The Dutch king awarded him the commander's cross of the coveted Military Order of William for his distinguished conduct. In May 1816, he was appointed to command the North American Station, living in Halifax, Nova Scotia. In 1818, he was nominated a knight of the

Neapolitan Neapolitan means of or pertaining to Naples, a city in Italy; or to: Geography and history * Province of Naples, a province in the Campania region of southern Italy that includes the city * Duchy of Naples, in existence during the Early and Hig ...

Order of St Januarius ) , clasps = , post-nominals = , established = 3 July 1738 , first_award = , last_award = , founder = Charles VII of Naples , head_title = Grand Master , head = Disputed: Prince ...

, and he returned to the United Kingdom in 1819. In 1820, he was briefly Member of Parliament for Berwick-upon-Tweed. In 1825 he became a Vice-Admiral. In 1842, he was appointed Commander-in-Chief, Plymouth. He died at sea 5 May 1845 while returning to Scotland from

Plymouth Plymouth () is a port city and unitary authority in South West England. It is located on the south coast of Devon, approximately south-west of Exeter and south-west of London. It is bordered by Cornwall to the west and south-west. Plymouth ...

, after more than 60 years' service in the Royal Navy. He is buried with his first wife in the churchyard at Inveresk. Memorial reads.

In memory of Admiral Sir DAVID MILNE, G.C.B., &c., &c., &c. For 60 years he served his country in the Royal Navy ; his gallant deeds are recorded in her annals. In all the relations of private life he was upright, exemplary, and esteemed. He expired at sea on the 5th of May 1845, aged 82 years, whilst returning to his native home from Devonport, at which station he had been for the three previous years Commander-in-Chief. Here are deposited the remains of GRACE, wife of Rear-Admiral David Milne, who died at Bordeaux, in France, the 4th of October 1814, where she had gone for the recovery of her health. Her remains were brought to this country by her affectionate husband, and re-interred here the 18th of February 1815. She was eldest daughter of Sir Alexander Purves of Purves, Bart., by Mary Home, daughter of Sir James Home of Coldinghame, Bart., in the County of Berwick. Also a son, named THOMAS, who died in infancy.

Family

In 1799 he bought the house and grounds of Inveresk Gate in Inveresk, where his descendants continued to live until the 1940s. He also had a house at 10 York Place in Edinburgh's New Town in the 1830s. n 16 April 1804, he was married to Grace Purves, eldest daughter of Sir Alexander Purves, 5th Baronet, of Purves, by his second wife Mary Home, daughter of

Sir James Home, 3rd Baronet ''Sir'' is a formal honorific address in English language, English for men, derived from Sire in the High Middle Ages. Both are derived from the old French "Sieur" (Lord), brought to England by the French-speaking Normans, and which now exist i ...

, of Coldingham. Their children included advocate and geologist David Milne-Home and Admiral of the Fleet Sir Alexander Milne, 1st Baronet. His wife died at Bordeaux, in France, on 4 October 1814, where she had gone for the recovery of her health. The admiral brought her body back to Scotland, and she was buried at Inveresk in East Lothian on 8 February 1815. On 28 November 1819 he married for a second time, to Agnes Stephen.

Milne Land

Milne Land, in East Greenland, was named after him by Captain William Scoresby. The island can be found 70.87 N, 25.42 W, sits in the large fjord

Scoresby Sund Scoresby Sound (Danish: ''Scoresby Sund'', Greenlandic: ''Kangertittivaq'') is a large fjord system of the Greenland Sea on the eastern coast of Greenland. It has a tree-like structure, with a main body approximately 1763 births 1845 deaths Royal Navy admirals Scottish politicians Scottish sailors Scottish admirals Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath Royal Navy personnel of the American Revolutionary War Royal Navy personnel of the War of 1812 Royal Navy personnel of the Napoleonic Wars Royal Navy personnel of the Bombardment of Algiers (1816) History of Guyana Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for English constituencies People who died at sea People from Musselburgh Knights Commander of the Military Order of William UK MPs 1820–1826