Sir William James Myers, 2nd Baronet (27 November 1783 - 17 May 1811) was the only son of Lieutenant-General

Sir William Myers, 1st Baronet ''Sir'' is a formal honorific address in 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 in French only as p ...

Life

He was born in

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...

and educated at

Winchester College Winchester College is a public school (fee-charging independent day and boarding school) in Winchester, Hampshire, England. It was founded by William of Wykeham in 1382 and has existed in its present location ever since. It is the oldest of the ...

. He may have joined his father's regiment, 15th Foot, in 1794, and became a Captain on 18 December 1794 and was a full pay Captain unattached 11 March 1795. In 1800, from half-pay, he joined the

Coldstream Guards The Coldstream Guards is the oldest continuously serving regular regiment in the British Army. As part of the Household Division, one of its principal roles is the protection of the monarchy; due to this, it often participates in state ceremonia ...

, becoming Captain-Lieutenant on 11 January 1800 during the expedition to

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...

, arriving after the capture of

Alexandria Alexandria ( or ; ar, ٱلْإِسْكَنْدَرِيَّةُ ; grc-gre, Αλεξάνδρεια, Alexándria) is the second largest city in Egypt, and the largest city on the Mediterranean coast. Founded in by Alexander the Great, Alexandria ...

. In 1801, his regiment returned to the U.K., and was posted to the Southern District of Ireland. In 1802, he went on the half-pay of the 62nd Foot as Lieutenant-Colonel, and attended the

Royal Military College, High Wycombe The Royal Military College, High Wycombe was a military training facility for British Army officers in High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire. History The college was founded by Colonel John Le Marchant at the Antelope Inn in 1799 as a facility for tr ...

. On 15 August 1804, he exchanged into the 7th Foot as the junior Lieutenant-Colonel, but in the autumn was appointed to command the 2nd Battalion, 7th Foot (later named the

Royal Fusiliers The Royal Fusiliers (City of London Regiment) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in continuous existence for 283 years. It was known as the 7th Regiment of Foot until the Childers Reforms of 1881. The regiment served in many wars ...

), which was posted to Ireland a few years later, before being despatched to

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...

in 1809. He commanded 2/7th Foot in the Peninsula, April to July 1809. He was appointed to command the Fusilier Brigade, comprising the 7th and 23rd regiments in 4th Division, July 1809 to January 1810. The Brigade served without particular distinction at the

Battle of Talavera The Battle of Talavera (27–28 July 1809) was fought just outside the town of Talavera de la Reina, Spain some southwest of Madrid, during the Peninsular War. At Talavera, a British army under Sir Arthur Wellesley combined with a Spanish ar ...

in July 1809. He then commanded 1/7th Foot from November 1810 to February 1811. At the

Battle of Albuera The Battle of Albuera (16 May 1811) was a battle during the Peninsular War. A mixed British, Spanish and Portuguese corps engaged elements of the French Armée du Midi (Army of the South) at the small Spanish village of Albuera, about south ...

, he was mortally wounded and died at Valverde on the following day. He succeeded his father as 2nd

Baronet A baronet ( or ; abbreviated Bart or Bt) or the female equivalent, a baronetess (, , or ; abbreviation Btss), is the holder of a baronetcy, a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown. The title of baronet is mentioned as early as the 14th ...

on 29 July 1805. The Baronetcy became extinct at his death. A monument to him was erected in St. Paul's Cathedral, London. The monument was sculpted by

Josephus Pinnix Kendrick Flavius Josephus (; grc-gre, Ἰώσηπος, ; 37 – 100) was a first-century Romano-Jewish historian and military leader, best known for ''The Jewish War'', who was born in Jerusalem—then part of Roman Judea—to a father of priestly d ...

.Dictionary of British Sculptors 1660-1851 by Rupert Gunnis p.226

Bibliography

*“The Life of Sir William Myers.” 1811. Royal Military Chronicle, October: 469-474. *“Myers”. 1844. In
A Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Extinct and Dormant Baronetcies in England, Ireland and Scotland
compiled by J. Burke and J.B. Burke, 2nd edition: 351-2. London, UK: John Russell Smith. *The Napoleon Series eb site The entry fo
7th Foot
provide an outline of some of Sir William's career, and is supplemented by a note in th
Forum
both drawn from the regimental Muster rolls in The National Archives and The Army Lists. Sir William James Myers.JPG

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Myers, Sir William James, 2nd Baronet 1783 births 1811 deaths Baronets in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom Coldstream Guards officers British Army personnel of the Peninsular War British military personnel killed in action in the Napoleonic Wars