Vice-Admiral Sir William Augustus Montagu (4 December 1785 – 6 March 1852) was a senior officer of the British

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...

during the

French Revolutionary The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are consider ...

and

Napoleonic Wars The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fren ...

who served in a number of sea battles and was also in command of the naval brigade in the brief land campaign to capture Île de France in 1810. During his service he was present at the capture of numerous 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 ...

s and later served in the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It bega ...

. After the end of the Napoleonic Wars he remained in service and commanded several ships in the

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the e ...

before he retired from active service in 1837. He remained a commissioned officer and later rose through the ranks to become a vice-admiral. For his services he was knighted in the

Royal Guelphic Order The Royal Guelphic Order (german: Königliche Guelphen-Orden), sometimes referred to as the Hanoverian Guelphic Order, is a Hanoverian order of chivalry instituted on 28 April 1815 by the Prince Regent (later King George IV). It takes its name ...

and made a

Companion of the Order of the Bath Companion may refer to: Relationships Currently * Any of several interpersonal relationships such as friend or acquaintance * A domestic partner, akin to a spouse * Sober companion, an addiction treatment coach * Companion (caregiving), a caregive ...

Family background

Born in 1785, William Augustus Montagu was an illegitimate son of

John Montagu, 5th Earl of Sandwich John Montagu, 5th Earl of Sandwich, PC (26 January 1744 – 6 June 1814), styled Viscount Hinchingbrooke until 1792, was a British peer and Tory politician. Background and education Montagu was the eldest son of John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandw ...

, by Maria. He was baptised at

St Anne's Church, Soho Saint Anne's Church serves in the Church of England the Soho section of London. It was consecrated on 21 March 1686 by Bishop Henry Compton as the parish church of the new civil and ecclesiastical parish of St Anne, created from part of the pari ...

, Westminster. William is thought to be named after his uncle, William Augustus, who died at Lisbon in 1776. His grandfather was

John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich, PC, FRS (13 November 1718 – 30 April 1792) was a British statesman who succeeded his grandfather Edward Montagu, 3rd Earl of Sandwich as the Earl of Sandwich in 1729, at the age of ten. During his life ...

, who served three non-consecutive terms as the First Lord of the Admiralty, to 1783.

Military and Parliamentary Service, and Awards

Montagu joined the army young, going to sea aged 11 in 1796 as a volunteer on HMS ''Glatton'' commanded by Captain

Henry Trollope Admiral Sir Henry Trollope, GCB (20 April 1756 – 2 November 1839) was an officer of the British Royal Navy. Early life Henry Trollope was born the son of the Reverend John Trollope of Bucklebury on 20 April 1756. His paternal grandfather, al ...

. Montagu remained with Trollope when he moved, first to HMS ''Russell'' in which Montagu saw action at the

Battle of Camperdown The Battle of Camperdown (known in Dutch as the ''Zeeslag bij Kamperduin'') was a major naval action fought on 11 October 1797, between the British North Sea Fleet under Admiral Adam Duncan and a Batavian Navy (Dutch) fleet under Vice-Admiral ...

and subsequently HMS ''Juste''. In late 1800, Montagu was commissioned 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 ...

and joined the frigate HMS ''Sirius''. In ''Sirius'' he was present at the capture of ''Dédaigneuse'' and then moved into the

brig A brig is a type of sailing vessel defined by its rig: two masts which are both square rig, square-rigged. Brigs originated in the second half of the 18th century and were a common type of smaller merchant vessel or warship from then until the ...

HMS ''Dasher'' for four years, spent in the West Indies. In 1804 Montagu returned to Europe as a lieutenant and the following year was promoted to commander. In 1807, Montagu became a

post captain Post-captain is an obsolete alternative form of the rank of Captain (Royal Navy), captain in the Royal Navy. The term served to distinguish those who were captains by rank from: * Officers in command of a naval vessel, who were (and still are) ...

and took command of the small frigate HMS ''Terpsichore'' in the

Indian Ocean The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or ~19.8% of the water on Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia to the east. To the south it is bounded by th ...

. In March 1808, ''Terpsichore'' was attacked by the larger French vessel ''Sémillante'' and despite heavy losses, Montagu was able to outfight his opponent although he could not capture her. Soon afterward Montagu moved to and served in the East Indies, forming part of the squadron that captured Amboyna from the Dutch and seized two Dutch frigates in the harbour. By 1810, Montagu was established in the Indian Ocean and was selected from the captains assembled for the

Invasion of Île de France The Invasion of Isle de France was a complicated but successful British amphibious operation in the Indian Ocean, launched in November 1810 during the Napoleonic Wars. During the operation, a substantial military force was landed by the Royal N ...

to lead the naval brigade, a force of sailors and

Royal Marines The Corps of Royal Marines (RM), also known as the Royal Marines Commandos, are the UK's special operations capable commando force, amphibious light infantry and also one of the five fighting arms of the Royal Navy. The Corps of Royal Marine ...

deployed on shore to support the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

forces leading the attack. During the assault Montagu fought well and was commended after his brigade assisted in breaking the French resistance around the capital Port Napoleon.''Gentleman's Magazine'', January to June 1852, p. 407 In September 1812, Montagu returned to Europe to command HMS ''Niobe'' in the

Channel Fleet The Channel Fleet and originally known as the Channel Squadron was the Royal Navy formation of warships that defended the waters of the English Channel from 1854 to 1909 and 1914 to 1915. History Throughout the course of Royal Navy's history the ...

, later serving off the

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during the

and in Portuguese waters. In June 1814, with the war coming to an end, ''Niobe'' was paid off and Montagu was in reserve until 1819, when he took command of HMS ''Phaeton'' in

Halifax, Nova Scotia Halifax is the capital and largest municipality of the Canadian province of Nova Scotia, and the largest municipality in Atlantic Canada. As of the 2021 Census, the municipal population was 439,819, with 348,634 people in its urban area. The ...

. Between 1818 and 1820 he sat in Parliament for

Huntingdon Huntingdon is a market town in the Huntingdonshire district in Cambridgeshire, England. The town was given its town charter by King John in 1205. It was the county town of the historic county of Huntingdonshire. Oliver Cromwell was born there ...

. In 1822, ''Phaeton'' was paid off and Montagu was in reserve until 1834, marrying Anne Leeds, daughter of Sir George William Leeds in 1823. Montagu took command of HMS ''Malabar'' in 1834 and remained in her until 1837 in the Mediterranean. This was his final commission and when he was placed in reserve again in 1837 he did not return to the sea. He remained in the Navy however and slowly rose through the ranks, becoming a rear-admiral in 1841 and a vice admiral in 1851. Montagu was knighted in 1830 in the

and in 1832 became a Knight Commander, accompanied by a

Knight Bachelor The title of Knight Bachelor is the basic rank granted to a man who has been knighted by the monarch but not inducted as a member of one of the organised orders of chivalry; it is a part of the British honours system. Knights Bachelor are the ...

award for use in Britain. He had previously been made a

in 1815 at the end of the war. He died at

Ryde Ryde is an English seaside town and civil parish on the north-east coast of the Isle of Wight. The built-up area had a population of 23,999 according to the 2011 Census and an estimate of 24,847 in 2019. Its growth as a seaside resort came af ...

, on the

Isle of Wight The Isle of Wight ( ) is a county in the English Channel, off the coast of Hampshire, from which it is separated by the Solent. It is the largest and second-most populous island of England. Referred to as 'The Island' by residents, the Isle of ...

in March 1852.

Notes

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Montagu, William Augustus 1785 births 1852 deaths Royal Navy vice admirals Companions of the Order of the Bath Knights Bachelor Royal Navy personnel of the French Revolutionary Wars Royal Navy personnel of the Napoleonic Wars UK MPs 1818–1820 Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for English constituencies

Family background

Military and Parliamentary Service, and Awards

Notes

See also

References

External links