Vice-Admiral William Bedford (c. 1764 – October 1827) was an officer of the

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 ...

. He served during the

American War of Independence The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

and 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 ...

Biography

He was made a lieutenant in the navy on 12 September 1781. Of his earlier appointments there is no published record; but he served during the

Russian armament Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including: *Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *Rossiyane (), Russian language term for all citizens and peo ...

of 1791 as a lieutenant of . He was afterwards in , and in May 1794 was first-lieutenant of , carrying the flag of Rear-Admiral Alan Gardner during the Atlantic campaign of May 1794 and the Glorious First of June. Prior to the battle, on 29 May the captain of the ''Queen'', John Hutt, was severely wounded in battle with French ships. Bedford therefore commanded the ''Queen'' on 1 June, and for his service on that memorable day was, on the captain's death some weeks later, posted into the vacancy, on 15 August. He continued in the ''Queen'' with Sir Alan Gardner, and was present with the fleet under Admiral

Lord Bridport Admiral Alexander Hood, 1st Viscount Bridport, KB (2 December 17262 May 1814), of Cricket St Thomas, Somerset, was an officer of the British Royal Navy during the French Revolutionary Wars and Napoleonic Wars. Origins He was a younger son of ...

at the Battle of Groix on 23 June 1795. Afterwards he transferred with Sir Alan to , and continued with him until he struck his flag in August 1800. Bedford was then appointed to the 68-gun in the

North Sea The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Norway, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. An epeiric sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian S ...

, and was present at the

raids on Boulogne The raid on Boulogne in 1801 was a failed attempt by elements of the Royal Navy led by Vice Admiral Lord Horatio Nelson to destroy a flotilla of French vessels anchored in the port of Boulogne, a fleet which was thought to be used for the invasi ...

on 15 August 1801, on which occasion he offered to serve as a volunteer under the junior officer in command of the boats. The offer, however, was declined by Lord Nelson.(Nelson Despatches, iv. 467) In 1803 he was captain of the 74-gun , and in 1805, in ,

flagship A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, characteristically a flag officer entitled by custom to fly a distinguishing flag. Used more loosely, it is the lead ship in a fleet of vessels, typically the fi ...

of his old chief, now Lord Gardner, commanding the blockade of

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. Afterwards, in 1809, he was flag-captain in with Lord Gambier, at the Battle of the Basque Roads, from which, though he escaped blameless, it was impossible to derive any credit. He attained flag-rank on 12 August 1812, and served in the North Sea under Sir William Young as captain of the fleet. He had no further service, though on 19 July 1821 he was promoted to the rank of vice-admiral. He died in October 1827. In 1808 Bedford married Susan, one of the nine daughters of Captain Robert Fanshawe, commissioner of the navy at Portsmouth, and was thus a brother-in-law of

Sir Thomas Byam Martin Admiral of the Fleet Sir Thomas Byam Martin, (25 July 1773 – 25 October 1854) was a Royal Navy officer. As captain of fifth-rate HMS ''Fisgard'' he took part in a duel with the French ship ''Immortalité'' and captured her at the Battl ...

comptroller of the navy The post of Controller of the Navy (abbreviated as CofN) was originally created in 1859 when the Surveyor of the Navy's title changed to Controller of the Navy. In 1869 the controller's office was abolished and its duties were assumed by that of ...

, and of Admiral Sir Robert Stopford.

Notes

References

* ;Attribution {{DEFAULTSORT:Bedford, William 1760s births 1827 deaths Royal Navy vice admirals Royal Navy personnel of the American Revolutionary War Royal Navy personnel of the French Revolutionary Wars Royal Navy personnel of the Napoleonic Wars