William Augustus Montagu

Vice-Admiral Sir William Augustus Montagu (4 December 1785 – 6 March 1852) was a senior officer of the British Royal Navy during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars 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 frigates and later served in the War of 1812. After the end of the Napoleonic Wars he remained in service and commanded several ships in the Mediterranean 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 and made a Companion of the Order of the Bath. Family background Born in 1785, William Augustus Montagu was an illegitimate son of John Montagu, 5th Earl of Sandwich, by Maria. He was baptised at St Anne's Church, Soho, 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, 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. Montagu remained with Trollope when he moved, first to HMS Russell in which Montagu saw action at the Battle of Camperdown and subsequently HMS Juste. In late 1800, Montagu was commissioned as a midshipman and joined the frigate HMS Sirius. In Sirius he was present at the capture of Dédaigneuse and then moved into the brig 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 and took command of the small frigate HMS Terpsichore in the Indian Ocean. 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.