William Spry

Lieutenant-General William Spry (1734–1802) was born in Titchfield, Hampshire, in 1734, the son of George Spry and Elizabeth Short. Military career He joined the Royal Engineers and gradually rose through the ranks. During the French and Indian War, Spry participated in the Siege of Louisbourg (1758) and served in Quebec after its surrender the following year. During the American Revolution, Spry was the commander of the Royal Engineers and in Halifax, Nova Scotia, strengthened Citadel Hill, built Fort Massey and Fort Needham, and oversaw the building of the Northwest Arm Battery at Point Pleasant. In 1783 he was made a Colonel in the Royal Engineers, rising to the rank of Major-General (1793) and later Lieutenant-General (1799).