William Peel (naval officer)

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William Peel

Sir William Peel (born November 2, 1824 in Mayfair ( London ), † April 27, 1858 in Kanpur ( India )) was a British naval officer.

Life

William Peel was the third son of British statesman Robert Peel . Like his father, he attended Harrow School . He joined the Navy in April 1838 as a midshipman and first served on the HMS Princess Charlotte , the flagship of Sir Robert Stopford , Commander in Chief of the Mediterranean Fleet. In 1840 he took part in the bombardment of Acre on board this ship . He later served with Captain Chambers on the HMS Monarch and in Chinese waters with Captain Henry Ducie Chads on board the HMS Cambrian . In September 1843 he returned to England with Captain John Kingcome on the HMS Belleisle . On May 13, 1844, he was made lieutenant of HMS Winchester , the flagship of Rear Admiral Josceline Percy patrolling the Cape of Good Hope . However, he is unlikely to have sailed with the HMS Winchester , as he was already committed to use on the HMS Cormorant in the Pacific in June 1844 . From this ship he moved to the HMS Thalia and then to the HMS America , from which he was sent by land route from San Blas to Vera Cruz and from there to England. On June 27, 1846, he was promoted to Commander. From 1847 to 1848 he commanded the HMS Daring in the North American and West Indian stations. On January 10, 1849, he rose to the rank of captain.

Since it became apparent that Peel would only receive half his pay for some time, he decided to travel to the interior of Africa. He hoped to improve the conditions of the black population. In preparation for this expedition he learned Arabic for a few months, in which he was instructed by Joseph Churi, a Maronite trained in Rome . In September 1850 he proposed to Churi to make a short trip to Egypt , Mount Sinai , Jerusalem , Nazareth and Syria . Both left England on October 20, 1850, where they returned on February 20, 1851. On the following August 20th they embarked on a more extensive tour. They followed up the Nile and crossed the desert to Khartoum and on to al-Ubayyid , where both travelers suffered a violent attack of fever and chills. Peel arrived back in England in early January 1852. Shortly afterwards he wrote a report on his excursion entitled A ride through the Nubian desert (London 1852).

From October 1853, Peel commanded the frigate HMS Diamond , which first belonged to the Mediterranean fleet and was then transferred to the Black Sea at the beginning of the Crimean War . Peel landed with the sailors' brigade commanded by Captain Stephen Lushington and used to siege Sevastopol . In the following operations, he repeatedly distinguished himself through courageous actions. On October 18, 1854, he threw a dud, the detonator of which was still burning, over the parapet of his battery. In the Battle of Inkerman he joined the officers of the Grenadier Guard on November 5, 1854 and helped defend the regimental flags. On June 18, 1855, he led the first team carrying scaling ladders in the attack on the Redan, but was seriously wounded and had to return to England. In recognition of his achievements, he was one of the first to be awarded the Victoria Cross .

On September 13, 1856, Peel put the HMS Shannon , a powerful steam frigate equipped with 50 cannons, into service, which was to be used in Chinese waters. But it did not expire until March 1857. In Singapore the crew of the frigate learned of the outbreak of the Sepoy uprising in India. On July 2, Peel arrived with his frigate in Hong Kong and then sailed with Lord Elgin to Calcutta to assist the Lord with his sailors in suppressing the uprising of the Sepoy . In Calcutta, Peel formed a naval brigade, left his ship on August 14 with 450 men and 10 cannons, received reinforcements of 120 men in Allahabad on October 20, and from then on took part in all important military operations. He distinguished himself by name at Lucknow , but was seriously wounded again on March 9, 1858 by a shot in the thigh. The bullet was cut out of his leg. He wanted to travel back to England and at first arrived in Kanpur very weak. There he was already on the way to recovery, but then succumbed to smallpox on April 27 of the same year at the age of only 33 . Shortly before, he had been made Knight Commander of the Order of Bath .

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personal data
SURNAME Peel, William
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Peel, Sir William
BRIEF DESCRIPTION British naval officer
DATE OF BIRTH November 2, 1824
PLACE OF BIRTH Mayfair (London)
DATE OF DEATH April 27, 1858
Place of death Kanpur (India)