Napoleonic Newsdesk
Sir Edward Pellew’s Flag
By Paul Chamberlain
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Sir Edward Pellew was one of the colourful and active characters of the Napoleonic Wars. He entered the Royal Navy in 1770 aged 13 and rose steadily in rank in consequence of outstanding personal courage and a superior grasp of fighting tactics, especially when a Frigate Captain. He was captain of the Nymph that took the first French warship, the Cleopatra, on the outbreak of war with Revolutionary France in 1793. By 1794 he was Commodore of the Western Frigate Squadron. He became Commander-in-Chief East Indies in 1806, and held the same appointment for the Mediterranean from 1811 until 1814. In 1816, Pellew (now Lord Exmouth) commanded the British fleet involved in the bombardment of Algiers, a successful attempt to persuade the Barbary States to stop trading in Christian slaves. The flag he flew at the battle has recently been acquired by Teignmouth Museum, and is in a bad state of repair. The museum has launched an appeal to fund the restoration work. If you are interested in donating to the appeal, or simply finding out more about Pellew contact The Hon. Curator, Teignmouth Museum, French Street, Teignmouth, Devon, TQ14 8ST. Incidentally, Sir Edward Pellew features in the Hornblower films, played by Robert Lindsay. There are numerous websites devoted to and/or including Pellew. Just search for his name! More Napoleonic Newsdesk
The Precursors of Nelson The Battle of Copenhagen Bicentenary Conference Book News from Osprey Sir Edward Pellew’s Flag Back to Table of Contents -- First Empire #57 Back to First Empire List of Issues Back to MagWeb Master Magazine List © Copyright 2001 by First Empire. This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other military history articles and gaming articles are available at http://www.magweb.com |