In 1779 when William Brown was a fourteen-year-old midshipman on the Frigate Apollo, a French sharp-shooter's musket ball passed through the brim of his hat but injured only his left hand. Many years later, on the deck of HMS Victory, Admiral Lord Nelson would not be so fortunate when a French sharp shooter identified him. One day Alastair Brown was shown a copy of Sherwin's etching, The Death of Lord Robert Manners, by a cousin who was able to identify William Brown as the midshipman kneeling at the foot of the bed. This chance encounter greatly increased the author's interest in his ancestor's naval career. William remained a midshipman for the five years of peace following that battle until his pursuit of a commission led him to join William Bligh on the Bounty. Perhaps fortunately, he was transferred to another ship by the First Lord of the Admiralty, shortly before the Bounty sailed. In 1805, now commanding the 74-gun Ajax, William received a request from Nelson that Ajax accompany Victory to join the blockade of Cadiz. However, Nelson later asked him to accompany Admiral Calder back to England for Calder's court martial and as a result William missed the Battle of Trafalgar by a few days. William Brown then attended Nelson's funeral before being sent to Malta as the first Commissioner for the Royal Navy there. He was Commander-in-Chief at Jamaica when he died there of yellow fever in 1814. Not just a detailed account of the life of an admiral who served at the time of Nelson, the book contains many fascinating insights into life in the Georgian navy and Georgian society at large.
