George Augustus Westphal
Encyclopedia
Sir George Augustus Alexander Westphal, Kt. (26 July 1785 – 12 January 1875) was an admiral in the Royal Navy who served in more than 100 actions. He was midshipman
on HMS Victory
during the Battle of Trafalgar
.
, Canada
, the son of George Westphal and younger brother of Admiral Philip Westphal. British Naval Biographical Dictionary, 1849 provides a date of birth of 27th March 1785.
He joined the Royal Navy aged 13 as a first class volunteer on board the Royal navy frigate HMS Porcupine
stationed in North America. Later he moved to serve on the home station and in the West Indies as a Masters mate and midshipman
on the Echo and Tisiphone.
In March 1803 George joined the 32 gun fifth rate frigate
HMS Amphion
as a midshipman whilst transported Horatio Nelson to the Mediterranean to take command. Westphal was transferred to HMS Victory.
fighting on Nelsons flagship Victory. Westphal was wounded in head by shot during the fighting and taken to Victory's sick bay, where he was laid near to the injured Horatio Nelson. During his treatment in cockpit the somebody made a pillow for Westphal to lay on, the pillow was made of Nelson's rolled up coat. The dried blood from Westphal's wounds had bonded some of his hair to part of the coat, and the the surgeon had to cut away the coat before he could treat Westphal. These fragments of Nelson's coat were kept as a memento by Westphal for the rest of his life.
Westphal explained in an 1842 article in the United Service journal;
Many years after the battle Westphal was asked to identify Nelson's coat for the Admiralty, Prince Albert had bought it for the Greenwich Museum. George was able to authenticate it with his treasured fragments. It is said that he had assured the Admiralty of the authenticity of the coat if part of the epaulette was missing.
the flagship of Lord Collingwood. Ocean was a 98-gun second-rate ship of the line commanded by Captain Frances Pender.
Westphal went on to serve as a midshipman on HMS Caledonia
, a 120-gun first-rate ship of the line and flagship of John Jervis, 1st Earl of St Vincent
.
On the 15 August 1806 Westphal was promoted to lieutenant on the Demerara sloop in the West Indies. He was captured when a French privateer
captured the merchant ship he was returning to England on, during which he was again severely wounded. He escaped from prison in Guadaloupe and was picked up by an American ship. He returned to the West Indies as a lieutenant aboard HMS Neptune
, and later HMS Belleisle
, ships under the command of Commodore Sir George Cockburn
. He fought on land during the 1809 invasion of Martinique
.
After another period in home waters, he returned to West Indies where he served aboard HMS Chesapeake and was promoted commander on 8 July 1813. He married Alicia Chambers in 1817.
He was promoted to post-captain
on 12 August 1819 and in 1822 was placed in command of HMS Jupiter
and took Lord Amherst to India to serve as governor general. He was knighted on his return to England and served as flag captain
to Sir George Cockburn in 1832 but was invalided out of active service in 1834.
in Sussex
where he lived at the same house until his death, 2 Brunswick Square (1836-1875). On the retired list, he was promoted to rear admiral
(17 August 1851), vice admiral (10 September 1857) and finaly admiral (23 March 1863).
When Westphal died on 12 January 1875, he was the last surviving Royal Navy officer to have fought at Trafalgar on board HMS Victory and had lived until the age of 90, some 70 years after seeing Nelson die. He was buried in the family vault at the St Andrew's Church, Church Road, Hove.
Midshipman
A midshipman is an officer cadet, or a commissioned officer of the lowest rank, in the Royal Navy, United States Navy, and many Commonwealth navies. Commonwealth countries which use the rank include Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, India, Pakistan, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Kenya...
on HMS Victory
HMS Victory
HMS Victory is a 104-gun first-rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, laid down in 1759 and launched in 1765. She is most famous as Lord Nelson's flagship at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805....
during the Battle of Trafalgar
Battle of Trafalgar
The Battle of Trafalgar was a sea battle fought between the British Royal Navy and the combined fleets of the French Navy and Spanish Navy, during the War of the Third Coalition of the Napoleonic Wars ....
.
Early life
George was born on 26 July 1785 in Nova ScotiaNova Scotia
Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, the son of George Westphal and younger brother of Admiral Philip Westphal. British Naval Biographical Dictionary, 1849 provides a date of birth of 27th March 1785.
He joined the Royal Navy aged 13 as a first class volunteer on board the Royal navy frigate HMS Porcupine
HMS Porcupine
Nine vessels of the Royal Navy have been named HMS Porcupine, after the porcupine, a rodent belonging to the families Erethizontidae or Hystricidae....
stationed in North America. Later he moved to serve on the home station and in the West Indies as a Masters mate and midshipman
Midshipman
A midshipman is an officer cadet, or a commissioned officer of the lowest rank, in the Royal Navy, United States Navy, and many Commonwealth navies. Commonwealth countries which use the rank include Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, India, Pakistan, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Kenya...
on the Echo and Tisiphone.
In March 1803 George joined the 32 gun fifth rate frigate
Frigate
A frigate is any of several types of warship, the term having been used for ships of various sizes and roles over the last few centuries.In the 17th century, the term was used for any warship built for speed and maneuverability, the description often used being "frigate-built"...
HMS Amphion
HMS Amphion (1798)
HMS Amphion was a 32-gun fifth rate frigate of the Royal Navy. She served during the Napoleonic Wars.Amphion was built by Betts, of Mistleythorn, and was launched on 19 March 1798....
as a midshipman whilst transported Horatio Nelson to the Mediterranean to take command. Westphal was transferred to HMS Victory.
Battle of Trafalgar
On the 21 October 1805 Westphal now a 20 year old midshipman was at the centre of the historic Battle of TrafalgarBattle of Trafalgar
The Battle of Trafalgar was a sea battle fought between the British Royal Navy and the combined fleets of the French Navy and Spanish Navy, during the War of the Third Coalition of the Napoleonic Wars ....
fighting on Nelsons flagship Victory. Westphal was wounded in head by shot during the fighting and taken to Victory's sick bay, where he was laid near to the injured Horatio Nelson. During his treatment in cockpit the somebody made a pillow for Westphal to lay on, the pillow was made of Nelson's rolled up coat. The dried blood from Westphal's wounds had bonded some of his hair to part of the coat, and the the surgeon had to cut away the coat before he could treat Westphal. These fragments of Nelson's coat were kept as a memento by Westphal for the rest of his life.
Westphal explained in an 1842 article in the United Service journal;
Many years after the battle Westphal was asked to identify Nelson's coat for the Admiralty, Prince Albert had bought it for the Greenwich Museum. George was able to authenticate it with his treasured fragments. It is said that he had assured the Admiralty of the authenticity of the coat if part of the epaulette was missing.
After Trafalgar
Westphal served as a midshipman on HMS OceanHMS Ocean (1805)
HMS Ocean was a 98-gun second-rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched from Woolwich Dockyard on 24 October 1805. She was the only ship built to her draught, and designed by Sir John Henslow....
the flagship of Lord Collingwood. Ocean was a 98-gun second-rate ship of the line commanded by Captain Frances Pender.
Westphal went on to serve as a midshipman on HMS Caledonia
HMS Caledonia (1808)
HMS Caledonia was a 120-gun first-rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched on 25 June 1808 at Plymouth. She was Admiral Pellew's flagship in the Mediterranean....
, a 120-gun first-rate ship of the line and flagship of John Jervis, 1st Earl of St Vincent
John Jervis, 1st Earl of St Vincent
Admiral of the Fleet John Jervis, 1st Earl of St Vincent GCB, PC was an admiral in the Royal Navy and Member of Parliament in the United Kingdom...
.
On the 15 August 1806 Westphal was promoted to lieutenant on the Demerara sloop in the West Indies. He was captured when a French privateer
Privateer
A privateer is a private person or ship authorized by a government by letters of marque to attack foreign shipping during wartime. Privateering was a way of mobilizing armed ships and sailors without having to spend public money or commit naval officers...
captured the merchant ship he was returning to England on, during which he was again severely wounded. He escaped from prison in Guadaloupe and was picked up by an American ship. He returned to the West Indies as a lieutenant aboard HMS Neptune
HMS Neptune
Nine ships and a naval base of the Royal Navy have been named HMS Neptune after the Roman god of the ocean: was a 90-gun second rate launched in 1683. She was rebuilt in 1710 and 1730 before being renamed HMS Torbay in her new incarnation as a third rate in 1750. She was sold in 1784. was a...
, and later HMS Belleisle
HMS Belleisle
Three ships of the Royal Navy have been named HMS Belleisle after Belle Île off the coast of Brittany:* The first Belleisle was a French 74-gun third-rate ship of the line named Formidable captured in 1795 near Belle Île...
, ships under the command of Commodore Sir George Cockburn
George Cockburn
Admiral of the Fleet Sir George Cockburn, 10th Baronet GCB was a British naval commander of the late 18th through the mid-19th centuries. He held important commands during the Napoleonic Wars and the War of 1812 and eventually rose to become Admiral of the Fleet and First Sea Lord.-Naval...
. He fought on land during the 1809 invasion of Martinique
Invasion of Martinique (1809)
The invasion of Martinique of 1809 was a successful British amphibious operation against the French West Indian island of Martinique that took place between 30 January and 24 February 1809 during the Napoleonic Wars...
.
After another period in home waters, he returned to West Indies where he served aboard HMS Chesapeake and was promoted commander on 8 July 1813. He married Alicia Chambers in 1817.
He was promoted to post-captain
Post-Captain
Post-captain is an obsolete alternative form of the rank of captain in the Royal Navy.The term served to distinguish those who were captains by rank from:...
on 12 August 1819 and in 1822 was placed in command of HMS Jupiter
HMS Jupiter
Six ships of the Royal Navy have been named HMS Jupiter, after the Roman god Jupiter. was a 50-gun fourth rate launched in 1778 and wrecked in 1808. was a 50-gun fourth rate launched in 1813. She was used as a troopship from 1837 and a coal hulk from 1846. She was broken up in 1870.*HMS Jupiter was...
and took Lord Amherst to India to serve as governor general. He was knighted on his return to England and served as flag captain
Flag captain
In the Royal Navy, a flag captain was the captain of an admiral's flagship. During the 18th and 19th centuries, this ship might also have a "captain of the fleet", who would be ranked between the admiral and the "flag captain" as the ship's "First Captain", with the "flag captain" as the ship's...
to Sir George Cockburn in 1832 but was invalided out of active service in 1834.
Retirement
Westphal retired to HoveHove
Hove is a town on the south coast of England, immediately to the west of its larger neighbour Brighton, with which it forms the unitary authority Brighton and Hove. It forms a single conurbation together with Brighton and some smaller towns and villages running along the coast...
in Sussex
Sussex
Sussex , from the Old English Sūþsēaxe , is an historic county in South East England corresponding roughly in area to the ancient Kingdom of Sussex. It is bounded on the north by Surrey, east by Kent, south by the English Channel, and west by Hampshire, and is divided for local government into West...
where he lived at the same house until his death, 2 Brunswick Square (1836-1875). On the retired list, he was promoted to rear admiral
Admiral
Admiral is the rank, or part of the name of the ranks, of the highest naval officers. It is usually considered a full admiral and above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet . It is usually abbreviated to "Adm" or "ADM"...
(17 August 1851), vice admiral (10 September 1857) and finaly admiral (23 March 1863).
When Westphal died on 12 January 1875, he was the last surviving Royal Navy officer to have fought at Trafalgar on board HMS Victory and had lived until the age of 90, some 70 years after seeing Nelson die. He was buried in the family vault at the St Andrew's Church, Church Road, Hove.