Robert Benjamin Young

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Robert Benjamin Young
Born(1773-09-15)15 September 1773
Douglas, Isle of Man
Died26 November 1846(1846-11-26) (aged 73)
Exeter, Devon, England
Buried
St Nicholas' Church, Glamorgan, England
AllegianceUnited Kingdom United Kingdom
Service/branchRoyal Navy
Years of service1781–unknown
RankCommander
Battles/warsBattle of the Nile
Battle of Trafalgar

Commander Robert Benjamin Young, RN (15 September 1773 – 26 November 1846) was an officer in the

Admiral Nelson
had promised this honour to him.

Early life

Born in 1773 at

St Vincent in which he was embroiled in the thick of the fighting but was unhurt.[1][2] Sailing in HMS Bonne Citoyenne, he was an observer of the battle of Cape St. Vincent in 1797, and was badly wounded by a collapsing spar during a gun action a few weeks later.[2] Returning for duty in 1798, Young participated in the defence of Gibraltar and was present in the aftermath of the Battle of the Nile, aiding in repairs and consolidation of the British fleet.[1][2]

Battle of Trafalgar

He returned home on

Peace of Amiens and to take her as a despatch vessel to Nelson's fleet off Cádiz.[1] Young claimed for the rest of life that when the combined fleet emerged on 21 October, Nelson ordered him to remain close to HMS Victory, so that despatches home could be instantly sent off. No written record has survived of such an order, and Young could find no corroborating witnesses but Entreprenante did remain close to the Victory except when Victory was embroiled in the thick of the fight, where a single enemy broadside would have blasted Entreprenante matchwood.[1][2]

Following the action and the subsequent death of Nelson, there was far too much to be done in terms of rescuing survivors, repairing ships and heading back to Cadiz to worry about dispatches. Young performed these duties heroically, even taking his little craft close to the blazing French ship

Admiral Collingwood, the Bahama was swiftly retaken.[3][4]

Post Trafalgar

Young reportedly was "mortified" to discover Collingwood had sent his own despatch vessel, the Pickle under Lapenotiere to England with the reports of the victory, none of which even mentioned Young's part in the battle's aftermath. The bearer of such good news could expect wealth and promotion, which Lapenotiere did in fact receive.[2][5] Young, who instead delivered duplicate despatches to Faro, was overlooked and ignored, missing the general promotion from which so many other captains benefitted.[4][5] Young remained a lieutenant in the Entreprenante, where he spent the next two years on blockade duty off Brest, before being forced home by illness.[4] Young was appointed first lieutenant of HMS Ulysses in 1809 and took part in the Walcheren Campaign, where he was the senior officer in charge of the flat-bottomed boats.[5] In 1810, he finally made commander, 19 years after passing as a lieutenant. This was a mixed blessing, as Young's lack of influence again resulted in his being overlooked and passed over for seagoing commissions, a problem not aided by recurring bouts of ill health following the severe sickness he incurred in 1807. Shortly after, he was put on half pay and never served again.[4][5]

In 1839, Young received a pension from the

Trafalgar Way journey, and he died an impoverished and broken man in 1846. He was buried in Exeter near his home.[4][5]

Citations

  1. ^ a b c d e f g O'Byrne p. 1338
  2. ^ a b c d e f Hore p. 172
  3. ^ O'Byrne pp. 1338-1339
  4. ^ a b c d e Hore p.173
  5. ^ a b c d e O'Byrne p. 1339

References

  • Hore, Peter (2015). Nelson's Band of Brothers: Lives and Memorials. Barnsley.: Seaforth Publishing.
    ISBN 9781848327795
    .
  • O'Byrne, William Richard (1849). "Young, Robert Benjamin" . A Naval Biographical Dictionary . John Murray – via Wikisource.

Further reading

  • The Trafalgar Captains, Colin White and the 1805 Club, Chatham Publishing, London, 2005,
    ISBN 1-86176-247-X

External links
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