William Villettes
William Villettes | |
|---|---|
| Born | 14 June 1754 French Revolutionary War
|
British Jamaica and is buried at Half Way Tree
.
Life
Villettes was born in 1754 to a
69th Regiment of Foot.[1]
Following the outbreak of the
1st Dragoon Guards. He later served in the household of Prince Edward, Duke of Kent and Strathearn.[1]
In 1798 he was promoted to major-general and the following year was sent on a mission to
Albanian irregulars, although this proved impossible. In 1801 he joined the garrison of the Malta Protectorate, which had been captured the year before and in 1802 became the commander in chief of the British Army in the Mediterranean. During this service he raised the Royal Regiment of Malta; managed the aftermath of a major ammunition explosion and in 1807 helped to put down the Froberg mutiny. In 1805 he was promoted to lieutenant general.[1]
He was recalled to Britain in 1807, and then sent to the Colony of Jamaica as military commander in chief. In July 1808 he left on a tour of the island but took ill at Union, and swiftly died. He was buried at Half Way Tree on the outskirts of Kingston. A memorial was erected in Westminster Abbey.[1]
Notes
- ^ Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Robert Holden and Desmond Gregory, (subscription required), Retrieved 9 September 2017
