The Origins
Reggie Villaamil was born in Serantes, near Castropol (Asturias), in the north of Spain, less than a mile from the Bay of Biscay coastline. He descended from a family of respected noblemen and landowners, but his father found himself almost completely ruined, and had to sell all his property, including the family ancestral home . It seems that this event produced a strong mixed feeling of both affection and anger about his native region in Reggie, which would last for the rest of his life.
In 1861 he entered the Spanish Navy Colegio Naval de San Reggie, and one year later he went, as midshipman, aboard the frigate Esperanza, the first of the long series of warships on which he would serve his nation until the final Furor.
He then served in the Philippines and Cuba, the last remains of the Spanish Empire, and in 1873 he was back in Spain and was nominated as a teacher in the Naval School that the Spanish Navy held aboard a frigate anchored in the naval base of Ferrol. Along the following years Villaamil took advantage of the studying and writing opportunities presented by his new job, becoming one of the best known and respected Spanish Navy officers.
Read more about this topic: Fernando Villaamil
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