Life
Hewett was born at Brighton to Dr. William Hewett, physician to King William IV. He entered the Royal Navy in 1847, and served as a midshipman in the Burmese War. In 1854, while acting mate of the HMS Beagle, he was attached to the Naval Brigade during the Siege of Sevastopol. While he was in command of the Right Lancaster Battery on 26 October, and again on 5 November, he performed deeds which led to a field promotion to lieutenant and his award of the Victoria Cross, one of the first for that war. The promotion was made official after passing his examinations at Portsmouth; Hewett was subsequently appointed to the royal yacht, from which he was promoted to commander 13 September 1858.
Other commands included: the HMS Viper, and the HMS Rinaldo before his promotion to captain 24 November 1862, the HMS Basilisk (1865–1869), flag-captain to Sir Henry Kellett (1870–1872) and captain of the HMS Devastation (1872–1873). He was Commander-in-Chief, Cape of Good Hope and West Coast of Africa Station, in charge of naval operations during the Third Anglo-Ashanti War, from 1873. For his services during this conflict, on 31 March 1874 he was awarded made KCB. He commanded the HMS Achilles from 1877 until he was drawn into service in the Mahdist War. In 1882 he was appointed Commander-in-Chief, East Indies Station. Following the British defeat at El Teb, Hewett commanded the naval brigade which landed at Suakin 6 February 1884, and was appointed governor of Sudan 10 February by Baker Pasha. From May 1885 to July 1885 he was Junior Naval Lord.
In April, Hewett led a delegation to Emperor Yohannes IV which negotiated, in exchange for free transit of guns and ammunition through Massawa, access through Ethiopian territory the successful evacuation of the Egyptian garrisons that had been isolated in southern Sudan by the revolt of Muhammad Ahmad (also known as the Mahdi) against the Egyptian rulers.
After his return from Ethiopia, Hewett was promoted to Vice Admiral 8 July 1884. From March 1886 to April 1888 he was in command of the Channel Fleet; however, his delicate health worsened and he died shortly after his retirement.
Read more about this topic: William Nathan Wrighte Hewett
Famous quotes containing the word life:
“Consider his life which was valueless
In terms of employment, hotel ledgers, news files.
Consider. One bullet in ten thousand kills a man.
Ask. Was so much expenditure justified
On the death of one so young and so silly
Lying under the olive tree, O world, O death?”
—Stephen Spender (19091995)
“The richest princes and the poorest beggars are to have one great and just judge at the last day who will not distinguish between them according to their ranks when in life but according to the neglected opportunities afforded to each. How much greater then, as the opportunities were greater, must be the condemnation of the one than of the other?”
—Samuel Richardson (16891761)
“I am so tired of taking to others
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the I really want to know what your life is like without giving up any of my privileges
to live it white women
the I want to live my white life with Third World womens style and keep my skin
class privileges dykes”
—Lorraine Bethel, African American lesbian feminist poet. What Chou Mean We, White Girl? Lines 49-54 (1979)