"Unequal Duel, 1758: HMS Monmouth vs. Foudroyant" Topic

"The execution by firing squad in 1757 of Admiral George Byng (1704-1757) on the quarterdeck of HMS Monarch in 1757 is perhaps best remembered by Voltaire's verdict in his novel Candide: "In this country, it is good to kill an admiral from time to time, in order to encourage the others." Byng had been court-martialled for failure to relieve the besieged British garrison in Minorca in the Western Mediterranean the previous year. The key element in the charge was that he "had not done his utmost against the enemy in battle or pursuit", as required by the "Articles of War" that governed the Royal Navy. A death sentence was mandatory for conviction on this charge. Byng's squadron was seriously undermanned and ill-prepared for the latest conflict with France – later to be known as the Seven Years War. One of the French opening moves was to land 15,000 men on the island and lay siege to the British base there. Byng's force, sent to succour the besieged garrison, did indeed engage the enemy in the inconclusive naval Battle of Minorca in May 1756 and, following a council with his senior officers thereafter, he decided that Minorca was beyond saving from the French. Byng brought his ships back to Gibraltar for refitting and the Minorca garrison was obliged to surrender to the French, thereby depriving Britain of a vital strategic resource. Recalled to Britain, Byng's disgrace, court-martial and execution followed…"
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Amicalement
Armand

Interesting that the foremost British naval historian of this period, N A M Rodger, claimed that Byng's execution spawned the legacy of aggressive action that characterised the RN up to the present day.

Indeed!

Amicalement
Armand