John Byng facts for kids

Quick facts for kids John Byng
Portrait of John Byng by Thomas Hudson, 1749
Born	baptised (1704-10-29)29 October 1704 Southill, Bedfordshire, England
Died	14 March 1757(1757-03-14) (aged 52) Portsmouth, England
Allegiance	Great Britain
Service/branch	Royal Navy
Years of service	1718–1757
Rank	Admiral
Commands held	Newfoundland Station Leith Station Mediterranean Fleet
Battles/wars	Seven Years' War Battle of Minorca

The Byng family coat of arms

Admiral John Byng (born 29 October 1704 – died 14 March 1757) was a British Royal Navy officer. He was later put on trial by a court-martial and executed by a firing squad.

Byng joined the navy when he was just thirteen years old. He took part in the Battle of Cape Passaro in 1718. For the next thirty years, he became known as a reliable naval officer. He was promoted to vice-admiral in 1747. He also served as the leader of the Newfoundland Colony in 1742. From 1745 to 1746, he was the Commander-in-Chief, Leith. He was also a member of Parliament from 1751 until his death.

Admiral Byng failed to help a British army group during the Battle of Minorca. This battle happened at the start of the Seven Years' War. He had sailed to Minorca with a fleet that was put together quickly. Some of his ships were not in good condition. In the battle against a French fleet, he was defeated. His ships were also badly damaged. He then decided to go back to Gibraltar to fix his ships.

When he returned to Britain, Byng was put on trial. He was found guilty of not doing his "utmost" to stop Minorca from falling to the French. He was sentenced to death. Despite requests for mercy, he was shot by a firing squad on 14 March 1757.

Early Life and Family

John Byng was born in Southill Park in Southill, Bedfordshire, England. He was the fourth son of Rear-Admiral George Byng, 1st Viscount Torrington. His father later became an Admiral of the Fleet. George Byng had supported King William III when he became King of England in 1689. This helped his family's standing and wealth grow.

George Byng was a very skilled naval leader. He won many battles and was respected by the kings he served. In 1721, King George I made him a viscount. He was given the title Viscount Torrington.

Naval Career

John Byng joined the Royal Navy in March 1718. He was 13 years old. At this time, his father was a well-known admiral. Early in his career, Byng was sent to different places in the Mediterranean Sea. In 1723, at age 19, he became a lieutenant. At 23, he became a captain of HMS Gibraltar. He served in the Mediterranean until 1739 without much action.

In 1742, he was made Commodore-Governor of Newfoundland Colony. This was a British colony. He was promoted to rear-admiral in 1745. He was then made Commander-in-Chief, Leith, until 1746. Byng was stationed near Scotland. He stopped supplies from reaching James Francis Edward Stuart during the 1745 Jacobite Rebellion. The admiral also helped the Duke of Cumberland after the Battle of Culloden. He became a vice-admiral in 1747. He was also made Commander-in-Chief of the Mediterranean Fleet. From 1751 until his death, he was a Member of Parliament for Rochester.

The Battle for Minorca

A poem about two admirals who ran away from a fight.

The island of Minorca had been a British territory since 1708. It was captured during the War of the Spanish Succession. As the Seven Years' War began, British diplomats warned that Minorca was in danger. They said a French naval attack from Toulon was coming. By 1755, Britain had reduced its navy. Only three large warships were in the Mediterranean. Lord George Anson, who led the Admiralty, focused on stopping a French invasion of Britain instead.

Byng was ordered to gather a fleet on 11 March 1756. Only six of his ten assigned ships were in Portsmouth. All of them were very short on sailors. Byng's main goal was to find the new French fleet at Toulon. Helping the British army at Fort St Philip in Port Mahon was a secondary concern.

Byng protested that he was not given enough money or time. His fleet was delayed in Portsmouth for over a month. He was also told to prepare other ships before his own. Half of his ships were broken or missing. For example, the Defiance was missing its main masts.

By 6 April, Byng was still missing over 800 men. He sailed from Portsmouth using soldiers instead of sailors. While he was sailing, the French fleet from Toulon landed 15,000 troops on Minorca. This happened on 17 April 1756.

Byng arrived at Gibraltar and learned about the French landing. General Thomas Fowke at Gibraltar refused to give Byng a regiment of marines. The naval facilities at Gibraltar were also in bad shape.

Byng wrote to the Admiralty Office, saying the situation was serious. He felt the fort could not hold out against the French. Without marines to land, and with his fleet short on sailors, Byng still sailed towards Minorca. He wanted to see the situation for himself.

Byng sailed on 8 May 1756. On 19 May, his fleet appeared near Port Mahon. He tried to contact the fort. However, the French squadron appeared before he could talk to anyone at the fort.

The Battle of Minorca happened the next day. Byng's ships were in a better position with the wind. But the two fleets were not lined up evenly. Byng ordered his ships to turn together and sail towards the enemy. But the lead ship, Defiance, did not steer directly for the first French ship. Instead, it sailed alongside it. Other ships followed this example.

It took Byng about ten to fifteen minutes to correct his ships. By this time, the French admiral had ordered his ships to sail away. This delay cost Byng the element of surprise. It also made the rest of the battle a "running fight."

Because of the angle, the leading ships took most of the damage. The Intrepid was badly damaged. Other ships almost crashed trying to avoid it. Byng's battle line was broken. It took him twenty to thirty minutes to fix the line. Once it was fixed, the French sailed away quickly.

Byng's captain told him he could sail faster towards the enemy. Byng refused, remembering that another admiral had been punished for doing so. After about four hours, neither side had lost a ship. The number of dead and wounded was similar. The British had 43 killed and 168 wounded. The French had 38 killed and 175 wounded.

Byng stayed near Minorca for four days. He could not contact the fort or see the French fleet. On 24 May, he held a meeting with his officers. They all agreed to return to Gibraltar for repairs and more men. The fleet arrived at Gibraltar on 19 June. They got four more warships and a frigate. Damaged ships were fixed, and supplies were loaded. But before they could sail again, new orders arrived from England. Byng and others were removed from their command and told to return home.

When Byng arrived in England, he was arrested. The fort on Minorca resisted the French attack until 29 June. Then it had to surrender.

After the Battle

News about the Battle of Minorca was slow to arrive. The British government had already faced military losses elsewhere. These included defeats in America and India. At home, there were food riots. Another failure would challenge the government's power.

When news of the battle did arrive, it came from a Spanish diplomat. He carried a message from the French admiral. Without hearing from Byng, ministers decided to recall several officers, including Byng. It took 20 more days for Byng's report to reach London. By then, the ministers had already decided to blame Byng.

On 26 June 1756, the government newspaper printed an edited version of Byng's report. They removed parts and changed words to make him seem like a coward. People started protesting against Byng. They burned effigies (dolls) of him in port cities.

The Prime Minister, Newcastle, also faced criticism. He wrote that the loss would be blamed on Byng. It seemed the government had chosen Byng to take the blame. They wanted to hide their own neglect of the Mediterranean area.

The Court-Martial

Byng's failure to help the Minorca army caused public anger. He was brought home to be tried by a court-martial. This was for breaking the Articles of War. These rules had been changed eleven years earlier. They now said that officers who did not do their utmost against the enemy must be punished by death.

This rule was changed after an event in 1745. A young officer named Baker Phillips was tried and shot. His ship was captured by the French. His captain had not prepared the ship for battle and was killed. Phillips, who was not experienced, had to surrender the ship. The court-martial noted the captain's fault. They asked for mercy for Phillips, but his death sentence was approved.

Some in Parliament were angry. They felt that a higher-ranking officer would have been spared. They thought Phillips was executed because he was a junior officer and an easy target. So, the Articles of War were changed. The death penalty applied to any officer of any rank who did not do their utmost against the enemy.

Byng's court-martial began on 28 December 1756. It was held on the ship HMS St George in Portsmouth Harbour. Admiral Thomas Smith led the trial. The verdict was given four weeks later, on 27 January 1757. It described Byng's actions during the Minorca expedition.

The court said Byng was not a coward. But they found that he failed to keep his fleet together. They also said his flagship fired from too far away to be effective. And he should have gone straight to Minorca instead of returning to Gibraltar. Because of these actions, the court decided Byng had "not done his utmost." This broke the 12th Article of War.

Once the court decided Byng had "failed to do his utmost," they had no choice for punishment. The Articles of War said the punishment must be death. The court asked King George II to show mercy.

Clemency Denied and Execution

First Lord of the Admiralty Richard Grenville-Temple asked King George II for mercy. But the King angrily refused. Four members of the court-martial asked Parliament to let them speak for Byng. The Commons agreed, but the Lords said no.

Prime Minister William Pitt the Elder knew the Admiralty was partly to blame. The fleet was poorly manned and repaired. But the Duke of Newcastle, who was responsible, was now working with Pitt. This made it hard for Pitt to fight the court-martial's decision strongly. He did ask the King to change the death sentence. The King refused. Pitt and the King were political rivals.

Many people felt the punishment was too harsh. They suspected the Admiralty blamed Byng to protect themselves. This led to support for Byng among the Navy and the public. Pitt told the King that the House of Commons wanted mercy. The King replied that he looked for the public's opinion elsewhere.

The King did not grant mercy. Admiral Byng was held on HMS Monarch. On 14 March 1757, he was taken to the ship's deck for execution. Sailors from other ships watched from boats. The admiral knelt on a cushion. He dropped his handkerchief to show he was ready. A squad of Royal Marines then shot him.

Legacy

Byng's execution was made fun of by Voltaire in his book Candide. In the book, a character sees an officer being executed. He is told that "in this country, it is good to kill an admiral from time to time to encourage the others."

Byng was the last admiral to be executed in this way. Twenty-two years later, the Articles of War were changed. They now allowed "such other punishment as the nature and degree of the offence shall be found to deserve." This meant death was no longer the only option.

In 2007, some of Byng's family asked the government for a pardon. The Ministry of Defence refused. His family still seeks a pardon.

Byng's execution has been called "the worst legal crime in the nation's history." However, some historians believe it helped make British naval officers more determined. They think it gave them a mental edge over their enemies.

Byng was buried in the Byng Mausoleum at All Saints' Church in Southill. His tombstone shows his family's view:

Places Named After Byng

• Byng Drive, a road in Potters Bar, Hertfordshire
• The Admiral Byng, a pub in Potters Bar, Hertfordshire
• Byng, a village in Cabonne Shire, New South Wales, Australia
• Byng Street, one of the main streets in Orange, New South Wales, Australia
• A Tribute to Admiral Byng, a song by the band Blyth Power (1986)
• Byng Street and Byng Lane, Maroubra, New South Wales, Australia
• Byng Inlet, Ontario, Canada
• Byng Island Conservation Area, Dunnville Ontario Canada

Images for kids

• 

  1820 view of Wrotham Park in Hertfordshire, a house built by John Byng.

See also

In Spanish: John Byng para niños

• Great Britain in the Seven Years' War