A Story of Treachery

This is the story of the unfortunate Admiral John Byng, a celebrated naval hero made Viscount of Torrington by George I and appointed Commodore Governor of Newfoundland in 1742. I had never heard of him until we learned about him at the National Maritime Museum, but his story has so much pathos, I wanted to be able to remember it for a long time. So I'm blogging about. If you find historical detail boring, skip the following. During the Seven Years War between Britain and France, Byng was sent in 1745 to relieve the fortress of Minorca. He was given confusing instructions, inadequate ships and generally poorly served. He did not overwhelm the French during an intial encounter and given the poor state of his ships failed to give chase. When he returned home, despite his reputation, he was blamed for not complying with the newly revised articles of war which required an officer to do his utmost to defeat the enemy. He was court martialled and sentenced to execution with a recommendation for royal clemency, which George II, who was in a fight with Commons (as usual) refused to grant. So it was that an admiral of the British fleet who was set up by the admiralty, was forced to kneel blindfolded on a cushion in the forecastle of a British ship in front of six British marines who opened fire and shot him dead. It was, essentially, a judicial murder to cover up admiralty incompetence. Voltaire later satirized this event in his play Candide, when he has a character observe, "In England, it is good from time to time to execute an admiral in order to encourage others." We in the west revel in our mythology of a justice system which is blind, impartial and ultimately reaches a fair verdict. It is well to remember cases like Byngs as an illustration that even justice can be fallible when it encounters politices.