John is then believed to have transferred to HMS Bellerophon, one of the Royal Navy's most famous ships. Known by sailors as ‘Billy Ruff’n’, she was in action at the Glorious First of June, the Battle of the Nile, and the Battle of Trafalgar. In 1815, with John Lidiard in her crew, she took on her most infamous passenger of all. Leaving Plymouth in May, she sailed to Rochefort and while there the French General Napoleon, defeated at Waterloo, was taken on board by Captain Maitland.
Napoleon was given protection by England, and taken back to Torbay where word quickly spread that the little general was onboard. Thousands crowded into boats and surrounded the ship, desparate to catch a glimpse. In the evening when Napoleon appeared on deck the throngs of onlookers went wild and in the scramble to get even closer, boatloads of spectators sank. No one was allowed on or off Bellerophon and eventually, to stop the mayhem, she sailed for Plymouth where similar scenes awaited. When Napoleon was transferred to HMS Northumberland, Billy Ruff’n's crew was taken to Sheerness and paid off.
Sir William Quiller Orchardson's depiction of
Napoleon onboard HMS Bellerophon
My Story
With the French/English war now over, Britain's Royal Navy was reduced from 145,000 to 19,000 men. Thousands flooded the work force but there were few jobs to fill. In 1817, London was gripped by fever. With little chance of earning money in a sick and gloomy city, John turned back to a life at sea. For several years sealing and whaling ships had been making speculative voyages to the southern fisheries, often returning with lucrative cargos of oil and pelts for the London market. It was a long, risky venture but men were enticed by the promise of a good return. On 11 August 1817 John Lidiard joined the crew of the whaleship Indian under Captain, William Swain of America, and set sail for the South Seas.
When British ships began intercepting American merchant vessels and taking their men, the war of 1812 was declared. Pride of the US Navy were the super frigates USS Constitution and USS President. Britain desperately wanted to capture one of these to rally the English at home, and at sea.
"Gathered together for the first time in one comprehensive volume are more than 500 alphabetically arranged entries from over 70 contributors examining the military, political, and social history of the War of 1812."
"The definitive portrait of "the scourge of Europe", this complete single-volume biography--based on ten years of research--captures the spectacular rise and dizzying fall of Napoleon Bonaparte. 75 photos. 15 maps."
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In January 1815 HMS Majestic led a small squardron of British vessels that eventually ran the USS President down as she tried to escape from the harbour during a snowstorm. Having lost a fifth of her crew in the battle, USS President was defeated and taken back to England, the ultimate high seas trophy, albeit severly damaged from when the fleet was hit by a storm after her capture.
By 25, John Lidiard had risen to be Captain of the Maintop. This post was resevered for only the most reliable and agile of the able bodied seamen. To be in charge of a crew in the maintop required a person of great skill and athletic ability. Men who worked in the upper rigging performed the most demanding work aloft. Although John had worked his way to the top of the ship, he still ranked as a rating, well below the officers. He worked hard for his pay and share in the prize money of captured enemy ships. During the blockade of Boton, John served onboard the 74 gun razee, HMS Majestic.
