John Drinkwater Bethune
Encyclopedia
Colonel John Drinkwater Bethune (9 June 1762 – 16 January 1844), born John Drinkwater, was an English army officer and military historian, and was well known for his journal, which he kept during the Great Siege of Gibraltar
.
. In 1787 Drinkwater travelled to Gibraltar a second time with the second battalion of the Royal Regiment of foot. He was publicly thanked by General Eliott
for his book and was given sufficient funds to establish the Gibraltar Garrison Library
. He subsequently accompanied his regiment to Toulon (where he acted as military secretary during the city's English occupation) and then to Corsica (where he served as deputy-judge-advocate to the English forces stationed there).
One son, John Elliot Drinkwater Bethune
was a pioneer in promoting women's education in 19th-century India
and in 1849
founded an institution for women's education in Calcutta. The other, Charles Ramsay Drinkwater Bethune
rose to Admiral in the Royal Navy.
His last years were spent living at Thorncroft Manor, Leatherhead
, a fine 18th century house. He is buried in the churchyard of St. Nicholas and St. Mary's Church, Leatherhead,
, afterwards Lord Heathfield.
As a soldier, Drinkwater was more interested in the military
than in the civil aspects, yet his account does give some glimpses of the sufferings of the civilians.
The account was completed in 1783 and had with extreme rapidity established its reputation as a military classic.
Company and earned great respect in his role for his surefooted handling of the company's many financial crises during the period leading up to the opening of the canal in 1820.
Great Siege of Gibraltar
The Great Siege of Gibraltar was an unsuccessful attempt by Spain and France to capture Gibraltar from the British during the American War of Independence. This was the largest action fought during the war in terms of numbers, particularly the Grand Assault of 18 September 1782...
.
Life and career
Bethune was born at Warrington in 1762. The son of an ex-navy surgeon, he joined the Royal Manchester volunteers at the age of fifteen and was almost immediately posted to GibraltarGibraltar
Gibraltar is a British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. A peninsula with an area of , it has a northern border with Andalusia, Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of the region...
. In 1787 Drinkwater travelled to Gibraltar a second time with the second battalion of the Royal Regiment of foot. He was publicly thanked by General Eliott
George Augustus Eliott, 1st Baron Heathfield
George Augustus Eliott, 1st Baron Heathfield, KB was a British Army officer who took served in three major wars during the eighteenth century. He rose to distinction during the Seven Years War when he fought in Germany and participated in the British attacks on Belle Île and Cuba...
for his book and was given sufficient funds to establish the Gibraltar Garrison Library
Garrison Library
The Garrison Library was founded in Gibraltar in 1793 by Colonel John Drinkwater Bethune and officially opened in 1804 by the Duke of Kent. The library served as the headquarters and archive service of the Gibraltar Chronicle, the world's second oldest English language newspaper...
. He subsequently accompanied his regiment to Toulon (where he acted as military secretary during the city's English occupation) and then to Corsica (where he served as deputy-judge-advocate to the English forces stationed there).
One son, John Elliot Drinkwater Bethune
John Elliot Drinkwater Bethune
John Elliot Drinkwater Bethune , previously John Elliot Drinkwater, a barrister and law member of the Governor-General's Council, was an Anglo-Indian lawyer and a pioneer in promoting women's education in 19th-century India....
was a pioneer in promoting women's education in 19th-century India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
and in 1849
founded an institution for women's education in Calcutta. The other, Charles Ramsay Drinkwater Bethune
Charles Bethune
Charles Ramsay Drinkwater Bethune CB was a British officer of the Royal Navy. He rose to the rank of Admiral during his career.- Early Life :...
rose to Admiral in the Royal Navy.
His last years were spent living at Thorncroft Manor, Leatherhead
Leatherhead
Leatherhead is a town in the County of Surrey, England, on the River Mole, part of Mole Valley district. It is thought to be of Saxon origin...
, a fine 18th century house. He is buried in the churchyard of St. Nicholas and St. Mary's Church, Leatherhead,
A History of the Siege of Gibraltar
He first published his work in 1785, and a new edition of A History of the Siege of Gibraltar was published in 1905. The history of the four eventful years' siege is fully detailed also in the Memoir, attached to Green's Siege of Gibraltar (1784), of its defender George Augustus ElliotGeorge Augustus Eliott, 1st Baron Heathfield
George Augustus Eliott, 1st Baron Heathfield, KB was a British Army officer who took served in three major wars during the eighteenth century. He rose to distinction during the Seven Years War when he fought in Germany and participated in the British attacks on Belle Île and Cuba...
, afterwards Lord Heathfield.
As a soldier, Drinkwater was more interested in the military
Military
A military is an organization authorized by its greater society to use lethal force, usually including use of weapons, in defending its country by combating actual or perceived threats. The military may have additional functions of use to its greater society, such as advancing a political agenda e.g...
than in the civil aspects, yet his account does give some glimpses of the sufferings of the civilians.
The account was completed in 1783 and had with extreme rapidity established its reputation as a military classic.
Career as a Canal Director
Drinkwater enjoyed a second career following his military career. He was a director of the Regent's CanalRegent's Canal
Regent's Canal is a canal across an area just north of central London, England. It provides a link from the Paddington arm of the Grand Union Canal, just north-west of Paddington Basin in the west, to the Limehouse Basin and the River Thames in east London....
Company and earned great respect in his role for his surefooted handling of the company's many financial crises during the period leading up to the opening of the canal in 1820.