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William Bush (Hornblower)
Encyclopedia
Captain
William Bush RN
is a fictional character in C.S. Forester's Horatio Hornblower
series. He is Hornblower's best friend, and serves with Hornblower in the Royal Navy prior to the Peace of Amiens and again during the Napoleonic Wars
.
Bush's loyalty to Hornblower is in fact strengthened by Hornblower's limitations and his attempts to conceal them.
As the Hornblower novels progress, Bush often worries that Hornblower is depriving himself not only of food and rest, but also of human contact. Although Bush is an excellent judge of character, he is not a diplomat; and he must often keep his concern for his sensitive friend to himself. The friendship
survives because of Bush's perseverance.
and depend upon Bush for their support. His sisters "devoted all their attention to him whenever it was possible," and he is as devoted to them as he gives them half of his pay. Forester does not reveal if Bush grew up in Chichester, or at what age he left home. He was "brought up in a harsh school," an experience which taught him caution and perhaps contributed to his natural stolidity.
Forester did not give a date of birth for Bush: indeed, Bush's age changes over the course of the novels. Bush is first described as being a few years older than Hornblower (similar to an older brother), but is later described as ten years older. Nevertheless, Forester does portray Bush consistently as a character who is wistfully protective of his younger friend.
In July of 1796 Bush received his commission as lieutenant while serving on the HMS Superb, and thus took the first significant step in his career as a naval officer. Bush recalls that he relied more on "seamanship and not navigation" to pass the requisite examination.
Bush served on board HMS Conqueror
just prior to his assignment to Renown. However, Hornblower "biographer" C. Northcote Parkinson
remarks that "Bush's last ship had been the HMS Dolphin
sloop".
Once aboard HMS Renown
Bush meets Horatio Hornblower for the first time:
Although this initial meeting with his junior officer was less than impressive, Bush quickly realized that Hornblower was brilliant yet adept at disguising his brilliance so as not to offend his superiors. Bush's first impulse was to be suspicious of both the brilliance and the evident "duplicity", but his respect for Hornblower overcame this impulse and lead him to friendship and trust. His respect - and his honesty - also compelled Bush to realize that although he was Hornblower's senior officer, Hornblower was the better leader and strategist. Making the best of this awkward situation, Bush gave Hornblower ample opportunity to make and carry out plans during their mission to Samaná. These plans succeeded; Bush gave Hornblower full credit; and Hornblower was promoted to commander. This was the second significant step in Bush's career as a naval officer. Although it at first appears to be a step backwards (Hornblower was suddenly Bush's superior officer) it was in fact mutually beneficial, for if Hornblower was a born leader Bush was a born follower.
Upon return to England Renown was laid up, and Bush encountered a time of unemployment. As an officer he still retained his half-pay, but this he used primarily to support his mother and sisters. Without either the influence to gain an appointment as lieutenant in the reduced navy or the experience necessary to join the merchant service, Bush had to cope with poverty. An aspect of this poverty was social in nature, as it prevented him from spending time in tavern
s or coffeehouse
s (such as the Keppel's Head) where he normally would have enjoyed the company of his peers:
In February 1803 a chance meeting with his friend Hornblower resolved both these issues. The renewal of their acquaintance cheered both men. One month later Britain was again at war; and Hornblower, appointed commander of the sloop
of war Hotspur, "diffidently" asked Bush to be his first lieutenant.
After the Hotspur was wrecked off Brest
, Bush served as a junior lieutenant aboard HMS Temeraire
, a ninety-eight gun ship of the line during the Battle of Trafalgar
. Forester does not give details of Bush's experiences during this time (although he does depict Bush, later, being coaxed to tell the tale).
In 1808 Bush rejoined Hornblower as First Lieutenant
of HMS Lydia sailing to the south Pacific to deliver arms and ammunition to Don Julian Alvarado
, a rebel against Spanish rule. He took part in the capture of the Spanish ship Natividad, her hand-over to Don Julian, and the subsequent battle to destroy her caused by Spain's changing sides.
After his return to England he was transferred to HMS Sutherland along with all the rest of the crew of Lydia. In the Mediterranean Sutherland made various attacks along the Spanish and French coasts, but was eventually sunk after fighting four French ships off Rosas. Bush was badly wounded and his foot amputated.
Bush and Hornblower were sent to Paris
to stand trial for breaking the rules of war. Assisted by Brown, the Captain's Coxswain
, they managed to escape, and after lying low for several months, escape downriver to Nantes
, re-capturing the British prize Witch of Endor, and sailing out to the British fleet. As a result of this action Bush was promoted to Commander
, and sentenced to death in absentia
by a French court. He was given a shore appointment at the dockyard at Sheerness
.
A year later Bush was chosen by Commodore Hornblower as Captain of HMS Nonsuch, the flagship of Hornblower's small squadron in the Baltic
. He took part in the destruction of a French privateer, and then travelled to Russia, seeing action at the siege of Riga
.
Bush returned to England and commanded Nonsuch as part of the Channel Fleet under Pellew
. He was detached to support the French Royalists in revolt against Napoleon at Le Havre
. While leading a night-time amphibious attack on an approaching siege army, Bush seemed to be killed in a powder barge explosion.
(much told from his point of view), Hornblower and the Hotspur
, Hornblower and the Crisis
, The Happy Return
, Ship of the Line
, Flying Colours, The Commodore
, and Lord Hornblower
.
, Bush was played by Paul McGann
. Few changes were made to the character, although some aspects of his role in Lieutenant Hornblower were transferred to Lt. "Archie" Kennedy, who does not appear in the novel.
Captain (Royal Navy)
Captain is a senior officer rank of the Royal Navy. It ranks above Commander and below Commodore and has a NATO ranking code of OF-5. The rank is equivalent to a Colonel in the British Army or Royal Marines and to a Group Captain in the Royal Air Force. The rank of Group Captain is based on the...
William Bush RN
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
is a fictional character in C.S. Forester's Horatio Hornblower
Horatio Hornblower
Horatio Hornblower is a fictional Royal Navy officer who is the protagonist of a series of novels by C. S. Forester. He was later the subject of films and television programs.The original Hornblower tales began with the 1937 novel The Happy Return Horatio Hornblower is a fictional Royal Navy...
series. He is Hornblower's best friend, and serves with Hornblower in the Royal Navy prior to the Peace of Amiens and again during the Napoleonic Wars
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
.
Character sketch
Bush's role in the novels is that of Hornblower's best friend and second-in-command. He is characterized chiefly by his loyalty, his patience, good nature, and stolid matter-of-fact outlook. Although Hornblower genuinely cares for Bush, he often frustrates and hurts him through harsh criticism. Hornblower, although a brilliant strategist, is a painfully self-conscious and hyperactively introspective man who tries desperately to conceal from the world what he perceives as "weaknesses". However, Bush sees Hornblower as he is:- Bush could be fond of [Hornblower] even while he laughed at him, and could respect him even while he knew of his weaknesses.
Bush's loyalty to Hornblower is in fact strengthened by Hornblower's limitations and his attempts to conceal them.
As the Hornblower novels progress, Bush often worries that Hornblower is depriving himself not only of food and rest, but also of human contact. Although Bush is an excellent judge of character, he is not a diplomat; and he must often keep his concern for his sensitive friend to himself. The friendship
Friendship
Friendship is a form of interpersonal relationship generally considered to be closer than association, although there is a range of degrees of intimacy in both friendships and associations. Friendship and association are often thought of as spanning across the same continuum...
survives because of Bush's perseverance.
Biographical summary
Little of the private life of William Bush is revealed in the Hornblower novels. A significant personal detail about Bush is that he has a mother and four sisters who live in a cottage in ChichesterChichester
Chichester is a cathedral city in West Sussex, within the historic County of Sussex, South-East England. It has a long history as a settlement; its Roman past and its subsequent importance in Anglo-Saxon times are only its beginnings...
and depend upon Bush for their support. His sisters "devoted all their attention to him whenever it was possible," and he is as devoted to them as he gives them half of his pay. Forester does not reveal if Bush grew up in Chichester, or at what age he left home. He was "brought up in a harsh school," an experience which taught him caution and perhaps contributed to his natural stolidity.
Forester did not give a date of birth for Bush: indeed, Bush's age changes over the course of the novels. Bush is first described as being a few years older than Hornblower (similar to an older brother), but is later described as ten years older. Nevertheless, Forester does portray Bush consistently as a character who is wistfully protective of his younger friend.
In July of 1796 Bush received his commission as lieutenant while serving on the HMS Superb, and thus took the first significant step in his career as a naval officer. Bush recalls that he relied more on "seamanship and not navigation" to pass the requisite examination.
Bush served on board HMS Conqueror
HMS Conqueror (1801)
HMS Conqueror was a 74-gun third-rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched on 23 November 1801 at Harwich. She was designed by Sir John Henslow as part of the Middling class of 74s, and was the only ship built to her draught...
just prior to his assignment to Renown. However, Hornblower "biographer" C. Northcote Parkinson
C. Northcote Parkinson
Cyril Northcote Parkinson was a British naval historian and author of some sixty books, the most famous of which was his bestseller Parkinson's Law, which led him to be also considered as an important scholar within the field of public administration.-Early life and education:The youngest son of...
remarks that "Bush's last ship had been the HMS Dolphin
HMS Dolphin
Numerous Royal Navy vessels have been named HMS Dolphin after the dolphin.* The first seven Dolphins were small ketches and fireships., launched in 1731, was a 20-gun post ship, renamed Firebrand in 1755 and Penguin in 1757., launched in 1751, was a 24-gun post ship...
sloop".
Once aboard HMS Renown
HMS Renown
Eight ships of the Royal Navy have borne the name HMS Renown, whilst three others have borne the name at various stages in their construction:...
Bush meets Horatio Hornblower for the first time:
- Lieutenant William Bush came on board H.M.S. Renown as she lay at anchor in the HamoazeHamoazeThe Hamoaze is an estuarine stretch of the tidal River Tamar, between the River Lynher and Plymouth Sound, England.The Hamoaze flows past Devonport Dockyard, which belongs to the Royal Navy...
and reported himself to the officer of the watch, who was a tall and rather gangling individual with hollow cheeks and a melancholy cast of countenance, whose uniform looked as if it had been put on in the dark and not readjusted since.
Although this initial meeting with his junior officer was less than impressive, Bush quickly realized that Hornblower was brilliant yet adept at disguising his brilliance so as not to offend his superiors. Bush's first impulse was to be suspicious of both the brilliance and the evident "duplicity", but his respect for Hornblower overcame this impulse and lead him to friendship and trust. His respect - and his honesty - also compelled Bush to realize that although he was Hornblower's senior officer, Hornblower was the better leader and strategist. Making the best of this awkward situation, Bush gave Hornblower ample opportunity to make and carry out plans during their mission to Samaná. These plans succeeded; Bush gave Hornblower full credit; and Hornblower was promoted to commander. This was the second significant step in Bush's career as a naval officer. Although it at first appears to be a step backwards (Hornblower was suddenly Bush's superior officer) it was in fact mutually beneficial, for if Hornblower was a born leader Bush was a born follower.
Upon return to England Renown was laid up, and Bush encountered a time of unemployment. As an officer he still retained his half-pay, but this he used primarily to support his mother and sisters. Without either the influence to gain an appointment as lieutenant in the reduced navy or the experience necessary to join the merchant service, Bush had to cope with poverty. An aspect of this poverty was social in nature, as it prevented him from spending time in tavern
Tavern
A tavern is a place of business where people gather to drink alcoholic beverages and be served food, and in some cases, where travelers receive lodging....
s or coffeehouse
Coffeehouse
A coffeehouse or coffee shop is an establishment which primarily serves prepared coffee or other hot beverages. It shares some of the characteristics of a bar, and some of the characteristics of a restaurant, but it is different from a cafeteria. As the name suggests, coffeehouses focus on...
s (such as the Keppel's Head) where he normally would have enjoyed the company of his peers:
- In there, he knew, there would be warmth and good company. The fortunate officers with prize money to spend; the incredibly fortunate officers who had found themselves appointments in the peacetime navy - they would be in there yarning and taking wine with each other. He could not afford wine. He thought longingly for a moment about a tankard of beer ...
In February 1803 a chance meeting with his friend Hornblower resolved both these issues. The renewal of their acquaintance cheered both men. One month later Britain was again at war; and Hornblower, appointed commander of the sloop
Sloop
A sloop is a sail boat with a fore-and-aft rig and a single mast farther forward than the mast of a cutter....
of war Hotspur, "diffidently" asked Bush to be his first lieutenant.
Brest, France
Brest is a city in the Finistère department in Brittany in northwestern France. Located in a sheltered position not far from the western tip of the Breton peninsula, and the western extremity of metropolitan France, Brest is an important harbour and the second French military port after Toulon...
, Bush served as a junior lieutenant aboard HMS Temeraire
HMS Temeraire (1798)
HMS Temeraire was a 98-gun second-rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy. Launched in 1798, she served during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, mostly on blockades or convoy escort duties...
, a ninety-eight gun ship of the line during the Battle of Trafalgar
Battle of Trafalgar
The Battle of Trafalgar was a sea battle fought between the British Royal Navy and the combined fleets of the French Navy and Spanish Navy, during the War of the Third Coalition of the Napoleonic Wars ....
. Forester does not give details of Bush's experiences during this time (although he does depict Bush, later, being coaxed to tell the tale).
In 1808 Bush rejoined Hornblower as First Lieutenant
First Lieutenant
First lieutenant is a military rank and, in some forces, an appointment.The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations , but the majority of cases it is common for it to be sub-divided into a senior and junior rank...
of HMS Lydia sailing to the south Pacific to deliver arms and ammunition to Don Julian Alvarado
El Supremo
El Supremo or il Supremo may refer to:*José Gaspar Rodríguez de Francia , Paraguayan dictator*Pasquale Condello , leader of the Italian 'Ndrangheta crime organization...
, a rebel against Spanish rule. He took part in the capture of the Spanish ship Natividad, her hand-over to Don Julian, and the subsequent battle to destroy her caused by Spain's changing sides.
After his return to England he was transferred to HMS Sutherland along with all the rest of the crew of Lydia. In the Mediterranean Sutherland made various attacks along the Spanish and French coasts, but was eventually sunk after fighting four French ships off Rosas. Bush was badly wounded and his foot amputated.
Bush and Hornblower were sent to Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
to stand trial for breaking the rules of war. Assisted by Brown, the Captain's Coxswain
Coxswain
The coxswain is the person in charge of a boat, particularly its navigation and steering. The etymology of the word gives us a literal meaning of "boat servant" since it comes from cox, a coxboat or other small vessel kept aboard a ship, and swain, which can be rendered as boy, in authority. ...
, they managed to escape, and after lying low for several months, escape downriver to Nantes
Nantes
Nantes is a city in western France, located on the Loire River, from the Atlantic coast. The city is the 6th largest in France, while its metropolitan area ranks 8th with over 800,000 inhabitants....
, re-capturing the British prize Witch of Endor, and sailing out to the British fleet. As a result of this action Bush was promoted to Commander
Commander
Commander is a naval rank which is also sometimes used as a military title depending on the individual customs of a given military service. Commander is also used as a rank or title in some organizations outside of the armed forces, particularly in police and law enforcement.-Commander as a naval...
, and sentenced to death in absentia
In absentia
In absentia is Latin for "in the absence". In legal use, it usually means a trial at which the defendant is not physically present. The phrase is not ordinarily a mere observation, but suggests recognition of violation to a defendant's right to be present in court proceedings in a criminal trial.In...
by a French court. He was given a shore appointment at the dockyard at Sheerness
Sheerness
Sheerness is a town located beside the mouth of the River Medway on the northwest corner of the Isle of Sheppey in north Kent, England. With a population of 12,000 it is the largest town on the island....
.
A year later Bush was chosen by Commodore Hornblower as Captain of HMS Nonsuch, the flagship of Hornblower's small squadron in the Baltic
Baltic Sea
The Baltic Sea is a brackish mediterranean sea located in Northern Europe, from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from 20°E to 26°E longitude. It is bounded by the Scandinavian Peninsula, the mainland of Europe, and the Danish islands. It drains into the Kattegat by way of the Øresund, the Great Belt and...
. He took part in the destruction of a French privateer, and then travelled to Russia, seeing action at the siege of Riga
Riga
Riga is the capital and largest city of Latvia. With 702,891 inhabitants Riga is the largest city of the Baltic states, one of the largest cities in Northern Europe and home to more than one third of Latvia's population. The city is an important seaport and a major industrial, commercial,...
.
Bush returned to England and commanded Nonsuch as part of the Channel Fleet under Pellew
Edward Pellew, 1st Viscount Exmouth
Admiral Sir Edward Pellew, 1st Viscount Exmouth, GCB was a British naval officer. He fought during the American War of Independence, the French Revolutionary, and the Napoleonic Wars...
. He was detached to support the French Royalists in revolt against Napoleon at Le Havre
Le Havre
Le Havre is a city in the Seine-Maritime department of the Haute-Normandie region in France. It is situated in north-western France, on the right bank of the mouth of the river Seine on the English Channel. Le Havre is the most populous commune in the Haute-Normandie region, although the total...
. While leading a night-time amphibious attack on an approaching siege army, Bush seemed to be killed in a powder barge explosion.
Appearances
Bush appears in the novels Lieutenant HornblowerLieutenant Hornblower
Lieutenant Hornblower is a Horatio Hornblower novel written by C. S. Forester, ISBN 1-85998-976-4.It is the second book in the series chronologically, but the seventh by order of publication....
(much told from his point of view), Hornblower and the Hotspur
Hornblower and the Hotspur
Hornblower and the Hotspur is a Horatio Hornblower novel written by C. S. Forester.It is the third book in the series chronologically, but the tenth by order of publication.-Plot summary:...
, Hornblower and the Crisis
Hornblower and the Crisis
Hornblower and the Crisis is a 1967 historical novel by C. S. Forester. It forms part of the Horatio Hornblower series, and as a result of C.S. Forester's death in 1966, it was left unfinished. There is a one-page summary of the last several chapters of the book found on the final page, taken from...
, The Happy Return
The Happy Return
The Happy Return was the first of the Horatio Hornblower novels published by C. S. Forester. It appeared in 1937. The American name derives from the expression "beat to quarters", which was the signal to prepare for combat...
, Ship of the Line
Ship of the line
A ship of the line was a type of naval warship constructed from the 17th through the mid-19th century to take part in the naval tactic known as the line of battle, in which two columns of opposing warships would manoeuvre to bring the greatest weight of broadside guns to bear...
, Flying Colours, The Commodore
The Commodore
The Commodore is a Horatio Hornblower novel written by C. S. Forester. It was published in the United States under the title Commodore Hornblower.-Plot summary:...
, and Lord Hornblower
Lord Hornblower
Lord Hornblower is a Horatio Hornblower novel written by C. S. Forester.In 1814, Hornblower is delegated to deal with the Flame, a brig full of mutineers off the French coast, near the mouth of the Seine...
.
William Bush's ships
- HMS Superb, 74, (Lieutenant HornblowerLieutenant HornblowerLieutenant Hornblower is a Horatio Hornblower novel written by C. S. Forester, ISBN 1-85998-976-4.It is the second book in the series chronologically, but the seventh by order of publication....
, Commissioned as Lieutenant, July 1796) - HMS Conqueror, 74 (Lieutenant HornblowerLieutenant HornblowerLieutenant Hornblower is a Horatio Hornblower novel written by C. S. Forester, ISBN 1-85998-976-4.It is the second book in the series chronologically, but the seventh by order of publication....
, Lieutenant 1796-1800) - HMS Renown, 74 (Lieutenant HornblowerLieutenant HornblowerLieutenant Hornblower is a Horatio Hornblower novel written by C. S. Forester, ISBN 1-85998-976-4.It is the second book in the series chronologically, but the seventh by order of publication....
, Lieutenant 1800-1802) - HMS Hotspur, 20 (Hornblower and the HotspurHornblower and the HotspurHornblower and the Hotspur is a Horatio Hornblower novel written by C. S. Forester.It is the third book in the series chronologically, but the tenth by order of publication.-Plot summary:...
, First Lieutenant 1803-1805) - HMS TemeraireHMS Temeraire (1798)HMS Temeraire was a 98-gun second-rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy. Launched in 1798, she served during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, mostly on blockades or convoy escort duties...
, 98 (The Happy ReturnThe Happy ReturnThe Happy Return was the first of the Horatio Hornblower novels published by C. S. Forester. It appeared in 1937. The American name derives from the expression "beat to quarters", which was the signal to prepare for combat...
, Lieutenant 1805-1808) - HMS Lydia, 36 (The Happy ReturnThe Happy ReturnThe Happy Return was the first of the Horatio Hornblower novels published by C. S. Forester. It appeared in 1937. The American name derives from the expression "beat to quarters", which was the signal to prepare for combat...
, First Lieutenant 1808-1810) - HMS Sutherland, 74 (A Ship of the LineA Ship of the LineA Ship of the Line is an historical seafaring novel by C. S. Forester. It follows his fictional hero Horatio Hornblower during his tour as captain of a ship of the line. By internal chronology, A Ship of the Line, which follows The Happy Return, is the seventh book in the series...
, First Lieutenant 1810) - Witch of Endor, 10 (recaptured from the French, Flying Colours, 1811)
- HMS Nonsuch, 74 (Commodore Hornblower, Captain, 1812–1814)
Miniseries
In the Hornblower TV seriesHornblower (TV series)
Hornblower is the umbrella title of a series of television drama programmes based on C. S. Forester's novels about the fictional character Horatio Hornblower, a Royal Naval officer during the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars....
, Bush was played by Paul McGann
Paul McGann
Paul McGann is an English actor who made his name on the BBC serial The Monocled Mutineer, in which he played the lead role...
. Few changes were made to the character, although some aspects of his role in Lieutenant Hornblower were transferred to Lt. "Archie" Kennedy, who does not appear in the novel.