A Naval Biographical Dictionary/Lester, William
LESTER. (Retired Commander, 1846. f-p., 30; h-p., 17.)
William Lester is brother of Lieut. Jas. Lester, R.N. (1827), who died in 1844, while commanding the Lapwing Revenue-vessel.
This officer entered the Navy, 20 April, 1800, as Fst.-cl. Vol., on board the Windsor Castle 98, Capts. Albemarle Bertie and Jas. Oughton, bearing the flag for some time of Sir Andrew Mitchell in the Channel, where he served until April, 1802 – the last seven months in the capacity of Midshipman. Re-embarking, in the following June, on board the Bittern 18, Capt. Robt. Corbet, he was at first employed in that vessel in cruizing against the smugglers on the Yorkshire coast; after which he proceeded to the Mediterranean, and there assisted at the capture, 10 Sept. 1803, and 28 April, 1804, of the French privateers La Caille, of 6 guns and 60 men, and L’Hirondelle, of 14 guns and 80 men – the latter at the close of an arduous chase with the sweeps during a calm of nearly two days. After further serving for a short time with Capt. Corbet in the Amphitrite frigate, he removed with him, in June, 1805, to the Seahorse, of 42 guns and 281 men, commanded subsequently by Capt. John Stewart, under whom, on the night of 5 July, 1808, we find him contributing to the capture, after a signally furious engagement, and a loss to the Seahorse (30 of whose crew were absent) of 5 men killed and 10 wounded, of the Turkish man-of-war Badere Zaffer, mounting 52 guns, with a complement of 543 men, of whom 170 were killed and 200 wounded. The Alis Fezan, of 26 guns and 230 men, a ship which had been also opposed to the Seahorse, was at the same time put to flight. Being declared by his Captain very worthy of promotion for his conduct on the occasion,[1] Mr. Lester was accordingly awarded a commission bearing date 6 of the same month, and appointed to the Nettuno 18, Capt. Chas. Fred. Payne. In the early part of 1809, however, he rejoined the Seahorse, and while in that ship, in which he remained until 1811, assisted in taking several privateers, co-operated in the reduction of the islands of Gianuti and Pianoza, and commanded the boats at the capture of a large armed merchant-ship on the Roman coast. When afterwards in the Furieuse 36, Capt. Wm. Mounsey, he witnessed the conquest of the island of Ponza 26 Feb. 1813 – commanded her boats (having gallantly volunteered to do so), in conjunction with Lieut. Walter Croker, at the cutting out, 4 Oct. following, with a loss to the British of 2 men killed and 10 wounded, of 14 out of a convoy of 19 vessels, protected, in the harbour of Marinelo, by the galling fire of 2 gun-boats, a fort of 2 long 24-pounders, and a strong fortified tower and castle[2] – destroyed a privateer under the batteries of Orbitello – was again in charge of the boats during the unsuccessful attack upon Leghorn – beheld the occupation of Santa Maria and of the enemy’s other forts in the Gulf of Spezia – and aided at the reduction of Genoa and its dependencies in March and April, 1814. He left the Furieuse in Aug. 1815; and was lastly, from 24 June, 1824, until Jan. 1839, employed as an Agent for Transports afloat. He accepted his present rank 6 Feb. 1846.
When Commander Lester was a Midshipman of the Bittern, that sloop had her main-topmast and mizen top-gallantmast carried away in a squall in the Faro of Messina, in clearing away the wreck of which he sustained an injury that procured him on his arrival in England a pension of 4l. This ceased on his promotion to the rank of Lieutenant, but was restored to him in 1843. We may add that when in the Furieuse he was on one occasion left at the island of Milo in charge of 14 sail of prizes. He is married.