A Naval Biographical Dictionary/Mildmay, George William St. John
MILDMAY. (Captain, 1828. f-p., 22; h-p., 22.)
George William St. John Mildmay is third son of the late Sir Henry Paulet St. John Mildmay, Bart., by Jane, eldest daughter and co-heir of Carew Mildmay, Esq., of Shawford House, co. Hants; brother of the present Sir Henry Carew St. John Mildmay, Bart.; brother-in-law of Lord Methuen, the Viscount Bolingbroke, and the Earl of Radnor; and uncle of Lieut. H. G. St. J. Mildmay, R.N. One of his brothers, Humphrey, married the eldest daughter of Lord Ashburton, and another, Carew, in Holy Orders, the youngest sister of Rear-Admiral Lord Radstock, C.B.
This officer entered the Navy, 14 Sept. 1803, as Fst.-cl. Vol., on board the Ardent 64, Capt. Robt. Winthrop; and on 28 of the following Nov. was present, as Midshipman, at the destruction of La Bayonnaise French frigate of 32 guns and 200 men, in Finisterre Bay. He continued to serve in the Ardent, also in the Revenge 74, Capt. Robt. Moorsom, and again with Capt. Winthrop in the Sybille 44, on the Home station, until June, 1807; and between that period and April, 1812, was employed, chiefly in the Mediterranean, on board the Canopus 80, flag-ship of Rear-Admiral Geo. Martin, Fame 74, Capt. Walter Bathurst, and Menelaus 38, Capt. Sir Peter Parker. In the Canopus we find him uniting, in Oct. 1809, in a chase which led to the self-destruction of the French ships-of-the-line Robuste and Lion off Cape Cette. He was confirmed a Lieutenant (after having acted for a few weeks as such) in the Trident 64, bearing the flag at Malta of Rear-Admiral John Laugharne, 19 May, 1812, and was subsequently appointed – 5 Aug. 1813 for passage home, to the Kingfisher sloop, Capt. Ewell Tritton – 17 Dec. following, to the Leander 50, Capt. Sir Geo. Ralph Collier, under whom he saw much active service on the coast of America – 18 Sept. 1815, to the Euphrates 36, Capt. Robt Preston, lying at Sheerness – 24 Nov. 1818 (having left the last-mentioned ship in April, 1816), to the Wasp 18, Capt. Thos. Wren Carter, fitting for the West Indies, where he assisted at the capture of the Venezuelan sloop-of-war El Libertador, bearing the broad pendant of Commodore Chitty, and a Spanish brigantine, her prize – and, 2 July, 1821 (11 months after the Wasp had been paid off), to the Iphigenia 42, ecLuipping for the broad pendant of Sir Robt. Mends, Commodore of the African squadron. In command of the boats of that frigate, and of the Myrmidon 20, Mr. Mildmay won distinction by the gallant manner in which, overcoming a desperate resistance, he effected, off the river Bonny, the capture of five vessels having on board upwards of 1800 negroes. As a reward he was promoted to the rank of Commander 10 Aug. 1822. He obtained command of the Cordelia sloop, of 10 guns, 15 Nov. 1826; acquired Post-rank 16 Aug. 1828; and was lastly, from 14 April, 1835, until paid off at the close of 1838, employed on the Home station in the Magicienne 24.
Capt. Mildmay married, 28 April, 1832, Mary, widow of John Morritt, Esq., of Rokeby, co. York, by whom he has issue. Agents – Hallett and Robinson.