A Naval Biographical Dictionary/Page, Benjamin William
PAGE. (Admiral of the Blue, 1841. f-p.,, 27; h-p., 40.)
Benjamin William Page was born, 7 Feb. 1765, at Ipswich, co. Suffolk, where he died 3 Oct. 1845.
This officer entered the Navy, 20 Nov. 1778, as Fst.-cl. Vol., on board the Superb 74, bearing the flag in the East Indies of his patron Sir Edw. Hughes, under whom, in the course of 1782, he fought in four general actions with the French fleet under M. de Suffrein, and on one occasion received a severe wound in the leg. Being nominated, 27 Dec. in the latter year, Acting-Lieutenant of the Exeter 64, Capt. John Sam. Smith, he was afforded an opportunity of enacting a part in Sir Edw. Hughes’ fifth and last engagement with the enemy, off Cuddalore, 20 June, 1783. He then in succession joined, in the capacity last mentioned, the Worcester 64, and Lizard 18, Capts. Chas. Hughes and Donald Campbell; and on his return to England, as only Lieutenant, in the Eurydice 24, Capt. Geo. Wm. Augustus Courtenay, was presented, about July, 1785, with a commission bearing date 20 Nov. 1784. His next appointments were – 19 Oct. 1786 and 26 June, 1790, to the Astrea 32, and Monarch 74, both commanded by Capt. Peter Rainier on the Jamaica and Channel stations – 23 Dec. 1790, to the Minerva 38, Capt. Robt. Manners Sutton, fitting for the East Indies – in Aug. 1791, to the Crown 64, Commodore Hon. Wm. Cornwallis, with whom he returned to England in July, 1792 – and, 9 Jan. 1793, as First, to the Suffolk 74. On again visiting the East Indies in the latter ship, with a large convoy, under the broad pendant of Commodore Peter Rainier, he was nominated by that officer, after having for a time acted as his Flag-Captain, to the command, in Sept. 1795, of the Hobart 18 – an appointment which the Admiralty confirmed by a commission bearing date 12 April, 1796. Previously to joining that vessel Capt. Page had assisted at the reduction of the Dutch settlements in the island of Ceylon. He subsequently united with a detachment of troops under the Hon. Capt. Monson in taking possession of the Dutch factory of Molletive;[1] and in Jan. 1796, he accompanied an expedition against the Moluccas. Owing to his great knowledge of the Indian Seas he was selected to conduct the fleet through the difficult passa-ges leading to those islands; but being sent back to Madras with important despatches previously to their capture, he was prevented from sharing in the large sums of prize-money arising therefrom. For his services in Dec. 1796, in escorting a valuable convoy of China traders from Prince of Wales Island to Bombay, he deceived the thanks both of the government and merchants, together with a present from the latter of 500 guineas. On 27 Feb. 17S7, he was nominated Acting-Captain of the Orpheus 32; and in the following Aug., having been advanced by the Admiralty to Post-rank on 22 of the preceding Dec, he returned to England. He was subsequently appointed – 21 Jan. 1800, to the Inflexible 64, armée en flûte – 9 Nov. 1802 (after nine months of half-pay) to the Caroline 36 – 26 Feb. 1805, to the Trident 64, bearing the flag of Vice-Admiral Rainier in the East Indies – 10 May, 1809, to the Sea Fencibles at Harwich, where he remained until the corps was disbanded in 1810 – and 21 Aug. 1812, to the Puissant 74, stationed as a guardship at Spithead. In the Inflexible, Capt. Page was twice sent with troops to the Mediterranean. On the first occasion he was for a short time employed at the blockade of Genoa; whence he was unfortunately sent, the day before its surrender, on special service to Leghorn, and was thereby again deprived of a share in the spoils. During the period of his second sojourn he assisted at the debarkation of the army in Aboukir Bay, 8 March, 1801, and was then attached to the blockading force before Alexandria. On the surrender of Cairo he was ordered to convey the French troops to Marseilles; but not being able to return prior to the close of the campaign he was a third time prevented from participating in the profits of victory. He was, however, presented with the Turkish gold medal. On his return to England he brought with him Sir Eyre Coote, second in command of the British army, and the 3rd Regiment of Guards. Being sent on the renewal of hostilities to India, Capt. Page, then in the Caroline, contrived during his passage to capture several French vessels and to detain two others belonging to the Batavian republic. On board one of these, the De Haasje brig-of-war,[2] were found despatches from Buonaparte, containing information which led to the detention of some Dutch ships at St. Helena, and prevented the English merchantmen going there from being allowed to depart without convoy. On reaching his destination, Capt. Page’s local knowledge of the Bay of Bengal, where he found himself senior officer, enabled him to convoy the Company’s ships in safety for several months. On 5 Jan. and 4 Feb. 1801, he had the good fortune to make prize of two privateers, Les Frères Unis of 16 guns (mounting 8) and 134 men, and Le Général de Caen of 22 guns and 200 men; the capture of which vessels immediately on their arrival from France, and before they had committed any depredations on our commerce, was considered of such importance, that the merchants of Bombay and Madras each voted him the sum of 500 guineas. Capt. Page, after this, received instructions from Admiral Rainier to take under his orders the Grampus 50, Dédaigneuse 38, and Dasher 18, for the purpose of protecting a valuable convoy to and from China, it being anticipated that the French Admiral Linois, in the Marengo of 80 guns, with several frigates, would have made an attack upon them, as he had previously done on the East India fleet under Commodore Dance. On the paying-off of the Trident in Oct. 1805, Capt. Page, who had conducted home in that ship a convoy of 44 vessels, was again presented, by the Court of Directors, with the sum of 500 guineas. He left the Puissant in Sept. 1815, and did not afterwards go afloat. He became a Rear-Admiral 12 Aug. 1819; a Vice-Admiral 22 July, 1830; and a full Admiral 23 Nov. 1841.
Admiral Page married Elizabeth, only child of John Herbert, Esq., of Totness, Devon, and was left a widower, without cliildren, in 1834. Agents – Goode and Lawrence.