A Naval Biographical Dictionary/Ward, William Robert (a)
WARD. (Lieut., 1814. f-p., 20; h-p., 24.)
William Robert Ward (a) entered the Navy, 1 Jan. 1803, as Fst.-cl. Vol., on board the Penelope 36, Capt. Wm. Robt. Broughton, with whom he continued to serve as Midshipman in the North Sea and Channel and off Cadiz, the last few months in the Illustrious 74, until Aug. 1808. On 16 May, 1804, he was present in the Penelope in a gallant attack made by a squadron under the orders of Sir Wm. Sidney Smith upon a strong division of the French flotilla passing alongshore from Flushing to Ostend. On leaving the Illustrious he entered the Royal Naval College, where he remained until April, 1811. He then rejoined the ship last mentioned on the East India station; whence in 1812 he returned to England (he had attained, before, the rating of Master’s Mate) in the Doris 36, Capt. Wm. Jones Lye. On his arrival he was received on board the Belle Poule 38, Capt. Geo. Harris, under whom we find him cruizing for several months on the coast of France, and in April, 1814, participating in the operations up the Gironde, where he witnessed the destruction of a line-of-battle ship, 3 brigs of war, several smaller vessels, and of all the forts and batteries on the north side of the river. After serving for about two months in the Royal Charlotte yacht, Capts. Thos. Eyles and Geo. Scott, he was promoted, on his return from escorting the Emperor of Russia to the shores of France, to the rank of Lieutenant 27 June, 1814. His subsequent appointments were – 24 Oct. 1814, to the Pelican 18, Capts. Wm. Rich. Bamber, Thos. Prickett, Robt. Lisle Coulson, and Edw. Curzon, in which vessel he served on the Irish, Worth Sea, and West India stations until obliged, in Feb. 1818, to invalid – 5 April, 1820, to the Sappho 18, Capt. Jas. Hanway Plumridge, engaged in the suppression of smuggling on the Irish coast – 28 Dec. 1820 and 3 Nov. 1821, to the Grasshopper 18, Capt. David Buchan, and Egeria 24, Capt. John Toup Nicolas, both at Newfoundland, whence he returned in July, 1822 – and, 14 Feb. 1827, to the Gloucester 74, Capts. Joshua Sydney Horton and Henry Stuart, lying at Sheerness. In the Sappho and Grasshopper he was First-Lieutenant. He has been on half-pay since Aug. 1829.