Anson

 This is Anthony Bruce's new biography of Lord Anson, Admiral and Sea Lord in the mid-eighteenth century. This was a birthday present from my daughter. Yes, I have given up on subtle hints; URLs work better!

Anson was born on 23 April 1697 into a wealthy and influential family. He joined the Royal Navy at a young age, becoming a lieutenant by 1716. His most famous achievement was circumnavigating the globe from 1740 to 1744. This expedition was fraught with difficulties, including severe weather, scurvy, and conflicts with Spanish forces. Anson's fleet captured a Spanish treasure galleon near the Philippines in 1743, bringing a vast fortune back to England and significantly boosting British morale and naval prestige.

Anson's success led to his appointment to the Admiralty Board, where he played a crucial role in naval administration and strategy. He was instrumental in reforming the Royal Navy and improving training, discipline, and ship design. His efforts helped lay the groundwork for Britain's naval dominance in the 18th and 19th centuries. He served multiple terms as First Lord of the Admiralty as the political winds blew him in and out of office.

Bruce takes us through Anson's life and career chronologically. It wasn't a rapid rise to fame, as he spent 22 years since being appointed as a lieutenant in less than glamourous peacetime roles. He had influential patrons because most officers were on half-pay without ships. While he didn't invent the Western Squadron concept that pinned the French fleet into its Atlantic ports, he did develop and command it himself.

While we tend to remember those admirals who won significant battles, Anson's real skill was in administration, and his reforms were as crucial as any naval triumph. I came across this when researching my latest book on HMS Ambuscade and felt he deserved to be better known. Cooper sheathing and lightning rods were innovations led by Anson.

His career was not without fault. The failure at Minorca that led to the execution of Admiral Byng was at least partly his fault for not allocating sufficient ships to the operation. He could have intervened with the King as other officers did but chose not to, so the political consequences largely avoided him. 

The final chapters cover the fruits of his administrative reforms, not least the campaign in North America during the Seven Years' War. The raids on the French coast supporting the continental campaigns are particularly interesting, and Anson leads on the design of a new flat-bottomed landing boat. The Battle of Quiberon Bay secured Britain's naval dominance.

Bruce reasonably concludes that although Anson was not a conventional naval hero in the mould of Nelson, his tenure as First Lord had a lasting impact on the development of the Royal Navy. He should, therefore, be recognised as one of Britain's most influential naval leaders.