A Naval Biographical Dictionary/Maitland, William Heriot

by William Richard O'Byrne

Layout 4

MAITLAND. (Commander, 1842. f-p., 12; h-p., 3.)

William Heriot Maitland, born 3 July, 1819, is second son of Jas. Maitland, Esq., of Rambrny, by Margaret, daughter of Wm. Dalgleish, Esq., of Scots-craig; and first-cousin of Commander Jas. Maitland, R.N.

This officer entered the Navy, 16 Oct. 1832, as Fst.-cl. Vol., on board the Castor 36, Capt. Lord John Hay, and in July, 1836, after having been employed on the Home station and off the north coast of Spain during the civil war, removed as Midshipman to the Vanguard 80, commanded in the Meditenanean by Capts. Hon. Buncombe Pleydell Bouverie and Sir Thos. Fellowes. Joining next, in June, 1837, the Wellesley 72, bearing the flag of his uncle, Sir Fred. Lewis Maitland, he served as Mate of that ship at the taking of Currachee in Feb. 1839, and in her boats in a skirmish at Bushehr, in the Persian Gulf, in April of the same year. His appointments as Lieutenant, a rank he attained on 6 of the month last mentioned, appear to have been – 10 July, 1839, to the Hyacinth 18, Capt. Wm. Warren – 23 June, 1840, again to the Wellesley, Capt. Thos. Maitland – 16 Oct. 1841, to the command of the Algerine 10 – and, 20 Sept. 1842, to the Blonde 42, Capt. Thos. Bourchier. In the Hyacinth Mr. Maitland was in action with the enemy’s junks at Chuenpee; and, when in the Wellesley, he assisted in demolishing the enemy’s fortifications at the latter place – landed, during the attack on the Bogue forts, in command, with Mr. W. H. Hall of the Nemesis, of a party of seamen and marines, and took possession of Little Tycocktow, spiking at the same time its guns, and destroying a neighbouring encampment – and united in the operations against Canton, Amoy, Chusan, Chinghae,^[1] and Ningpo. In the attack upon Amoy his skull was fractured and he was otherwise much injured. During his command of the Algerine we find him particularly mentioned for his conduct at the capture of Chapoo, where, after he had assisted in landing the troops, he accompanied them on their advance, and with his own hands slew two mandarins.^[2] He was also employed in the same vessel in surveying the Yang-tse-kiang, and was present in action with the Woosung batteries, and at the pacification of Nanking.^[3] On his return to England in the Blonde in March, 1843, Mr. Maitland found that his services had procured him a Commander’s commission dated 23 Dec. 1842. His last appointment was, 31 Jan. 1846, to the command of the Electra 14, fitting for the North America and West India station, where he remained until his health obliged him to invalid, in March, 1847. Agents – Messrs. Stilwell.

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1. Vide Gaz. 1842, p. 396.
2. In allusion to the conduct of Lieut. Maitland on the occasion. Sir Wm. Parker, in his despatch, expresses himself thus: – “He bids fair to rival the gallantry of his lamented uncle, that bright ornament of his profession, the late Sir Frederic Maitland.” – Vide Gaz. 1842, p. 3693.
3. Vide Gaz. 1842, pp. 3397, 3404.