Ensign Edward William Ravensworth EVERARD RN
HMS Leopard, Royal Navy

Date of birth: 11th November 1839
Date of death: 16th April 1858

Died aged 18
Buried at the Old Naval Cemetery, Kingston, Jamaica
Edward William Ravensworth Everard was born at Broadwater-by-Worthing, Sussex on the 11th of November 1839 the eldest son of the Reverend Salisbury Everard MA, Hon Canon of Norwich, Vicar of Crosby Ravensworth, and Charlotte (nee Chester) Everard of Findon in Sussex. He was christened at Broadwater-by-Worthing on the 7th of December 1839.

He was educated at Lancing College from January 1849 to July 1853.

In January 1854 he became a Naval Cadet in the Royal Navy and served throughout the Russian War on the steam warship HMS Firebrand.

On the 8th of July 1854 he was one of a party under Captain Hyde Parker, Captain of HMS Firebrand, who went ashore during the Royal Navy's blockade of the mouth of the Danube. Captain Parker had led a number of raids ashore in the preceding days and on this occasion he suspected the Russians of having reoccupied a shore battery near Sunlineh and went ashore to investigate.

As the Firebrand’s boats approached the shore there was a single rifle shot from the enemy position, which passed through the boat, closely followed by a volley of fire which grazed Parker’s elbow and severely wounded one of the crew. Parker ordered the boats to turn around as they came under increasingly heavy fire but one of the boats became grounded only fifty yards from the enemy. On seeing this Parker shouted "We must storm....follow me my lads" and, leaping ashore, he ran towards the enemy position. As he came forward he was confronted by a Cossack who he shot and while he was reloading he was struck in the heart by an enemy bullet and fell into the arms of Edward Everard who was at his side.

Command then fell to Commander Powell who led the attack on the battery and routed its garrison. Edward Everard was specially mentioned in the despatches of the Parker's successor as Captain of the Firebrand, Captain Algernon Lyons.

In 1857 he was posted to the 1st Class paddle frigate HMS Leopard as a Midshipman and died of yellow fever at Belize, British Honduras.

He is commemorated on a memorial at St Peter's Church, Port Royal in Jamaica.

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