Service Life:

Campaigns:

• The Crimean War 1853-1856, Crimean Peninsular.

Although many perished in times of national conflict and in the service of their country, many more survived including those interned as Prisoners of War. Stories of those who did survive are included as part of this site, especially those with high gallantry awards, those included against an external rolls of honour and those who had a distinguished career in wartime and military leaderhip.

Detail :

See more at: VC Online.

His obituary is recorded as an article in the Times of India on the 15th May, 1888. "Rear-Admiral Sir William Nathan Wrighte Hewett, K.C.B., K.C.S.I, V.C., whose death is announced by Reuter, was well known in Bombay, having been for some time Naval Commander-in-Chief of the East Indies. he was, says Me of the Time, the second son of the late Mr. William Wrighte Hewett, by Susan Moore, daughter of the late Rev. John Maddy, D.D., and was born at Brighton in 1834. He entered the Royal Navy in 1847, and became Leiutenant in 1854, Commander in 1858, Captain in 1862, and Rear-Admiral in 1878. He serves with the Naval Brigade in the Burmese War and in China, and also in the Russian War of 1854-5, for which he received the Legion of Honour and the Sardinian War Medal. The Victoria Cross, with two dates, was also conferred upon him for conspicuous bravery in the field before Sebastopol and Inkerman. For the gallantary exhibited on this occasion the Board of Admiralty promoted him to the rank of Lieutenant. He commanded the Beagle at the capture of Kertch and Yenikali, and in the Azoff Expedition. During the Ashantee War of 1873-4 he was Commodore on the west coast of Africa, and was present at Amoaful and the capture of Coomassie. For his services he was created a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (March 31, 1874). Subsequently he severely punished the Congo River pirates for outrages (1875). Hew as appointed Commander-in-Chief on the East India station in 1882, and in the same year for his services when in command of naval forces in the expedition to Egypt he received the thanks of Parliament. He was created a Knight Commander of the Order of the Star of India in 1822. He was charged, in 1884, with a mission to King John of Abyssinia, in order to induce that potentate to aid in the relief of the garrison of Kassala."

Masonic :

William Hewett was an initiate of Zetland Lodge No. 515 when the lodge was located in Malta (currently under the Province of Hampshire & Isle of Wight). His signature appears in the Zetland Lodge attendance register next to that of Cecil Buckley, their third member VC holder.

Source :

The project globally acknowledges the following as sources of information for research across the whole database:

• The Commonwealth War Graves Commission
• The (UK) National Archives
• Ancestry.co.uk - Genealogy, Family Trees & Family History online
• ugle.org.uk - The records of the United Grand Lodge of England including the Library and Museum of Freemasonry

Additional Source:

• Founder Researchers : Paul Masters & Mike McCarthy
• Researcher : Bruce Littley
• Researcher : Paul Nutton