Not Born to be Drowned
An Orkney Soldier in the Napoleonic Wars
By W. S. Hewison

The publication of a new book by Bill Hewison is a welcome occasion. His previous books include This Great Harbour and Scapa Flow in War and Peace, the definitive accounts of Scapa Flow in two World Wars.

Recently he compiled Who was Who in Orkney which contains useful biographies spanning the entire period from saga times to the 20th century. His Diary of Patrick Fea of Stove is also much admired, and attained instantaneous rare-book status by selling out almost as soon as it was published.

The subject of his latest book is the military career of Sandy Watt (1766-1811), son of William Watt of Breckness. Bill Hewison has been interested in the family for a very long time.

An excellent paper on William Watt’s smuggling activities appeared in Orkney Miscellany as long ago as 1956. You might think that a journalist accustomed to working to deadlines might rush into print. A wait of nearly half a century for a second study based on the Watt papers in Orkney Archive indicates mature reflection rather than undue haste.

Although the book is mainly concerned with Sandy’s adventures while serving in the army, the early part deals with his youth in Orkney and sheds a good deal of light on the life-style and aspirations of Orkney’s ‘merchant-lairds’. The Watts, like other 18th century Orcadians who wanted to rise in the world, began as shopkeepers and ship-owners, combining legitimate trade with some highly profitable smuggling.

Having made a little money, the next step was to buy land or, even better, to acquire it by marriage. Unfortunately for Sandy, it was his father’s second marriage which secured both the title of ‘Watt of Breckness’ and ownership of the West Mainland estate based on Skaill House. Since the property was to go to a son of this second marriage, it was clear that Sandy had to make his own way in the world, and he was not well equipped to do so, having received an abominable education at the hands of the ‘monster’ who then presided over the Grammar School. When already older than most students, he endeavoured to repair his education in Aberdeen so that he could gain admission to University classes.

Making one’s way in the world, although based on trade and the ownership of land, depended even more on seeking favours from great men. Since Sandy’s father was one of the very few Orcadians with a parliamentary vote, the family had a certain amount of bargaining power. It was the desire of William Honyman (Lord Armadale) to secure the Watt vote for his favoured candidate which opened the possibility of an army commission for Sandy.

The main part of the book is Sandy’s adventures during the Napoleonic Wars. When leaving for the West Indies the fleet was struck by a terrible storm with huge loss of life. A second attempt fared little better: his stricken ship limped into a Spanish port and eventually reached Gibraltar. A short campaign to expel the French from St Lucia was followed by a spell in India. On his return journey from India he was part of a remarkable expedition which crossed the desert from the Red Sea to the upper Nile as part of a pincer-movement designed to drive the remnants of Napoleon’s army out of Egypt. Sandy saw action again as part of the British expeditionary force which bombarded Copenhagen. Then for a third time he was shipwrecked, this time on the little Swedish island of Hewan (Ven). As a survivor of three shipwrecks he described himself as ‘Not Born to be Drowned’ – hence the title of this book.

The book is therefore an account of what life was like fighting in the British army during the French wars. Although Sandy saw action in the West Indies, Egypt and Copenhagen, much of the time involved perilous voyages of many months; discomfort and boredom were commoner than battles, and disease, particularly Yellow Fever in the West Indies, was a bigger danger than the enemy.

His story has been reconstructed mainly from the letters which Sandy sent to his father. Unfortunately, despite his amazing adventures, his letters are often disappointing. Sandy often ignored his latest campaign and failed to describe the dangers he faced. He was more likely to write about his poverty, his desire to transfer to a regiment less likely to serve overseas and, above all, to complain about the difficulties of obtaining promotion. Promotion was not easy to secure even in time of war. The quickest method was ‘purchase’, since a commission was a saleable commodity. An investment in the next upward step was a business venture – it was costly, but it produced dividends in terms of higher pay and other perks. William Watt carefully saved all the letters he received from his son, but he was singularly unresponsive to pleas for financial assistance.

One of the author’s problems has been to carry the story along despite the fact that letters sent from distant parts sometimes failed to arrive, and those which did reach Skaill House were often not very informative. The author readily acknowledges the variable nature of the letters, but he solves the problem by detailed research into these campaigns so that, when Sandy’s letters fail, the story is carried along without the reader being aware of the gaps. The result is a seamless adventure story.

The book has many excellent illustrations and good maps drawn by Nancy Hewison who, because of her husband’s eyesight problems, has also played a vital part in the final preparation of the book. Their team effort has been very worthwhile. Bellavista Press is to be congratulated on an attractive and well-produced volume which maintains the high standard set by their recent publications.

WPLT