Justin Bonaventure Morard of Wales

Justin-Bonaventure Morard of Wales , resulting from a noble family of the Dauphine , born with Goncelin (Isere) the March 30th 1741 and died with Guéret on July 23rd, 1809, is a French admiral.

Biography

December 22nd, 1783, he marries, with Port-Louis, on the Mauritius, Louise Marie Victoire Henriette Fayd' bleaches on grass of Maudave.

His/her older brother Charles Morard of Bayette of major general Wales fur under the Revolution and the Directory.

Old Mode

Wire of a captain of infantry, resulting from a family from Dauphine whose origin goes back to the end of XIe century, it begins its career in 1757 on the Brick “the Squirrel” and takes part in many combat in the Mediterranean and Americas. It belonged to the royal marine in the capacity as guard of house. It had entered to the service at the 11 years age, in the guards of the house of the king.

The count de Grasse was charged, in 1765, to purge the the Mediterranean pirates Barbaresque S who infested it. In 1765 on “Heroin”, teaches vessel, Morard of Wales takes part in the bombardment of the Atlantic coast of Morocco. The Morard young person of Wales, sign aboard the frigate Hermine , accepted mission of making jump one of the corsairs who had taken refuge under there protection of the batteries of the coast. Supported by one night obscure, it approached the enemy ship, and attached itself to the one of its sides the sulfur shirt: a terrible explosion announced, half an hour after, the success of this daring company.

Returned in France, it remained attached to the Direction of naval constructions of Brest until in 1776. At that time, it took again the sea on the squadron of Duchaffault.

Named Lieutenant in 1777, it is distinguished the following year with the Bataille from Ushant, board the Ville of Paris , and in the businesses of the April 17th, 15 and May 19th 1780. But it was under the orders of the baillif de Suffren, and mainly with the Combat of Praya, that Morard acquired a glorious place.

The August 16th 1781, the French fleet met on the coasts of the Senegal an English fleet that Suffren did not hesitate to attack, though it was lower to him in forces. As of the beginning of the action, the vessel assembled by Morard of Wales was surrounded by five enemy buildings, and its captain, of Trémoignon, was put out of combat. Morard, wounded itself, put nevertheless in possession command and arrived, after a bloody fight, to get clear and take again its row of battle.

This control was worth the praises of the army to him and of the admiral, who named at once it Captain and the command of that entrusted to him which it had defended so well.

The Court ratified this promotion, which it continued to deserve during the following campaigns on the frigate the Provider and on Annibal , vessel captured on the English.

It ordered it upon the engagements of the February 17th and April 13rd 1784, and of the July 6th and following September 3rd, where it accepted three new wounds which obliged it to request a leave. But hardly arrived at the island of France, it had to go to edge Argonaute and to join the squadron in front of Gondelour.

It orders several ships in the Indies, then returns to France on “the Avenger”, to reach the rank of second in command in 1785.

French revolution

Lastly, after having attended the various combat which covered glory the French navy during the last years of monarchy, its health, weakened by its wounds and the insalubrity of the climate of the India, forced it, in 1790, with request its return in France; it found there the navy entirely disorganized by the emigration. Far from imitating the example of his comrades, it offered its services to the new government and was high with the rank of Rear-admiral in 1792, with the command of a division.

Named Vice-admiral in 1793 on the Republican in roads of Brest, its squadron, composed of three vessels and seven frigates, was going to put at the veil for Saint-Domingue, when it accepted the order to be held in Beautiful-Isle cruising between Groix and , so, to ensure the re-entry of the ships commercial in the French ports blocked by the English. Its crews, harassed and stripped of all, mutinèrent themselves and threatened of dead their officers, if the squadron did not take again the road of Brest.

On its return, struck by the law which excluded the noble ones from civil and military employment, there was stopped and remained prisoner until Thermidor 9. It was employed again only in the year V; then in Brest a forwarding for the Ireland prepared: a squadron of 15 ship of the lines, 12 frigates, 6 corvettes or sloops and 9 buildings of transport, had, under the orders of Villaret, to transport in this island 15.000 men of unloading to the orders of Hoche.

At the time of weighing the anchor, Villaret was recalled and replaced by Morard of Wales which, the 25 frimaire year V, gave the signal of the departure.

This forwarding was not happy; one of its vessels, Tempting the , was lost while leaving Brest, in the passes from the Strong current, and the fleet, after having gained the entry of the Baie of Bantry, was forced by the head winds to return in Rochefort what is worth to him to be disgrâcié. The Consulate and the Empire compensated it for the discredit which had been the continuation of this failure.

Consulate and First Empire

Member of the Senate to the formation of this body (4 nivôse year VIII), with the Legion of honor the 9 vendémiaire year XII, the same year the Emperor decorated it with the cord of large officer of this Kind (25 meadow), named it titular senatorery of Limoges (2 meadow), and Count of the Empire in 1808.

The admiral Morard of Wales east died in Guéret the July 23rd 1809. The municipal council of this city voted funds for a monument with his memory.

Its ashes are carried to the the Pantheon of Paris.

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