John Byng, Date of Birth, Place of Birth, Date of Death

John Byng

Royal Navy officer

Date of Birth: 29-Oct-1704

Place of Birth: Southill, England, United Kingdom

Date of Death: 14-Mar-1757

Profession: politician

Zodiac Sign: Scorpio

Admiral John Byng (baptised 29 October 1704 – 14 March 1757) was a Royal Navy officer who was court-martialled and executed by firing squad.
After joining the navy at the age of thirteen, he participated at the Battle of Cape Passaro in 1718.
Over the next thirty years he built up a reputation as a solid naval officer and received promotion to vice-admiral in 1747.
He also served as Commodore-Governor of Newfoundland Colony in 1742, Commander-in-Chief, Leith, 1745 to 1746 and was a member of parliament from 1751 until his death. Byng failed to relieve a besieged British garrison during the Battle of Minorca at the beginning of the Seven Years' War.
He had sailed for Minorca at the head of a hastily assembled fleet of vessels, some of which were in poor condition.
He fought an inconclusive engagement with a French fleet off the Minorca coast, and then elected to return to Gibraltar to repair his ships.
Upon return to Britain, Byng was court-martialled and found guilty of failing to "do his utmost" to prevent Minorca falling to the French.
He was sentenced to death and, after pleas for clemency were denied, was shot dead by a firing squad on 14 March 1757.



Description	English art collector and painter
Date of birth/death	1701	26 January 1779
Location of birth/death	Devon	Twickenham
Work location	London
Authority control	: Q1502003 VIAF: 64271510 ISNI: 0000 0000 6658 6412 ULAN: 500001473 LCCN: n80110777 NLA: 36071292 WorldCat