George Nicholas Hardinge

Captain George Nicholas Hardinge (11 April 1781 – 8 March 1808) was a Royal Navy officer who served in the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. Possessing an ability to endear himself to senior officers through his intellect and good manners, he served under several important naval commanders, whose patronage allowed him to rise through the ranks. In 1804 when he led a cutting-out operation against two Batavian Navy corvettes. Promotion to post captain left him temporarily without a command, and he was to be disappointed in a number of the ships he was offered when they turned out to be either unfit for service, or still under construction.

Having ended up in the East Indies he was forced to make do with an elderly frigate he had first served on as a midshipman much earlier in his career. While commanding this ship he fought an action with a superior French opponent, and after a gruelling three-day battle the British were victorious and the French captain surrendered. Hardinge did not live to see the moment, having been killed by grapeshot shortly before. He was buried with full military honours and monuments to his memory were erected in St. Thomas Cathedral, Bombay and St Paul's Cathedral, London.

Family and early life George Hardinge was born in Kingston upon Thames, Surrey on 11 April 1781, the second son of Reverend Henry Hardinge, and his wife Frances. His education was taken in hand by his uncle, George Hardinge, a judge, who sent him to Eton to study law.

While waiting for conditions that would allow an attack, he was joined by the 14-gun , and at 9.30 in the evening of 31 March two boats from Beaver and three from Scorpion altogether carrying 60 men, set off to attack the corvettes. The British secured Atalante and attempted to attack the second Batavian corvette but found that she had moved out of range. Hardinge instead laboured to take Atalante out to sea and though hampered by a gale succeeded after three days. The Valorous was found to be unfit for sea, but he was given the command of HMS Salsette, a frigate then supposed to be fitting out at Bombay. He made his way to the East Indies, taking part in the Capture of the Cape en route, but on his arrival at Bombay he found that the Salsette had only just been laid down. St Fiorenzo chased the Piémontaise for the next several days, with intermittent fighting as the French turned to engage their pursuer, before sailing away again. They were finally brought to a decisive battle on 8 March, where after an hour and twenty minutes of fierce fighting, they surrendered. French losses amounted to 48 dead and 112 wounded, while the British lost 13 dead and 25 wounded.