“That man made me miss my destiny” – Napoleon Bonaparte, about Sir Sidney

Sidney Smith was born into a military and naval family. He joined the Royal Navy in 1777, fought in the American Revolutionary War, served in the Royal Swedish Navy in the Russo-Swedish War and returned to the British Royal Navy to take part in the French Revolutionary Wars. After a period as a captive of the French, he served as an ‘active advisor’ to the Turkish royal court and was instrumental in defending Acre against Napoleon, helping to lead to the latter’s abandonment of his army in Egypt. He also served in the North Sea, off the coast of Portugal and Spain, and became a vehement anti-slavery advocate.