Jul 20, 2015 this pin was discovered by shawn kelly. Stephen dandocollins shares the story of bligh s house arrest for a year on the site that is now the museum of sydney, his blockade on a ship off the coast of tasmania for. William bligh, a stormy story of tempestuous times by michael. After the mutiny on the bounty on 28 april 1789, led by fletcher christian, captain william bligh and 18 others were forced onto a 7metrelong open boat and cast adrift. This cartoon is australias earliest surviving political cartoon and like all political cartoons it. The sequence of events has become familiar through countless books and films starring the likes of charles laughton, trevor howard and anthony hopkins as bligh. It was the beginning of a 47day, 6700kilometre journey from tofua a volcanic island in the tonga group to timor. The son of a customs officer, bligh joined the royal navy in 1770. William bligh, of belowaverage height, his skin of an ivory whiteness, was proud of being an enlightened, progressive captain and was a demon for cleanliness and hygiene, antiscorbutic. Bounty 1789 facsimile edition of blighs log book by bligh, william and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. Howitt took bligh s side and invented the phrase rum rebellion, and it has stuck ever since.
Elizabeth bligh historical records and family trees. William bligh, by alexander huey national library of australia, 11230917 william bligh 17541817, naval officer and governor, was born on 9 september 1754 at plymouth, england, where his father was a boatman and land waiter in the customs service. Probably best known for his involvement in the mutiny on h. A saga of sex, sedition, mayhem and mutiny, and survival against extraordinary odds by peter fitzsimons books hachette australia. William bligh has 31 books on goodreads with 6337 ratings.
Bligh was a victim of snobbery and spin uk news the. Viceadmiral william bligh frs 9 september 1754 7 december 1817 was an officer of the. Proceedings of a general courtmartial, held at chelsea. Fitzsimons technique of writing history in the present tense and. This was the only time in australian history that a government was overthrown by a military coup.
Under his strict authority, he set out to stamp out the corruption that was rife among officials and the military in australia at that time. Everybody knows the story of william bligh and fletcher christian right. But because of an uncompromising attitude, bad temper and tyrannical leadership style, he is most often remembered as the captain of the bounty when its crew mutinied, and as the failed governor of new south wales who was overthrown by the military. We did a search for other books with a similar title, and found some.
Bligh is synonymous with australian history his amazing. The mutiny on board hms bounty great illustrated classics by william bligh and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. Or maybe you know him as the governor of new south wales who was deposed in the only successful military coup in australian history. In 1776, he was appointed master of the resolution under the command of captain james cook and in 1787 took command of the bounty on an expedition to the west indies. William bligh, son of francis and jane bligh, was born at plymouth in 1754. Twenty years to the day after the founding of new south wales, the colonys governor, william bligh, was deposed by the new south wales corps. Australian childrens books state library of queensland shop.
This was blighs second visit to tahiti and he had many friends on the. Vice admiral of the blue william bligh, frs, rn was an officer of the british royal navy and a colonial administrator. If you guessed william bligh 17541817 of mutiny on the bounty fame, illustrated above, youd be right he was appointed on the recommendation of sir joseph banks in london as the fourth governor of new south wales, as the early colony of australia was called. Anna bligh, premier of queensland, and a descendant of william bligh january 26 is currently celebrated as australia day. In 1789, as the bounty sailed away from tahiti, 24yearold masters mate fletcher christian led. Bligh and his loyal men made a remarkable voyage to timor, 3,618 nautical miles 6,701 km.
Some people may have heard of the famous mutiny on the bounty. Well, as it turns out, this tale of rebellion on the high seas is actually pretty insane. Biography william bligh australian dictionary of biography. William bligh is famous as captain of the bounty, the ship he lost to mutineers led by fletcher christian. Viceadmiral william bligh frs 9 september 1754 7 december 1817 was an officer of the royal navy and a colonial administrator. William bligh 101 who was he and why should we care. The very scarce account of the second mutiny against william bligh, the most important historical event in the early history of australia, after the arrival of the first fleet.
William bligh books list of books by author william bligh. Voyage to timor as bounty turned to return to tahiti, bligh set course for the nearest european outpost at timor. Elizabeth bligh was born in 1785, at birth place, to william bligh and elizabeth bligh born betham. The socalled rum rebellion was the first and only time in australian history that military force has been used to overthrow a government. William bligh book by michael sedunary, bern emmerichs official. Captain blighs other mutiny penguin books australia. The mutiny on the bounty occurred during his command of hms bounty in 1789. Description william bligh by michael sedunary to survive one mutiny might be considered fortunate, but to survive two is extraordinary. Captain bligh s other mutiny shares the story of two powerful and colourful men captain bligh and john macarthur bent on mutual destruction, a goal both achieved. Surely this exhaustinglyresearched, enthralling and enthusiasticallywritten tome is the last word on the most famous of all seafaring mutinies, that of shipmate. Like many teetotallers, he was keen to blame alcohol for all the problems in the world. William bligh what happened to captain bligh of the bounty. These two books are as different as their two leading characters.
Bligh in australia, a new appraisal of william bligh and the rum. The dramatic story of captain william bligh, fletcher christian and history s most famous mutiny, brought to life by peter fitzsimons, australia s storyteller. Governor william bligh is deposed in the rum rebellion. In 1806 bligh was appointed governor and captaingeneral of new south wales, australia. Bligh was arrested and the colony was placed under military rule. Bligh and 18 loyalists were forced over the side into bountys cutter and given a sextant, four cutlasses, and several days food and water. Books go search todays deals christmas shop vouchers amazonbasics best sellers gift ideas new releases gift cards customer service free delivery shopper toolkit sell. Our aim in this series of stories from australia s past is to present a living history in a voice that young readers will find engaging and inclusive. Bound for tahiti, the bounty sailed from spithead, england on 23 december 1787 under the famous captain william bligh. The rollicking story of two powerful and colourful men and the only military coup in australian history.
On this amazing voyage of survival, bligh wrote daily entries in a small waterstained notebook and a. Mutiny on the bounty captains unexpected resting place draws fans the tomb of captain william bligh, who died 200 years ago, has become a central feature of. This was blighs second visit to tahiti and he had many friends on the island. William blighs most popular book is the bounty mutiny. See all books authored by william bligh, including the mutiny on board hms bounty, and a narrative of the mutiny on board his majestys ship bounty, and more on. Many years later, in 1855, an english quaker named william howitt published a popular history of australia.
On 26th january 1808, officers and men of the new south wales corps marched to government house in sydney in an act of rebellion against governor william bligh. The unlikely story of bennelong and phillip book by michael sedunary and bern emmerichs. Other artwork created by bern emmerichs and a clip with her talking about the so fine contemporary women artists make australian history. The key players in this drama were the governor william bligh, john macarthur and. Its also the anniversary of the only military coup in australia s history, an 1808 event which led to australia being run like a rebel republic for two years. Biography of william bligh, captain of the hms bounty. Mutiny on the bounty captains unexpected resting place. Dr vyse presenting him with the above book, november 1811. The tale of the mutiny on the bounty remains one of the most intriguing stories of adventure on the high seas more than 200 years after the ill fated voyage that made captain bligh and fletcher christian legends. A historic mutiny occurred during his command of hms bounty in 1789. Posts about australian history written by neilwjsmith.
The crazy reallife story of the mutiny on the bounty. William bligh william bligh 17541817 was an english naval captain and a colonial governor of new south wales 1, australia. William was born on september 9 1754, in plymouth, devon, england. He was leader of a successful mission so far sailing from england to tahiti to gather up bread plants, which would then be taken to grow and inexpensively feed workers read. This book combines the historical with the legal in a narrative which illuminates australian history and many of its famous characters.
Mutiny on the bounty from terra australis to australia. Apr 28, 2017 this pin was discovered by st josephs school. Buy a discounted hardcover of william bligh online from australias leading. William blighs notebook australia history, william. Its safe to say that april 28, 1789, was not lieutenant william bligh s best day ever. So heres the crazy, reallife story of the mutiny on the bounty. Here is the true story of william bligh, the man at the centre of the mutiny on the bounty, and one of the most remarkable figures in early australian history. William bligh, born september 9, 1754, probably at plymouth, county of devon, englanddied december 7, 1817, london, english navigator, explorer, and commander of the hms bounty at the time of the celebrated mutiny on that ship. Bligh was the fourth governor of new south wales, offered the position by sir joseph banks based on his reputation as a strict disciplinarian. The 26 th of january is a significant date in australian history on this day in 1788 the colony of new south wales was founded, and on the 20 th anniversary of the young colony in 1808, the duly appointed governor was overthrown and replaced with a military junta in what is now known as the rum rebellion. William bligh was an outstanding sailor, an accomplished navigator and a cartographer.
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