author
Baron Charles William De la Poer Beresford Beresford
1846–1919
A celebrated Royal Navy officer and outspoken public figure, he built a reputation for bold service at sea and for speaking his mind in politics. His life moved between warships, Parliament, and the fierce naval debates of late Victorian and Edwardian Britain.
1 Audiobook
The Memoirs of Admiral Lord Beresford
by Baron Charles William De la Poer Beresford Beresford
About the author
Born in Ireland in 1846 into the Beresford family, he entered the Royal Navy as a boy and went on to become one of the best-known naval officers of his time. He served in several major imperial campaigns and earned a public reputation not just for courage and energy, but also for a colorful, forceful personality.
Alongside his naval career, he also sat in Parliament as a Conservative MP. That unusual double role made him especially visible in British public life, and he became famous for criticizing Admiralty policy and pressing for a stronger, more efficient navy. Admirers saw him as a patriotic reformer; opponents found him combative and hard to manage.
He was created Baron Beresford in 1916 and died in 1919. Today he is remembered as a vivid example of the age when military fame, political influence, and strong public opinion could all come together in one larger-than-life figure.