Donat Henchy O'Brien

author

Donat Henchy O'Brien

1785–1857

A British naval officer and memoirist, he turned the dangers of the Napoleonic Wars into a vivid first-person adventure story. His writing is remembered for its shipwrecks, imprisonment, escapes, and life at sea.

1 Audiobook

My adventures during the late war : A narrative of shipwreck, captivity, escapes from French prisons, and sea service in 1804-14

My adventures during the late war : A narrative of shipwreck, captivity, escapes from French prisons, and sea service in 1804-14

by Donat Henchy O'Brien

About the author

Born in 1785, Donat Henchy O'Brien served in the Royal Navy during the years of the Napoleonic Wars. He is best known as the author of My Adventures During the Late War, a memoir that draws on his own experiences at sea and in captivity.

His account follows a dramatic path through shipwreck, imprisonment in France, repeated escapes, and further naval service. That real-life background gives his writing an immediacy that still appeals to readers who enjoy eyewitness history and maritime adventure.

O'Brien died in 1857. Though not as widely known today as some naval memoirists, his work remains a lively window into the risks, hardships, and resilience of wartime life in the early nineteenth century.