4th April 1771
Major Moses Corbet is appointed Lieutenant Governor of Jersey
Corbet served the army in Menorca and Gibraltar before retiring to Jersey on the grounds of ill-health. He was appointed the island’s Lieutenant Governor in 1771 and, eight years later, led a team of men who repelled an attempted French-Dutch invasion at St Ouen’s.
The French were not easily deterred however, and in 1781 they staged a second invasion, this time enjoying a far greater degree of success. They captured Corbet and forced him to surrender the island. However, British army officer Francis Peirson refused to accept Corbet’s surrender to the French, and he attacked the French forces, succeeding in driving them back and, in the process, killing the French forces’ leader, Philippe de Rullecourt. Peirson was also killed in the attack.
Corbet was disgraced and, as a result of his actions – or lack thereof – tried by court-martial and found guilty. He was dismissed as Lieutenant-Governor.
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Other events that occured in April
Occupation prisoner Paul Desire Gourdan is born
- Paul Gourdan was one of the many islanders who was transported to mainland Europe to serve a prison sentence during the Occupation.
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Race car crash kills driver and spectators
- A leading light in the world of motor racing was killed when he skidded and crashed his Bugatti into a house at Jersey's Marquand’s Corner.
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Great Western steamer sinks at Noir Montaise
- The steamer Ibex struck Noir Montaise rock, close to Jersey, at 20 knots and sank. The passengers were evacuated.
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Condor 1 undergoes final sea trials
- The Condor 1 hydrofoil went into service just a week after its final sea trials in choppy waters around Jersey in April 1964.
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