Sir Nowell Salmon | |
|---|---|
 Admiral Sir Nowell Salmon c. 1890s | |
| Born | 20 February 1835 Swarraton, Hampshire |
| Died | 14 February 1912 (aged 76) Southsea, Hampshire |
| Buried | St Peter's Churchyard, Curdridge |
| Allegiance | United Kingdom |
| Service | Royal Navy |
| Years of service | 1847–1905 |
| Rank | Admiral of the Fleet |
| Commands | Portsmouth Command China Station Cape of Good Hope Station HMS Swiftsure HMS Valiant HMS Defence HMS Icarus |
| Battles / wars | Crimean War Indian Mutiny |
| Awards | Victoria Cross Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath |
Admiral of the Fleet Sir Nowell Salmon, VC, GCB (20 February 1835 – 14 February 1912) was a Royal Navy officer. As a junior officer he served in the naval brigade and took part in the Siege of Lucknow during the Indian Mutiny. He was a member of the force defending the Residency when he volunteered to climb a tree near the wall of the Shah Nujeff mosque to observe the fall of shot, despite being under fire himself and wounded in the thigh. He and his colleague, Leading Seaman John Harrison, were awarded the Victoria Cross, the highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces for this action.
A few years later Salmon was dispatched from British Honduras (now Belize) to take custody of William Walker, an American citizen who had briefly been president of Nicaragua, but who was now attempting further conquests in Central America. The British Government regarded Walker as a menace to its own affairs in the region. Salmon captured Walker and delivered him to the authorities in Honduras, who promptly had him court-martialed and executed.
Salmon went on to be Commander-in-Chief, Cape of Good Hope and West Coast of Africa Station, then Commander-in-Chief, China Station and finally Commander-in-Chief, Portsmouth.