Davidge Gould Sir Davidge Gould GCB ( 1758 – 23 April 1847 ) was an officer of the Royal Navy . He served during the American Revolutionary , French Revolutionary and the Napoleonic Wars , eventually rising to the rank of Admiral . He was one of Vice - Admiral Horatio Nelson ' s Band of Brothers at the Battle of the Nile in 1798 . Family and early life . Gould was born at Bridgwater , Somerset , the son of the Reverend Richard Gould , of Sharpham Park . He was distantly related to the authors Henry and Sarah Fielding , and the naturalist William Gould . His uncle , Sir Henry Gould , was a Justice of the Common Pleas . Davidge joined the navy in May 1772 , serving as a volunteer in the Mediterranean aboard . He later moved to the North American coast , where he was advanced to midshipman . He was promoted to lieutenant on 7 May 1779 , later serving aboard and . He saw action in the American Revolutionary War , taking part in attacks on shore batteries and cutting out American ships . He served in succession aboard , and , and was present aboard the " Conqueror " at Admiral Sir George Rodney ' s victory at the Battle of the Saintes in 1782 . He then moved aboard and promoted to commander in June 1782 , after which he was given command of the sloop " Pachahunter " , and then and , on the Home and Mediterranean Stations . Gould spent 13 months aboard the " Pylades " , during which time he was active in anti - smuggling operations . He then spent four years on half - pay , before being promoted to post - captain on 23 March 1789 , and assigned to the command of the frigate . Captaincy . He sailed to the West Indies Station aboard her , but by 1794 he was in the Mediterranean , in command of at the reduction of Corsica , and then at the Naval Battle of Genoa in March 1795 , and the Naval Battle of Hyères Islands in July 1795 , as part of Vice - Admiral William Hotham ' s fleet . During the action off Genoa , the " Bedford " came under fire from the " Ça Ira " and the " Censeur " , resulting in nine killed and seventeen wounded aboard the " Bedford " . Gould took command of in 1796 , and was present at Admiral John Jervis ' s attack on Cadiz . He was still in command of " Audacious " when she was ordered to join Nelson ' s squadron in their search for the French . On 1 August Gould commanded " Audacious " at the Battle of the Nile , engaging the French ship " Conquérant " and helped to force her surrender . Gould then took part in the blockades of Malta and Genoa for the rest of 1798 and into 1799 . Later life and flag rank . The " Audacious " escorted a convoy to Britain in late 1800 , and on arrival was paid off . In spring 1801 Gould was appointed to command , serving in British waters , and in the West Indies . He commanded in between 1803 and 1804 but was forced to resign command owing to ill - health . He never again served at sea . He was promoted to Rear - Admiral in October 1807 , Vice - Admiral in July 1810 and Admiral in May 1825 . He was awarded a gold medal for his service at the Nile , and was invested as a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath in 1815 , followed by being invested as a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath in 1833 . He was also appointed to the post of Vice - Admiral of the United Kingdom on 17 November 1846 , a post he held until his death . Personal life and death . Gould married Harriet Willes , eldest daughter of the Reverend William Willes , Archdeacon of Taunton , in 1803 . The couple did not have any children . He received a pension of £300 per annum , and died at the age of 89 at Hawkshead , Herefordshire on 23 April 1847 . He was by then the last surviving member of Nelson ' s ' Band of Brothers ' , the captains who had fought with him at the Nile .