During the Napoleonic wars in the early 19th century the French occupied the Netherlands and as a consequence the Netherlands East Indies were a threat to British interests in the east. It was decided to eliminate this threat and plans were made to occupy the islands of Ambon, Banda Neira and Java

CAPTURE OF BANDA-NEIRA  1810

On 10 May 1810, Captain Christopher Cole of the Royal Navy in his ship HMS Caroline with Piedmontaise, Barracouta and the Mandarin transport under his orders, he left Madras to support the garrison at Amboyna which had been captured in February by Capt. Tucker in Dover. The squadron carried 100 European troops, money and provisions. They arrived at Penang on the 30th and embarked a lieutenant and 20 men from the artillery with two field-pieces and 20 scaling ladders to attempt an assault on the Banda (or Spice) Islands on their way to Amboyna.
The passage through the Straits of Malacca against the S.E. monsoon took six weeks and they entered the Java Sea on 23 July. As they approached Banda Neira on the evening of 8 August the boats were hoisted out. It was intended that the ships would run undetected into the harbour before daylight but they were fired at by a battery on Rosensgen Island during the night. The weather, which had been calm and clear, now turned squally with rain and thunder, and when the boats assembled off Great Banda, Capt. COLE found that instead of nearly 1000 officers and men, less than 200 had reached the rendezvous. The few boats there held seamen and marines and 40 of the Madras European regiment, all the rest having been driven to leeward.
In order that something should be accomplished before daybreak this small force pulled across the harbour to attack two batteries which would hinder the ships entering in the morning. They landed in the rain and, led by Capt. Kenah of Barracouta, attacked the first battery of ten 18-pounders from the rear, killing a sentinel and and taking an officer and 60 men prisoners without firing a shot. Twenty minutes later they attempted an assault on the citadel, Fort Belgica, a pentagon shaped fortification with inner and outer works surrounded by a ditch. Their approach and placing of the scaling ladders was covered by the bad weather and they were soon over and poised for an attack on the inner work. The priming in the enemy's guns was wet and they were only able to fire three rounds but they kept up a discharge of musketry during the assault. When the scaling ladders were found to be too short for the inner wall the attackers rushed the main gateway which had been opened to admit Dutch officers who lived outside. The commandant died there, sword in hand, with ten of the guard, but the majority of the garrison jumped over the walls and escaped. Four officers and 40 men surrendered and the British flag was hoisted over the fort which had 52 pieces of ordnance mounted on the walls.

Capt. Kenah, with Lieuts. Carew, Allen, Pratt, Walker and Lyons of the navy, and Lieut. Yates and Ensign Allen of the Madras regiment led the assault over the ramparts.
The following morning the ships entered the harbour, Caroline under her first lieutenant, Mr John Gilmour, and were fired on from the remaining Dutch batteries but a threat to the governor to storm the town of Nassau and a well-placed shot from Fort Belgica soon silenced them. In all they captured 120 guns and 1500 troops and militia, this without loss to the attackers.
Capt. Charles Foote of Piedmontaise was appointed Lieut. Governor of Banda Neira and on 15 August Caroline sailed for Madras. To commemorate the action the captains of Piedmontaise and Barracouta offered Capt. Cole a silver cup to be made in England and the officers of the three ships presented him with sword worth 100 guineas as did the officers of the Madras regiment and the artillery.

Click here to read about the capture of Banda Neira in 1810 by Capt. Christopher Cole in William James' "Naval History of Great Britain" or download the Word document.