Captain Edward Cooke, a British Royal Navy officer, died on this day in the city. He had been wounded in a battle with the French.

Cooke had participated in the French Revolutionary Wars. He had led the British into occupying the city of Toulon, though the engagement would end in French Republican victory with Napoleon driving away the Allied forces.

Later, Cooke was given command of the French frigate HMS Sybille, captured by the British, in the Indian Ocean.

On February 28, 1799, Cooke launched an attack on the French raiding frigate Forte after tracing it near the mouth of the Hooghly. In the battle that followed, he was struck by a grape shot and severely wounded. His deputy took command and defeated Forte, which was brought into Calcutta as a prize. But Cooke would die from his wounds in the city after three months. He is buried in South Park Street Cemetery.

In 1806, a large memorial by sculptor John Bacon commemorating Cooke’s achievements was installed in Westminster Abbey in London.

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