Roger Drake, who was President of Fort William in Bengal from 1752 to 1756, arrived in Bengal on this day after joining the service of the British East India Company.

On June 16, 1756, Nawab Siraj-ud-Daulah of Bengal advanced on Calcutta and captured the town and the fort from the British. This was followed by the Black Hole Tragedy, in which the British claimed more than a hundred of them died, though later historians have questioned this claim.

Drake abandoned his post and took refuge with some officers and women and children in ships nearby. As punishment, he was removed from his post and was succeeded by Robert Clive, who would be the first Governor of Bengal and would defeat Siraj-ud-Daulah in the Battle of Plassey in 1757.

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