Jean-Joseph Patu de Rosemont

Aged 20, he enlisted as an auxiliary officer in the French Navy; his ship was wrecked near Isle Bourbon in 1788.

The next year, he took part in a scientific expedition led by Alexis Bert at Piton de la Fournaise, the active volcano of the island.

He explored tis tip on 29 July, a feat for which a natural formation of Enclos Fouqué, the chapelle de Rosemont, was named in his honour.

When the British attacked the island in 1809, Rosemont took part in the fighting with his son Amédée and their friend Nicole Robinet de La Serve.

[1] He was captured during the Raid on Saint-Paul in September[1] and held prisoner aboard the British flagship.