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NEWSLETTER OF

THE NELSON SOCIETY OF AUSTRALIA INC. JAN 2008

PROGRAM OF EVENTS All meetings begin at 7pm for a 7.30 start unless otherwise stated.

St Michael’s Church Hall, Cnr The Promenade & Gunbower Rd, Mt Pleasant Bring a plate for supper.

Sunday 27 January 10.45am Annual Service Commemorating Nelson’s Funeral St Michael’s Church. Gunbower Rd. Mt Pleasant

Monday 11 February 7pm Picnic at Wireless Hill Park Ardross,

Monday 10 March AGM followed by ‘ Britannia’ by Ivan Hunter

Monday 12 May Talk by Dr Robert Pearce

Monday 14 July ‘Early Settlement of WA’ by Robin Reid

Monday 8 September —– Film Night at Cygnet Theatre, Como (details later)

Monday 29 September 6.45 pm Nelson’s 250th Birthday Anniversary Dinner at RAAF Association, Bull Creek.

The Admiral Nelson Sword of Excellence

The Nelson Society of Australia. Newsletter, Jan 2008

The ceremony of the Sword of Excellence took place on 18th October 2007. The recipient this year was Cdr. David McDonald. The sword was awarded to him on board HMAS Warramunga at HMAS Stirling.

HMAS Warramunga

Commander Mc Donald


Captain Lancaster and his wife Lu

Cutting the cake with Capt.Cass Halliday’s Sword used on the ‘Orion’ at the Battle of Trafalgar.

Rear Admiral Phillip Kennedy and his wife Judith

Geoff & Elsie Paice Lt Col.Graham Perkins and his wife Joan

Stalwarts of The Nelson Society

Gillian Mead and Richard Savage

David Bennett Lilian Toomer Bob Woollett

Bringing in the cake

The Nelson Society of Australia. Newsletter Jan 2008

The Royal Naval Association’s

Trafalgar Dinner 20 October 2007

Commander David McDonald


Trafalgar Day Memorial Service 21 Oct 2007, St George’s Cathedral, Perth

Even if we tried, we couldn’t be much more accurate in our timing. This year, we’ve got the actual date, and almost the actual day. And meeting at this hour it’s all happening. The ‘England expects…’ flag was raised just over an hour ago; the last signal to ‘engage the enemy more closely’ has just been raised; if we were aboard the ‘Victory’ we would be right in the centre of the action; and less than an hour from now Lord Nelson would receive the fatal shot which was claim his life a few hours later. But, of course, we have to take a 7 or 8 hour time difference into account. We’re not quite there. So, we have to imagine Lord Nelson penning his famous prayer, guns being made ready, decks being cleared and surgeons making ready for what promises to be a particularly busy day at the office. Over the last few years a lot of work has been done by ‘battlefield detectives.’ In programmes such as these the details of a battle have been scrutinised – what really happened? Could there have been an alternative outcome? What if there were a similar conflict today? Can we put a modern spin on the battle? Let’s imagine for a moment a more modern interpretation of the battle – something rather more politically correct? Nelson looks aghast at the flags flying from the Victory. ‘What does that say, Hardy, England expects every person to do his or her duty, regardless of race, gender, religious persuasion or disability?’ Hardy replies: ‘New Admiralty policy, sir. We’re an equal opportunities employer now. We had a job getting ‘England” past the censors – some thought it was too nationalistic.’ Nelson replies ‘In that case break open the rum ration. Let’s steel the men’s nerves before the battle.’ Hardy’s response: ‘Sorry sir, we can’t do that – new policy again – the rum ration has been abolished – part of the government’s policy on binge drinking.’ ‘Well, let’s get on with it, then,’ replies Nelson – ‘full speed ahead.’ ‘Sorry, sir,’ comes the reply – ‘there’s a 4-knot speed limit in this stretch of water.’ ‘Impossible,’ cries Nelson. ‘This is about to be the biggest naval combat in history. Get me a report from the crow’s nest.’ Hardy’s answer: ‘Health and Safety have just closed the crow’s nest. No harness, they said, the rope ladders don’t meet regulations. They won’t let anyone up there until proper scaffolding can be erected. And Health and Safety won’t let the crew up the rigging without hard hats.’ ‘OK,’ replies Nelson, ‘but let’s get on with the battle. We’re here to do

Trafalgar Day Memorial Service 21 Oct 2007, St George’s Cathedral, Perth Address by Canon Roy Gilbert

battle with the French and the Spanish.’ ‘Problem again, sir,’ replies Hardy, ‘the French and the Spanish are our European partners now – according to the Common Fisheries Policy we shouldn’t even be in this stretch of water. We could be hit with a compensation claim.’ And so the conversation could have gone on – it would be a surprise if the battle were ever to have got under

way. I am wondering if, in our modern age, we are not a little too careful. Yes, it’s good to have covered all the angles; to have safeguards in p lace t o minimise danger – but have we gone too far? I don’t think it has made us better people. After all, far more people have suffered in modern warfare than in Nelson’s day. It must be true that all of us see some special quality in Nelson’s life that we admire most. For me, it is Nelson the rebel that I appreciate most. Yes, we all like people who keep to the rules, and as a school chaplain that is something I especially like. But while we like people who keep to the rules, we like even more those who refuse to allow the rule book to control their lives. We like those people who refuse to allow imagination to be stifled, and those who will not al-

low their initiative to be crushed. Nelson seems to me to be someone who understood fully the nature of calculated risk. I don’t think anything great in life is ever achieved with-out some form of calculated risk. Perhaps we are trying today to create a risk-free world – we are trying to create risk-free schools. But surely risk is what makes life really life. It was risk that made Nelson turn the blind eye and in the case of Trafalgar to throw the conventional rule book over the side. Think of the major decisions you have made in your life: to apply for the promotional position; to decide whether to emigrate to Australia; when to start a family; when to sell the house; when to ask the person – will you spend the rest of your life with me; will I say yes. In cases such as these Occupational and Health and Safety won’t help you. If you are planning to ask someone to marry you, you’re not likely to call for a feasibility study. Instead in all of these situations there will be risk. There has to be risk. Because these are the decisions that make us human. We’re not robots.


had served with him, such as Lieutenant William Charlton and Captain William Layman or for his members his family such as his wayward step-son, Josiah Nesbit or his more capable nephew, William Bolton. But more often his actions arose out of a genuine desire to assist young men further their careers, and at the same time to help ensure the future well-being of the service. Early in his career in 1784, as Captain of the Boreas he had no less than 30 midshipmen under his command and he took a personal interest in their education and in their

instruction in navigation. A passenger on the ship, Lady Hughes was particularly struck by the attention Nelson paid to the young men he called his children and later recalled how he would ask nothing of them he would not do himself, including challenging them in a race to the top of the mainmast. Another example of Nelson’s empathy with young people occurred on his triumphant visit to Swansea in 1802 when he was introduced to young Lewis Rotely, the teenage son of a local publican. Nelson learnt that the boy was keen to join the navy and was so impressed by his knowledge of the sea and ships

Rob O’Connor, David McDonald

At Trafalgar Nelson took a calculated risk. His orders then were to drive through the enemy. Risky leadership is always inspirational. We are indebted to that spirit of courage, faith and initiative. In our own day we are called to live lives that are courageous and are marked, too, by faith and initiative. Why Jesus, Jesus the rebel, got himself into so much trou-ble in his day was his refusal to be bound by the rule book. Instead he wrote a new law book of love and courage and lived it out and eventually died for it.


John Foster, John Caskey Betty Foster, Margaret Sargeant Rajini and David Shannon

VISCOUNT LORD NELSON A talk given by Bob Woollett on the 21 October, 2007 following the Church Service at St George’s Cathedral, Perth.

Many qualities possessed by Nelson come to mind as we celebrate his life and achievements today: his outstanding moral and physical courage; his ability to plan in the minutest detail; his tactical mastery and intuitive grasp of weather and sea conditions and his expertise in managing those under his command. Some of these qualities were touched on by Canon Gilbert in his thoughtful address this afternoon but before calling on our Patron, Commodore David Orr to propose the traditional Nelson toast, I thought we might spend a few moments exploring a lesser known, but nevertheless important, aspect of Nelson’s leadership — his genuine interest in, and abiding encouragement of, young people. This is perhaps an appropriate occasion to do this in view of the fine body of young naval cadets we are pleased to have with us this afternoon and of the impressive contribution they have made to today’s ceremony. Nelson would have been flattered by and proud of their presence. Nelson himself, of course, was always conscious of the ad-vice and support he received from his elders throughout his own career, first on his entry to the navy as a 12 year old from his uncle, Captain Maurice Suckling, then as a young Lieutenant on the Lowestoff in the West Indies from his Captain and long standing friend and mentor, William Locker, and subsequently from three of his Commanders-in-Chief, Sir Peter Parker, Sir Samuel Hood, and Sir John Jervis. Throughout his career he was determined to repay the debt he owed to these people. Sometimes his actions were simply in line with the accepted practice at the time of patronage, securing promotion or appointments for men of worth who

Risky leadership is always inspirational. The theme of our second reading was our calling to be grafted on to the true vine from where all life flows. We are forever a part of him. By living out our faith we will have the courage to drive through the problems that confound us and then know that even when we take the inevitable risks in our own lives, God’s love and power will be with us this and every day.

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that he immediately wrote a letter of introduction for him to the cadet training school in Portsmouth. Three years later, now a young marine officer, Roteley was to witness Nelson’s death on board the Victory and later recorded a moving eye witness account of the incident. By chance he became the proud owner of the hero’s blood stained breeches and stockings which remained in his family’s possession until 1896 when they were bequeathed to the Royal Navy Hospital at Greenwich and can now be seen on permanent exhibition at the National Maritime Museum. Two of Nelson’s protégé’s became his close friends. After serving with Nelson in the Baltic, young Edward Parker became the Admiral's ADC in 1801 and during the attack on Boulogne was seriously wounded. Back in Deal, Nelson regularly attended Parker in his lodgings, where the young man proudly proclaimed ‘to call me a Nelsonite means more to me than making me a Duke.’ Nelson was distraught when Parker finally died - if he had been his own father he said he could not have suffered more - and at the funeral he was seen leaning against a tree weeping copiously. Nelson requested a lock of the young man’s hair be cut so that it might be buried with him, a wish that was fulfilled four years later when he was entombed in St Paul’s Cathedral. William Hoste, another son of a rector in Norfolk, was probably Nelson’s favourite protegé and was eventually responsible for initiating the most well known mark of gratitude to his benefactor. When he entered the navy as a midshipman on the Agamennon in 1793, Nelson found him a keen and lively boy and wrote to his father he highly deserved everything I can do to make him happy. William served with Nelson at Tenerife, St Vincent and the Nile but to his dismay missed Trafalgar having been sent on a mission to Algiers. Subsequently he served under Collingwood in the Mediterranean and in 1811, as Captain of the Amphion, inflicted a decisive defeat on the French at the Battle of Lissa in the Adriatic. This was a victory inspired by a signal flown at the masthead of his ship which in the annals of naval communications ranks close to Nelson’s own messages that England Expects and Engage the Enemy More Closely and the injunction of which we in our humble way are following today. The sixteen coloured flags which flew aloft on the halyards of Amphion on that occasion simply spelt out the two words:

‘Remember Nelson’.


A NEW NELSON LETTER SURFACES

David Shannon

Over a two year period in the mid-1840s, Sir Nicholas Harris Nicolas published his seven volumes of Nelson letters, all carefully analysed and annotated, in date order. By the time the seventh and final volume appeared, so many 'new' letters had become known to him that the addenda that he created made that particular volume the largest. A number of other publications in the next 150 years included letters not seen by Nicholas, until finally in 2005, Dr Colin White published his Nelson: New Letters which was effectively the eighth volume of Nicolas. No sooner had White's work been published than, one by one, occasional 'new' letters began to surface. Already a dozen or so not seen by Nicholas or White are known to exist. And now, yet another new letter has just emerged. It is what could be called a fleet 'business' letter, written in the hand of John Scott, Nelson's secretary (who died at Trafalgar), and signed by Nelson. These everyday business letters are often not considered to be as valuable as his more personal letters to friends, family and Emma Hamilton, but this one is a little different. It reads:

(The last line of the text is smaller and probably inserted after Nelson had signed it )

Nelson is clearing the decks for a battle. The French fleet is bottled up in Toulon and they are as anxious to get out as Nelson is keen to do battle. His personal boats will be of little use in any ensuing action which he evidently anticipates. Whatever happened to his barge and four hand jolly boat? At some stage he would have reclaimed them, but given the tension in the Mediterranean in that period Nelson did not have a spare moment for visits and formal dinners. As for the letter, it is estimated as being worth £8,500, or A$20,000!

Victory off Toulon the 13th. August 1803

Memo. It is my direction that you receive into His Majesty's stores under your charge, the Barge and Jolly (or four hand) Boat belonging to His Majesty's Ship Victory, and keep them under a Shade or Cover 'till they are wanted for the use of the said ship___ and not to be delivered to any officer without my order. Nelson & Bronte To The Naval Storekeeper at Malta

Blackwood in particular were both outstanding officers; on the other hand Lord Keith, who was dull and unimaginative, supports the argument that aristocratic landowners should stick to farming or join the army! However, while ‘interest’

and patronage were still important in the Navy, they were of little use unless the prospective officer could first pass his lieutenant’s exam, and it certainly wasn’t possible to buy a commission in the Royal Navy. Litt le seems to be known of Collingwood’s early schooling although he did attend the Royal Grammar School in Newcastle for a short while. Although not a brilliant scholar, he obviously got a good grounding because like Nelson, he became a prodigious correspondent, and his letters exhibit a gift for subtlety, humour, shrewd observation and the more than occasional p i thy ( i f not caustic) comment. Most importantly, he became a first class thinker and as a naval and political strategist, he probably equalled and possibly surpassed Nelson.

By 1759, the Seven Year’s War with France and Spain, which had begun in 1756, took a turn in Britain’s favour after a series of naval successes under Anson, and it is possible that these events may have encouraged the young Cuthbert to go to sea. He was not completely without influence and in 1761, at the age of 13, his father paid £30 for him to join the 28 gun frigate Shannon as a volunteer (probably rated captain’s servant) under an uncle, Captain Richard Braithwaite. Although this was remarkably similar to Nel-son’s introduction to sea life, Braithwaite was only an uncle by marriage and had nowhere near the influence or the seniority of Maurice Suckling. At any rate, he seems to have impressed his uncle because after a few months, during which Shannon was employed mainly on convoy work in the Atlantic and the Baltic, Braithwaite transferred to the 24 gun frigate Gibralter and he took young Collingwood with him. By 1763 the war was over and with it, any chance of rapid promotion. Despite widespread cuts to the naval budget, Collingwood was lucky to remain at sea, serving again in the Atlantic and home waters, and now that peace prevailed, he got his first taste of the Mediterranean as well. By 1766 he was rated midshipman and a year later, transferred to the 28 gun frigate Liverpool, in which he served for five years, being rated master’s mate in 1770. In 1772 he joined the 74 gun Lennox under Captain Roddam, a family friend and another Northumbrian. Lennox was then the Portsmouth guardship, and although

Cuthbert Collingwood (or “Old Cuddy” as he was affection-ately known to his sailors) was born in a house on a street in Newcastle known as ‘The Side’. There seems to be some confusion as to his actual date of birth, but 26 September 1748 appears to be the most authentic, which makes him ten years older than Nelson, almost to the day. The eighth child of Cuthbert and Milcah Collingwood, he was preceded by seven sisters (of whom only three survived childhood) and he was the first of three sons, of whom the next, Wilfred, we shall hear more later on. Like Nelson, Collingwood came from a sound middle class background. Although the Collingwood’s were an old Northumbrian family who had in the past, held considerable wealth, Cuthbert senior was a trader of relatively modest means. However, a comparatively humble start was not uncommon among successful naval officers of the period, indeed the middle class was the backbone of the Georgian Navy, and one of the main reasons for its incredible efficiency and professionalism. Until at least the middle of the eighteenth century, the Royal Navy was considered a somewhat inferior calling for the sons of the ruling classes, most of whom wishing for a military career, preferring instead to purchase a commission in the army, which in those days comprised a comparatively modest force of irregulars. Until the outbreak of the Napoleonic Wars, Britain being an island, had little need of a large standing army, although by the end of the seventeenth century the need for a professional navy had become apparent, after several encounters with the Dutch navy demonstrated the folly of entrusting England’s maritime defence to a bunch of enthusiastic amateurs - and thanks in no small part to Samuel Pepys, by the end of the eighteenth century Britain had the largest and most proficient navy in the world. Fortuitously for Britain, as a result of this general reluctance on the part of aristocracy to go to sea, the navy was in the main forced to recruit its officers from amongst the sons of the emerging professional classes and the country squires and parsons and so on. Cochrane, Blackwood and Keith, all from aristocratic Scottish families were notable exceptions to this trend, although by the end of the eight-eenth century, the Royal Navy, having achieved some notable successes, had become a more acceptable career; consequently the younger sons of the aristocracy were beginning to find their way into the navy. Cochrane and

STANDING IN THE SHADOWS Excerpts from a talk by Mike Sargeant given at the Nelson Society Meeting. 14 May 2007

and at the WA Maritime Museum , 26th October 2007


Collingwood had the pleasure of serving with his brother Wilfred, who had also joined the navy, guardship duties proved tedious. Therefore, he was delighted when in early 1773 he was appointed to the 50 gun ship Portland, which was fitting out for a voyage to Jamaica, where he was to serve under Rodney’s command. He wasn’t to remain in the West Indies for long however, because in June of the same year, he was transferred to Princess Amelia which was re-turning to England and sometime shortly afterwards, he met the 15 year old Horatio Nelson for the first time. In 1774 (still rated master’s mate) he was appointed to the 50 gun ship Preston and sailed for North America and the Revolutionary War. It was here that he experienced his first serious action at the battle of Bunker Hill in Massachusetts, as a result of which he was promoted acting lieutenant on 17 June 1775. Later that year he returned to England in the 64 gun, third rate, Somerset and his promotion was confirmed by the Admiralty. I haven’t been able to find out where or when he had passed his Lieutenant’s exam but since he had little influence it was presumably after he reached the age of 20 and had completed the necessary six years sea time, and most probably when he was serving in Liverpool. At any rate, by now he was a very experienced and competent seaman - it had taken him 14 years to achieve commissioned rank, during which time he had served in six ships. On April 1, 1776 Collingwood was appointed first lieutenant of the 14 gun sloop Hornet where, much to his distaste, his first duty was to form a press gang, and things didn’t improve after Hornet sailed for the West Indies. An unhappy ship, Hornet had the unenviable reputation of having experienced exceptionally high rates of desertion under several previous commanders. Her then present commander, Lieutenant Robert Haswell, had been a lieutenant for eighteen years and it quickly became apparent to the new first lieutenant why his commander hadn’t made post in all that time; Haswell was a lazy, objectionable and incompetent bully, and as one so often finds with bullies, a coward as well. Collingwood showed characteristic patience and stoicism, but after a year of taunts and injustices he confronted Haswell and told him in no uncertain terms that he’d had enough. It isn’t clear who instigated the next move but in September 1777, Collingwood underwent his first court-martial at Port Royal in Jamaica, charged with disobedience and neglect of orders, but he was acquitted. However, he had to ‘suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune’ for a further year under Haswell before he had a stroke of good fortune. His friend, Horatio Nelson, had by now arrived in the West Indies as second lieutenant of the 32 gun frigate Lowestoffe. The West Indies was considered to be a plum appointment because of the opportunities for promotion and prize money; the high incidence of death and disease on the station ensured rapid promotion for the healthy – that is of course unless your name happened to be Robert Haswell! Following Nelson’s promotion to the flagship as third lieutenant in Brostol in July 1778, Collingwood was

appointed to Lowestoffe, whose captain could not have been more different to Haswell for he was of course, none other than Nelson’s ‘old sea daddy’ William Locker. Although ten years older than his friend, Collingwood was now propelled by the gravitational pull of Nelson’s orbit and in quick succession followed him into Bristol, then to Badger as master and commander and finally to the 28 gun frigate Hinchinbrooke in mid-1780 as Captain. He was now a post captain - he was on ‘the list’ - he was ‘made’! The musical chairs didn’t stop there, however, because shortly after joining Hinchinbrooke, he was appointed to the 24 gun frigate Pelican which, while cruising off the south east coast of Jamaica in October 1780, was struck by a hurricane and driven ashore on Morant Keys. Thanks to Collingwood’s cool disposition and excellent seaman-ship, there was no loss of life but of course the ship had been lost, and as a result he was court-martialled for the second time in three years. However, this time it was a mere formality and he was again acquitted. By early 1782 Captain Collingwood was back in England, ‘on the beach’ and on half-pay – which was to last for more than a year. In mid-1783, after a brief period in command of the 64 gun Sampson he was appointed to the 44 gun frigate Mediator where he was to strike up a lifelong friendship with Mary Moutray, the wife of John Moutray, the new dockyard commis-sioner for Antigua, both of whom took p a s s a g e i n Mediator to their new appointment. Also undertaking the voyage was a young captain’s servant, the thir-teen year old Jef-frey Raigersfeld, the son of the chargé d’affaires at the Austrian embassy in London. Raigersfeld, who was himself to achieve flag rank, served for three and a half years with Collingwood and gives us a valuable insight into Collingwood as a firm but fair captain who used the lash sparingly, but was nonetheless not afraid to use it when necessary. Like Nelson, he took a particular interest in the ‘young gentlemen’ and Raigersfeld recounts that “he looked after the midshipmen. Collingwood was to spend the next three years in the West Indies, this time under Nelson who was the senior captain on the station, and it was during this time that they really developed their great friendship and mutual respect. It was also during this time that they both fell under the spell of Mary Moutray, although with a gen-tlemanly propriety typical of the age, it appears that in both cases it was nothing more than a mild flirtation.


Nevertheless had she not been married at the time, it seems entirely possible that she may well have become Mrs Collingwood or Mrs Nelson, and both men were to become lifelong devotees and correspondents of the commissioner’s lady. In 1784, brother Wilfred arrived in the West Indies as commander of the sloop Rattler, and the three of them set about the business of enforcing the Navigation Act, which basically stated that cargoes carried between British ports could only be carried in British bottoms. This meant that after the United States achieved independence, American ships no longer complied with the provisions of the Navigation Act and could not therefore legally engage in trade between the British colonies in the West Indies. There seems to be some evidence that, contrary to popular belief, it was Collingwood and not Nelson who was the original author and instigator of the policy. Be that as it may, the trio had considerable success and managed to make themselves thoroughly unpopular with the local merchants and traders, as well as the colonial administrators and bu-reaucrats, all of whom stood to profit from the lucrative inter-island trading. Luckily the Admiralty, after a certain amount of dithering, backed them to the hilt. Early in 1786 Collingwood returned to England and after his departure Nelson wrote had it not been for Collingwood, it would have been the most disagreeable station I ever saw. Collingwood spent much of the autumn in London dealing with the legal consequences of his actions under the Navigation Act and then at the end of the year he returned to Newcastle, possibly for the first time since he had left to join Shannon, twenty five years earlier. By now Cuthbert senior was dead but there was even sadder news when in the middle of the following year, he received a letter from Nelson, telling him that Wilfred had succumbed to the curse of the Caribbean and had died on 21 April 1787. Collingwood was to remain ashore on half-pay until late 1790 and it is during this spell of enforced home leave that he would have walked the hills of his native Northumberland with his pockets full of the legendary acorns, pausing every now and then to plant one in a promising spot. It was also during this time at home that he developed two relationships that were to have a significant effect on him for the rest of his life. The first was the acquisition of his dog Bounce or Mr Bounce as he was sometimes known. Although it is commonly thought that Bounce was a small terrier, Collingwood refers to him at about this time as being as tall as his master’s writing table. It is therefore more likely that he was a large dog like a Newfoundland or an English Sheepdog or possibly a pointer. At any rate he can’t have been the Jack Russell as is commonly thought, since the Reverend Jack Russell didn’t develop the breed until later in the nineteenth century! The other relationship was of more importance although arguably of less influence than Bounce, who was to be his constant companion for nineteen years. It seems to be a sort of nautical Sod’s Law that after a long spell in port, the young sailor often chances to meet the object of his heart’s desire

on the eve of sailing, and there seems to have been some application of the law to Collingwood, although he was no longer young, being by now in his early forties. He’d been ashore for four years during which time he had persistently badgered the Admiralty for a ship, and in the middle of 1790, when there was some concern that Spain might join the revolutionary French in a war against England, he was appointed to the 32 gun frigate Mermaid. However, at the last moment he gives the impression of being somewhat reluctant to return to sea because in October 1790 he wrote to Mary Moutray indicating that he had reached an understanding with a young lady. The young lady was in fact Sarah Blackett, the daughter of the mayor of Newcastle. Shortly afterwards, the lovelorn suitor sailed for the West Indies, apparently without an answer because he left the marriage negotiations in the hands of an uncle. Luckily for him, by the time he reached the Caribbean the crisis was over and by April 1791 he was back in Portsmouth and anxious to learn his fate, having had no news in the meantime. Happily, the news was good and on June 18, 1791, he and Sarah were married in St Nicholas Cathedral in

Newcastle. The newlyweds set up home in a rented house at Morpeth, which was the county town of Northumberland, about 15 miles north of Newcastle. Collingwood was to have a year and a half ‘on the beach’ -

which was just as well for his marriage because it was by far the longest spell they were to have in each other’s company. Their first child, Sarah (or Little Sal as she was known to her parents) was born in September 1792 and the second, Mary Patience, followed in August 1793, by which time Britain was again at war with France and Collingwood was back in harness, this time as flag captain to Rear-Admiral Sir George Bowyer, in command of the second rate, Prince. By now, Captain Collingwood was developing something of a reputation for expertise in gunnery and in Prince he had 98 of them to practice with! He obviously impressed his admiral and got on well with him because in the following year, they both transferred to another 98, Barfleur, which was reckoned to be a better sailer than Prince. It’s interesting that Prince retained a reputation for being a slow ship, at least up until Trafalgar where she was the last of the British Fleet into action; one report claimed that she ‘sailed like a haystack’! 1 June 1794 is a date still celebrated in the Royal Navy (and incidentally by the Worcestershire Regiment which was also present on the day) being of course the date of the Battle of the Glorious First of June, when Howe supposedly achieved a great victory over the French under Admiral Villaret-Joyeuse. I say a supposed victory,


and indeed it was a victory of sorts, at least in the tactical sense, because seven French ships were taken without loss to the Brit-ish; but it wasn’t a strategic victory because the convoy that Vil-laret-Joyeuse was escorting, and which should have been the object of Howe’s attack, got clean away. During the course of the action, Bowyer was badly injured and Collingwood took full command of the flagship. By all accounts he fought with typical Collingwood tenacity, in the thick of the action, but despite the testimony of several of his fellow captains, Barfleur was not mentioned in Howe’s despatch. Collingwood was incensed, principally on behalf of his ship’s company, and the victory was to leave a bitter taste in his mouth forever after. Shortly after the battle the fleet returned to Spit-head where they were reviewed by the King, and Collingwood managed to get a short spell of leave. He hurried north to Mor-peth where he saw his youngest daughter Mary, now a year old, for the first time, but after all too brief a stay, he was appointed to the 74 gun third rate Hector. Hector however, was short-handed and he managed to get home again for nine days before joining Excellent, another 74, and probably the ship with which the name of Collingwood is most commonly associated. Early in 1795, Excellent sailed to join the Mediterranean Fleet (under the overall command of Sir John Jervis) in which Nelson was also serving, first in Agamennon and later in Captain. The fleet was to remain in the Mediterranean until the end of 1796, during which time British bases were established (and lost) in Corsica and Elba. After the loss of Corsica in late ‘96, Jervis withdrew the fleet from the Mediterranean, establishing his new base in Lisbon. Jervis’s fleet at that time probably held the pick of the navy’s captains and Collingwood’s reputation for gunnery was now legendary, even amongst names such as Nelson, Foley, Millar, Ball, Saumarez and Troubridge, to name but a few, men that Nelson was later to refer to as his ‘Band of Brothers’ and Jervis as ‘some choice fellows of the inshore fleet’. It was re-ported that Excellent could fire three broadsides in less than four minutes – not for nothing was the Royal Navy Gunnery School at Whale Island in Portsmouth Harbour named HMS Excellent. On 14 February 1797, Collingwood took part in his second large fleet action – the Battle of Cape St Vincent, when Jervis with 15 of the line was outnumbered by 27 Spanish ships including the largest ship in the world at the time, the 130 gun Santissima Trinidad, yet nevertheless managed to capture four Spaniards for no British losses. The account of the battle is well known, chiefly of course for Nelson’s famous indiscipline by pulling CAPTAIN out of the line and capturing two Spanish first rates, but Collingwood’s part in the battle was not insignificant for had it not been for Excellent also hauling out of the line in support of his old friend, Nelson’s gamble may well have come to grief. In fact all four prizes that were captured by the British, including the two first rates taken by Nelson, were on the receiving end of Excellent’s withering fire at some stage during the battle and Collingwood managed to force two to surrender, although one subsequently re-hoisted her colours and escaped. He also reduced the Santissima Trinidad to the status of a floating wreck but was unable to capture her

before she was rescued and towed away from the action. Though he was not backward in coming forward with an account of his own part in the battle, Nelson was not too busy to acknowledge his friend, sending a letter to Colling-wood after the battle addressed to ‘My Dearest Friend’ and beginning, ‘A friend in need is a friend indeed’ was never more truly verified than by your most noble and gallant conduct yesterday in sparing Captain from further loss…” 1797 was to be a memorable year for the Royal Navy. Following St Vincent in quick succession were the Spithead and Nore mutinies and, later in the year, the Battle of Camperdown at which Admiral Duncan obtained a comprehensive victory over the Dutch. It was also in July of that year that Nelson lost his right arm in the abortive attack on Teneriffe, but Collingwood missed all the fun, having to remain with the Mediterranean Fleet blockading Cadiz. He also managed to miss the most significant naval event of 1798, much to his disappointment, when he wasn’t chosen to accompany Nelson on his Egyptian adventure. It’s fascinating to conjecture on what might have transpired at the Nile, had Collingwood been picked instead of say, Davidge Gould, who is generally considered to be the least inspiring of the “Band of Brothers”. Had Collingwood and Excellent, with her most excellent gunnery, been present at the battle, the French fleet may well have been captured in its entirety. Nevertheless, although Collingwood felt slighted by the oversight, at least he didn’t resort to some of the tactics employed by Admiral Sir John Orde, who later challenged Jervis (now Lord St Vincent) to a duel over his exclusion from the affray. However, there were to be other consolations because by the end of the year Collingwood was back at Spithead and early in 1799, he managed to take three months leave with Sarah and the girls, which in itself was very gratifying, but perhaps the icing on the cake was his promotion to Rear Admiral on the second anniversary of the Battle of Cape St Vincent. By May 1799 he was back at sea, hoisting his flag in the third rate Triumph, a 74 attached to the Channel Fleet, but he soon found himself back in the Mediterranean where the Channel Fleet, under the temporary command of Lord Keith, was chasing the French fleet which had broken out of Brest and was thought to be heading for Minorca. How-ever, by the time Keith reached Minorca, the French had scuttled back to Brest, and the Channel Fleet returned to Torbay to resume the blockade. In January 1800, Collingwood returned to his old ship Barfleur, in which he had fought at the Glorious First of June as flag captain – now she was to be his flagship. Still attached to the Channel Fleet and the Brest blockade, he transferred to another 98,Neptune, for a brief period before returning to Barfleur.


To be continued — Editor . Because this excellent talk was very long we will finish it in the April Newsletter.

NELSON AND HIS NAVY— SPANISH TRAFALGAR The original text was printed in the ‘Gazeta de Madrid’. London, November 26th {1805}

Extract copied from "The Enemy at Trafalgar" by Edward Fraser [Hodder & Stoughton] Pub 1906

In society, at the theatre and places of entertainment, at balls, all the ladies in evening dress wear cypress in their head-dress in memory of Lord Nelson. The loss of Lord Nelson, however, is not the only loss that we have to deplore in the terrible battle which has taken place off Cadiz between our Fleet and that of the Combined Fleet. One may judge of these when one reads the following extract from the dispatch that Admiral Collingwood has forwarded to the Admiralty:-

THE SPANISH ACCOUNT OF STATE OF THE BRITISH FLEET AFTER THE BATTLE

Victory 100 Entirely dismasted in the act of breaking the line Admiral Nelson wounded; he died seven hours after the battle Prince of Wales*98 Sunk in the action Britannia Sunk in the action Dreadnought 98 All the hull riddled with cannon shot Temeraire 98 Dismasted; the masts of the French ship "Aigle" fell on her deck and killed many of the crew. Neptune 98 Both sunk; and the masts of the first and the rudder of the second have been found on & Prince 98 Conil beach. Queen* 98 Lost her foremast and mizzen; at Gibraltar much Damaged. Donegal* 80 Dismasted on the Barbary coast. Canopus* 80 Dismasted and taken alongside the sheer hulk at Gibraltar. Tigre* 80 Sunk off the coast near Santa Maria. Tonnant* 80 Burnt by the fleet five or six leagues N.W of Cadiz. Spencer 74 Came into Gibraltar in tow of a frigate making signals for assistance. Le Spartiate 74 Sunk after the action, on the coast near Rota. Defence 74 Without main mast; at Gibraltar. Swiftsure 74 Lost her foretopmast; at Gibraltar. Orion 74 Dismasted, on the coast of Africa Leviathan 74 Under sail. And lost her main top mast. Zealous 74 Hull damaged; at Gibraltar. Conqueror 74 Under sail. Revenge 74 At Gibraltar, the second without a topsail yard Achille 74 Minotaur 74 Ran ashore on the coast off Conill or San Lucar. Colossus 74 Idem Mars 74 Under sail Bellerophon 74 Under sail Polyphemus 74 Under sail, without a mizen mast. Esparciata 74 Sunk after the battle off the coast off Rota. Carnatic 74 Under sail -with jury-masts

SHIPS WHICH JOINED THE ENGLISH FLEET AT 5 PM 21ST OCTOBER. #The Duke of York 90 Under sail Royal 100 Lost, with £400,000 sterling, on her Sovereign way to Malta #Le Leger 80 — Towed by an English frigate Relampago 74 — Under sail, under care of a Swedish ship. *Aquila 74 — Under sail. * Not in Battle # No such ship in Royal Navy.


The Editor in the next newsletter will publish a British list of the damage to their ships. Does any member have an original French list? If so it would be interesting to compare the three versions.

TOAST TO THE IMMORTAL MEMORY, HORATIO, VISCOUNT NELSON, VICE-ADMIRAL OF THE WHITE.

Robin L. Reid, Master Mariner (Rtd). Thank you for inviting me to propose this toast to the immortal memory Horatio, Viscount Nelson, Vice Admiral of the White. It is indeed a great honour and pleasure.

My Lord, you are surrounded by friends whom you inspire with confidence.

Thus said the Captains of his fleet to Lord Nelson, some three weeks before Trafalgar These days, to remember what I was doing a week ago is becoming difficult, and a year ago - almost impossible; but we remember significant events. I well remember my first trip to sea in September 1949, as deck apprentice in a Shaw Savill Line Ship One of the apprentices’ duties, when in port, was flag drill at 0800hrs each day. Our red ensign, a flag steeped in Naval History, would be hoisted at the stern. Simultaneously the courtesy ensign of the country of stay and the company house flag, would be broken out at the fore and main mast trucks, respectively. On Trafalgar Day the ensign was always hoisted to half-mast and being well drilled from our various pre-sea training establishments, we all knew how to do that in the correct fashion! On those days in ports around the world there would be many ships wearing the old red duster (as it was fondly known) and, on that special day they would all be fluttering at half-mast. That was the tradition of the sea. That was the respect given, some 140 years after the event, for the memory of the man — who had won such a magnificent naval victory for Britain in 1805— and, in so doing, had given his life for his country amongst the 750 lost on that day. Indeed a truly significant event in world history. Between 1798 and 1805 Nelson won three great and decisive victories at sea. that shaped the course of British History for more than a century. At the Nile (Aboukir Bay 1798), he destroyed the French Mediterranean Fleet and with it Napoleon’s dreams of an Eastern Empire. At Copenhagen (1801), he removed the serious threat of the balance of the Baltic navies joining forces with the enemy, at a time when Britain fighting alone, was only just holding her own. Finally at Trafalgar (1805), he completed the annihilation of the remaining Franco-Spanish combined fleets, something no other admiral had done. With this last act there was now no fear that ‘Boney’ would invade Britain. Britannia Ruled the Waves. From that day, Britain’s rising influence in the world was confirmed; her merchant fleets and trade grew and, with it, her

empire—all under the protection of a Royal Navy, invigorated by the actions of its great admiral Lord Nelson. Joseph Conrad, Master Mariner and author, was to write in admiration of him many years later: ‘In a few short years he revolutionised not the strategy or tactics of sea warfare, but the very conception of victory itself. He brought heroism into the line of duty. Verily he is a terrible ancestor.’ The tradition of heroism, which he brought to the Navy gave to those who followed him, a confidence in the heat of battle that no supremacy of enemy numbers could destroy. No better example of this is the action of Captain Fogarty Fagan RN in the armed merchant cruiser Jervis Bay during the Second World War. On November 4th, out-gunned and single handed, he took

on a German pocket battleship, Admiral Scheer, thereby allowing the greater proportions of the convoy he was escorting to escape. The Jarvis Bay was sunk with few survivors and Captain Fagan was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross The period of British History spanning the latter half of the 18th century to Napoleon’s Waterloo, in 1815, is rich with the names of outstanding leaders. Whilst they all had the admiration of their country at the time, none received such a warm place in the hearts of the British people, and especially those of the men he commanded, as did Nelson. In the epilogue to his book The

Durable Monument: Horatio Nelson, first published in 1949, Admiral Sir WM James wrote: ‘It is not easy to compile a list of the qualities that contribute to the making of a great sea-officer/ No list would receive universal support but there are some qualities he certainly must have moral courage: endurance to resist strain and fatigue, imagination and creative powers for his strategically and tactical plans and he must be a fine seaman.’ Admiral James followed this by demonstrating Nelson’s excellence in each of these qualities. He then goes on to say: ‘The powers to draw loyalty and whole hearted service from his subordinates has not been included as a fundamental quality because there have-been successful admirals who have governed through their subordinates’ fear of the consequences of failure though they have thereby limited the scope of their victories. But Nelson’s extraordinary influence over his fellow men, was, perhaps, as much responsible for his unique record of successes in battle as his brilliant tactics.’ This was precisely the secret of his extraordinary popularity and success. His manner of command was

THE NELSON SOCIETY OF AUSTRALIA PICKLE NIGHT DINNER, 2007.


due to his extraordinary influence over his fellow men and his brilliant tactics. Nelson’s way of command was very different to that in general use during his times. A verse from Rudyard Kipling’s poem ‘Together’ puts this neatly into perspective

When crew and Captain understand each other to the core ,

It taxes a gale and more than a gale to put their ship ashore.

Nelson’s life revolved around duty; a duty to God, a duty to king and country and last but not least a duty of care for his officers and men. He looked after their welfare; he spoke with them, he saw they were fed and accommodated as well as possible under the conditions they had to live in. He discussed his battle plans with his Captains who in turn passed these on to the crews He made sure they understood each other to the core. In return Nelson expected and got their loyalty, obedience and whole hearted service. He was their supreme commander under God and the King but he was also their father and friend and they loved him for it. Captain Malcolm in Donegal a ‘64’ stationed off Cadiz during the battle of Trafalgar, knew both Wellington and Nelson well. Afterwards he assured all who asked him ‘Nelson was the one to love. Nelson’s tactics were again different to the standard ‘text book’ battle line ahead, approach of the day. His battle plans were meticulously prepared: all possibilities were carefully explored. There was always


LINES ON NELSON

What modern bard shall toil in NELSON's praise, Nor sink the subject he despairs to raise? Unrivalled Hero! Death's most envied spoil! The mournful country proves thy glory's soil. Egypt forsook each consecrated pile, To gaze on greater wonders at the Nile; On Bronte's arms, that levelled Baltic forts, And France and Spain imprisoned in their ports Matchless in enterprise, with eagle sweep, He lessened leagues, and spurned the stormy deep: Bore down, resistless, on the astonished foe, And trebled numbers vanished at a blow. From scattered hosts with captive chiefs retired: Unconquered livid, in victory expired. Of Heaven a glorious death he would implore: Heaven granted this, his frequent prayer, and more. Bade his concluding victory transcend All former triumphs, to adorn his end. Bade him, immortal bliss about to gain, Annihilate the fleets of France and Spain ’Twas fit the Hero, destined for the skies. Should by the steps of earthly glory rise; Of brilliant victories a climax raise, Which Briton's foes disgraces and dismays! Deserve the female tear the patriot sigh. The brave's renown, and lays that never die. Illustrious NELSON! such deserts were thine. Such was thy transist to a crown divine! Deep in our hearts thy name shall be impressed. So long as VIRTUE fires the British breast.

Anon.

room for flexibility and there was usually some-thing novel in them. ‘The Nelson Touch’ as he called it! After explaining his Trafalgar battle plan to his officers, Nelson wrote, on October 1st, in a letter to Lady Hamilton: When I came to explain to them the ‘Nelson Touch’, it was like an electric shock, some shed tears, all approved- it was new it was singular-it was simple! and, from admirals downwards it was repeated — ‘it must succeed: if ever they will allow us to get near them! You are my Lord surrounded by friends whom you inspire with confidence. Lord Nelson’s memory is still surrounded by friends. A paragon of devotion to duty, loyalty, and excellence in leadership, he is still inspiring with confidence those who ‘go down to the seas in ships.’ He is indeed ‘a terrible ancestor’ but one whom we shall continue to love. Ladies and Gentleman, please charge your glasses and be upstanding in accordance with the traditions of the Navy. Ladies and Gentlemen this toast will be drunk in silence to the immortal memory of Horatio Nelson Vice Admiral of the White.

BEATTY’S DEATH OF NELSON

The last general meeting of 2007 on Monday Nov 16 took the form of a reading of Surgeon Beatty’s eye witness description of the Battle of Trafalgar and the death of Nelson. The account was adapted to the first person and Ted Collinson brought an appropriate note of professionalism and controlled emotion to the part of Beatty. Nick Bell played his now customary role of Nelson with conviction and other parts were effectively taken by John Caskey, John Foster, Richard Savage and Lilian Toomer.

Our congratulations and thanks got to all the participants on a highly successful presentation of this classic piece of writing.

THE NELSON SOCIETY OF AUSTRALIA Founded 2001

To advance public education in the appreciation of the life and character of Admiral Lord Nelson. Nelson was killed at the Battle of Trafalgar on the 21st October 1805. In the greatest sea battle, involving 60 ships of the line, over 3,000 men were killed, 3,500 wounded and over 1,000 reported missing.

THE NELSON SOCIETY OF AUSTRALIA Patron: Commodore David J Orr. RAN (Ret’d)

Honorary Life President: Graham Perkins

COMMITTEE 2007-2008 Office Bearers: Chairman: Mike Sargeant Vice Chairman: Richard Savage Secretary Bob Woollett Treasurer Renee Almond Committee Members: John Ashworth, Ron Ingham Gillian Mead, (Minutes Sec.) David Shannon, Lilian Toomer

OTHER POSITIONS Newsletter: Betty Foster (editor), Bob Woollett (assistant editor) Rob O’Connor (photos) Lilian Toomer (distribution) Nelson Dispatch Distribution: Gwen Phillips

SUB COMMITTEES Memorial Service: Richard Savage (Chair), David Shannon, Ron Ingham, John Caskey, John Ashworth and Mike Sargeant. Catering: Elsie Paice (co-ordinator) and Renee Almond Pickle Night Bob Woollett, (co-ordinator) Betty Foster and John Caskey Reception: Cynthia Lyall and Ann Penny

MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION Title……….. Name………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. Address…………………………………………………………………………………………………………. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. ………………………………………………………...Postcode………………………………………………. Telephone……………………………………E-mail………………………………………………………….. Membership Subscription — $25 Cheques to be made out to The Nelson Society of Australia Inc.

Send to Membership Secretary, Bob Woollett,

The Nelson Society of Australia, 28 Norfolk St, Fremantle, 6160 WA Phone 9335 7451

Printing courtesy of Jim McGinty MLA The Nelson Society of Australia. Newsletter Jan 2008

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