Nelson & His World

Oh my goodness! This just beggars belief! The National Maritime Museum doesn't know what happened at the Battle of Trafalgar!

http://www.nmm.ac.uk/visit/events/yinka ... trafalgar/

Don't they know that Collingwood attacked the Rear, and Nelson cut off the Van?

I think I need to go and lie down...

Surely this calls for the Ultimate Sanction? Tony, prepare your letter to the Editor of The Times.

Maybe we can also petition the Director of the NMM to release the 'old admirals' languishing in a spare oubliette in the bowels of the NMM, that he might profit from their knowledge?

No, I will leave writing to The Times to someone who actually reads it. Now it charges for online access, it is just another feeble, dying, archaic and arcane publication.

I have of course emailed the director of the museum.

But I fear it is too late. We are all doomed. This is the end of civilisation as we know it. The Royal Navy has no planes for its aircraft carrier, Nelson has been replaced in the National Curriculum by Olaudah Equiano, and now the National Maritime Museum has moved into the realms of fiction and fantasy.

Perhaps there is one last hope. Next month the National Maritime Museum is organising a live action origami recreation of the battle of Trafalgar. (This is not a spoof: http://www.nmm.ac.uk/visit/events/nelso ... n-a-bottle .) If we can organise a sufficient number of aging history professors and retired admirals, it is the ideal opportunty for a sit in (no violence, please).

"Save Naval History at the National Maritime Museum"

Or should that be:

"Save Naval History from the National Maritime Museum"

Tony,

Who is Olaudah Equiano?

Collingwood's cutting off the van is not the only thing wrong with the clip. Why, for example, does the Victory not pass astern of the Redoutable (instead of ahead of it), why do all the ships of both columns then turn to starboard on breaking through the line (and the flagship then seemingly go on a 'Victory' lap) and where are the four ships, Victory, Redoutable, Temeraire and Fougeux shown locked together??? This 'representation' is certainly misleading and should be taken down!

I don't really understand what's happening at (or to) the NMM. There seems to be quite a bit of dumbing down, the displays all appear to be with children in mind – and don't get me started about the shop! Still, as you imply, if they're organising an origami recreation of Trafalgar, all may not be lost!

Anna,

Thanks for making me get out the dictionary, to look up 'oubliette'. I am much 'oublieiged'!

Kester: for info:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olaudah_Equiano

Tony:
I do, I regret to say, for I am ashamed to subsidise News International, find the Times as indispensible at breakfast as Twining's tea and Frank Cooper's Oxford marmalade. There is still some excellent writing there, including Libby Purves's unfailing good sense and Daniel Finkelstein's informed and humorous political commentary. And a letter to The Times from an august individual or group is often given wider currency via BBC News.

They usually too publish anything with a Nelsonian connection. Please reconsider and email the editor: letters@thetimes.co.uk. Go on, go on, go on, go on, go on.

P.S.

If the origami re-enactment of Trafalgar uses the NMM's Fantasy Variation Number 1, Mr Tycho suggests we should complete the sit-in with a toast to the Immortal Loss of Memory.

Anna,



Thanks for the reference.

Tony

Not sure if you or anyone said anything - but the page seems (at least for now) to have been deleted.

I was just planning to add that I was aware of that graphic at least 5 years ago.

I guess that the person who was tasked with creating the Yinka Shonibare page was aware of it still on the NMM server and just linked it in.

Possible that they didn't even look at it in detail let alone question the content.

Anyway that may not be of any consequence now.

MB

Well we can sleep easy again - for the time being...

And just after Anna's mention of Libby Purves was making me think again about The Times.

Kester, 'The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano' is well worth a read. Apart from everything else, he was present at Boscawen's victory at the Battle of Lagos in the Seven Years War, and includes a description in his narrative.

Tony

Thanks for the link. I'll certainly have a look at that.

I had a couple of nice emails from the museum's director, the last explaining that, as Mark suggested, an erroneous and unchecked graphic was inserted into the web page by mistake and also assuring me that it did not reflect the Museum’s understanding of the 'momentous events of the 21st October 1805'.