Nelson & His World

A couple of letters with a Nelson connection have appeared in The Times in recent days:

from the Sat 7 November 2009 edition:

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/commen ... 906638.ece

This letter comments on the temporary erection on the fourth plinth in Trafalgar square of a statue of Sir Keith Park, who gained little public credit for his direction of the Battle of Britain in 1940, and compares him with Nelson as a saviour of the nation:


http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/commen ... 906659.ece

During my teens I spent a week on Foudroyant in Portsmouth Harbour.

We slept in hammocks, and sailed in the harbour and across to the Isle of Wight.

All good character forming stuff - but you wonder if it would be allowed nowadays!!

I came across this leaflet a few years ago and decided to hang on to it as a souvenir of that very enjoyable time.



MB

Anna,

At last, a worthy occupier of the fourth plinth! (I say no more!)

I agree that Sir Keith Park is a very good choice, although of course there are several other suitable candidates from the Second World War. I note that the statue will be there for six months, before it is moved to a pemanent site and thought it rather pity that the statue isn't to occupy the plinth for the actual 70th Anniversary of the Battle of Britain. I believe this is in August/September of next year.

I think it's appropriate too that the great war leaders should be given due recognition in Trafalgar Square, alongside Nelson. I also saw one suggestion that the plinth be occupied by representative statues (one from each of the three services) of those serving in Irak today. Another great idea.

Mark,

I also was aboard the Foudroyant for a short while in 1976, although only for a weekend, with a party from Mariners International whose interest is in sailing in traditional vessels. One of our number, and also a member, was maritime history expert and author Brian Lavery, who took us down into the bowels of the ship and talked about the ship's construction.

We also sailed in the ship's boats up as far as Porchester Castle. I'm not sure they still had the heavy seaboats then, as shown on the front cover of the brochure and of which I still have my copy.

One of the other highlights was going out into Spithead in the ship's launch, to see the Second World War battleship, USS Iowa, enter Portsmouth on a visit. She was enormous and of course had been updated with missiles and modern weapons since her early days. I believe she has just gone out of service, and has been mothballed.