Nelson & His World

Today is Lord Nelson’s birthday: he was born 251 years ago, 29th September 1758, in Burnham Thorpe, Norfolk.

It is also the anniversary of his appointment to the Order of St Joachim, one of the four orders of chivalry to which he was appointed, and whose insignia he was wearing when he met his death at Trafalgar.

http://www.stjoachimorder.org/nelson.htm

I'll be Splicing the Mainbrace this evening, Anna.

I imagine we'll all be remembering the day in one way or another. For me it won't be a splendid dinner or anything like that, unfortunately , but just in thinking about him and what a great man he was.

Yes a great man Devenish, but he was pretty harsh you only have to look at how he treated poor Fanny for starters and his servant Tom Allen, a very jelous man and lets face it he did love himself.

Steve,

I was actually meaning overall. We all have our faults, and I am sure in his heart Nelson recognised his. He also owned, in letters, to his consumate vanity.

Thank goodness too, that we acknowledge his misgivings and yes, perhaps cruelties, rather than try to believe they didn't exist, as they did in the Victorian period!

Stephen:

there's more on Nelson's faults on page 8 of the forum 'A Flawed Hero' when quite a few of us threw in our four penn'orth about the hero's failings.

May I add a paragraph from my birthday tribute in the book of poems I collected to mark his birthday last year in which I repeated some of the points I made in that thread:

'In the two hundred years since Nelson's death, the image of the pasteboard hero, th artificial construct of unblemished virtue, has given way to a more balanced and truer picture: a hero, no doubt, but also a flawed and fallible human being. Yet we admire him no less, perhaps because every fault is counterbalanced by many and greater virtues. Irascible, vain, stubborn, reckless he may, on occasions have been, and he certainly 'went to the deuce for a woman'; but generous, affectionate, dutiful, courageous and great-hearted he always was. When great men stoop to less than greatness, they can often appear monstrous. Nelson becomes simply more human.

I did Splice the Mainbrace last evening and toasted the great man Even Emma could not escape his anger and his jelousy, one is remined of the occassion when she forgot to pack his stockings in his trunk, that must have been quite amusing.

Anyone received their Despatch yet??

Stephen,

I certainly haven't, and I think we're 'all in the same boat', as it were. It's rather frustrating!

My Nelson Dispatch arrived today - so I guess they are all in the post.

October one technically due tomorrow

MB

Well I am not going to say much, but as Kester says, Nelson had his human side which we all have, warts & all........but in the end I wish I had lived my life the way he had or rather I wish I could have been the person he was........................I was down below in Victory last week and I saluted his death place and was asked what I was doing by some other guests, so I explained that to me this was the most famous naval hero I could try and live up to................Sorry am whoffling!
Robbie

Anna, your poem is fabulous!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! thanks

Mark,

Thanks for that, it's good to know it's on the way!

Robbie,

Good for you. Whoffle away!

Three Hurrah's its arrived ! The Dispatch, that is and looks a good read as well.