Nelson & His World

Further to our discussions 'Inside Nelson's World' about the Trafalgar Day toast to the 'immortal memory of Lord Nelson' and the inclusion of the words 'and all who fell with him', it set me wondering if there is any prominent memorial to all who served/died at Trafalgar. There is a small plaque in the archway of the Old Admiralty Building in Whitehall which commemorates all who served, but it seems strange in view of the iconic status of the battle, that there is not a more distinguished memorial. Or am I wrong?

I think Roy & Lesley Adkins have suggested that it suited the authorities to focus on Nelson as the victor of Trafalgar to draw attention away from wounded and destitute survivors who had a moral claim on their benevolence for their great contribution to the victory.

Anna,

Well, there is this old wooden ship down in Portsmouth – I think she's called HMS Victory – where a plaque was unveiled to Lord Nelson and the men who died with him. Do you think that would do, short of anything else more suitable?

http://www.hms-victory.com/index.php?op ... iew&id=160

Of course, the Victory has always been regarded in part as a memorial to those who fell at Trafalgar, not only Nelson himself, but now its official.

Kester:

Point taken! I was thinking, though, of a memorial erected nearer the time of the Napoleonic wars. The plaques in Victory and at the Old Admiralty Building are of fairly recent date. However, on reflection, it seems not to have been the custom to have public memorials commemorating war dead, as opposed to specific famous heroes, until after the First World War. This was the first war in which men were conscripted and almost every family in the land experienced a loss. Until then, it seems that soldiers and sailors were a separate caste almost - who were expected to save the nation in times of trouble, but could be forgotten afterwards and abandoned to destitution. Roy Adkins ends his 'Trafalgar: a Biography of a Battle' with a poignant poem about a poor sailor after Trafalgar. I'll post it on the poetry thread so that the poetry-averse can avoid it if they choose.

Anna,

Sorry about that!

However, I think you may be right; I haven't heard of any earlier memorial either. It seems likely too, that the horrendous casualty list of the First World War may have jolted the national conscience into recognising the ordinary serviceman.

There is a Trafalgar memorial facing the sea at Southsea, marked with an anchor from the Victory.
See:
http://www.memorials.inportsmouth.co.uk ... falgar.htm

Thanks for that pointer, P-N.

Lord Frederick FitzClarence, who had the monument erected, was an illegitimate son of the Duke of Clarence, later William 1V. The Duke of Clarence/William 1V was himself a great admirer of Nelson and maintained a correspondence with him until Nelson's death. By coincidence, I finished reading only yesterday, Claire Tomalin's biography of Lord Frederick's mother, the actress Mrs Jordan. Claire Tomalin records that soon after Nelson's death, the Duke had a private monument to him erected in the grounds of his home, Bushy House: 'At his [the Duke's] request, part of the mast of Nelson's flagship, the Victory, was brought to Bushy, a mound was raised in the garden and a small, round classical temple built on the top to house the relic.'

Kester

I think dates back somewhat further - i.e. to the Crimean War.

Click here

MB

Mark,

Thanks for that. I didn't know of this earlier memorial and it seems then as if our supposition, regarding no mention of the ordinary men until First World War is incorrect.

The present Guards Memorial of course flanks Horseguards Parade. I am not exactly sure when that was erected, but I think it must have been just after the First World War since the five representative Guardsmen on it, I seem to remember, are wearing the uniform of that period. Incidentally it is interesting to note in passing, that there were of course only three Guards regiments at the time of the earlier memorial (from memory the Grenadier, Coldstream and Scots Guards) hence presumably the reason for the three figures on it, whereas the present memorial has all five (the Irish and Welsh Guards being formed after 1900.)

There are also memorials for the men killed in the South African/Boer Wars.

One example here

Slightly off topic but Birmingham erected a clock tower to commemorate the visit of Joseph Chamberlain to South Africa at the end of the Boer War. I don't know the exact details but I believe he helped to reconcile the differences of the former combatants and helped both of them move forward in the most practicable way.





MB