Sussex Heritage: Battle of Trafalgar Day

On the 21st October 1805 Vice-Admiral Horatio Nelson defeated the combined French and Spanish fleets at the Battle of Trafalgar.

On the morning of the battle, with the enemy wearing in succession, Nelson knelt and composed his ‘Prayer before the Battle’, “May the Great God whom I worship grant to my country, and for the benefit of Europe in general, A great and glorious victory! And may no misconduct in anyone tarnish it! And may humanity after victory be the predominant feature in the British Fleet. For Myself individually I commit my life to him who made me, and may his blessing light upon my endeavours for serving my country faithfully. To him I resign myself and the just cause which is entrusted to me to defend. Amen. Amen. Amen.”

He then ordered the signal be sent “England expects that every man will do his duty”. At noon the order was given to engage the enemy more closely. His plan was to approach the French and Spanish line and attack at right angles in two columns to concentrate on destroying the centre and rear. At a quarter to one HMS Victory broke through the enemy’s line of battle. During the battle Nelson was fatally wounded whilst pacing the decks with Captain Hardy as HMS Victory and the French ship Redoubtable became locked together in close combat. Nelson’s plan of attack won a decisive victory for the British in the Cape of Trafalgar. It halted Napolean’s plan to invade Britain and marked the beginning of a century of British naval supremacy. The portrait of Nelson after Lemuel Francis Abbott, sold at Toovey’s for £3400. It seems to capture the man.

Horatio Nelson’s father was the Rector at the Parish Church at Burnham Thorpe in Norfolk. From Burnham Thorpe he went to sea with his late mother’s brother, Maurice Suckling, who was a captain in the Royal Navy. It was here that Nelson’s naval career was seeded and his character became apparent.

As a nation our character is more than just a stiff upper lip. Nelson could be emotional, overindulgent, sentimental, and lachrymose with a blind eye to authority. These overwhelmingly English qualities informed his inspirational and decisive leadership. Nelson’s Prayer before the Battle highlights values and standards we would all aspire to. Servant leadership bound up with duty and a desire to defend freedom and justice for all. On this Trafalgar Day let us give thanks to God for the duty, courage and sacrifice of the men and women of our Royal Navy, past and present.

Rupert Toovey is a senior director of Toovey’s, the leading fine art auction house in West Sussex, based on the A24 at Washington -www.tooveys.com-and a priest in the Church of England Diocese of Chichester.