Trafalgar Day

[anteros_lmc]

Earlier today, this wreath was laid by the Second Sea Lord on the spot where Nelson fell on the deck of HMS Victory. I hope it also commemorates the thousands of other men who lost their lives that day off Cape Trafalgar.

Image tweeted by @PompeyDockyard

Comments

[eglantine-br.livejournal.com]

I bet Nelson would think it only right that the wreath be for them too.

I always wonder what the men of then would think if we could show them the future they missed. An argument can be made, (I have heard it made,) that they were part of a World War. Certainly the end of the 18th cen reads like that to me.

What would they have thought of the wars that came after? They scaling up of the loss of lives would have struck them, I'm sure. I would also like to hear what Ned had to say about something like Midway.

[anteros-lmc.livejournal.com]

Yes, I think it was definitely a World War. I'm afraid they would probably have been horrified, but not remotely surprised, by the scale of loss in subsequent centuries. I also think that Ned would have recognised a lot that was familiar in battles like Medway.

[mylodon.livejournal.com]

There has been such weather today - wind and rain and four horseman of the apocalypse and everything. Made me think of the storm after the battle.

[anteros-lmc.livejournal.com]

Yes, for some reason it was the storm that was preying on my mind yesterday too.

[eglantine-br.livejournal.com]

Found the utube. Strange to me to see the way religion and UK Navy combine. Quite moving.

And of course the hymn is one I know well. It is the Navy hymn over here. And I also associate it with my parents services. (My dad had been Navy in WWII. And my mom had a service for herself that ended up so nautical that my brother said it was like the sermon in Moby Dick where the minister climbs a rope ladder and pulls it up behind him!)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-dkXTp2hMU0

[anteros-lmc.livejournal.com]

Thank you for sharing this, I didn't realise the actual ceremony was online too. It is rather moving isn't it?

[esmerelda-t.livejournal.com]

What's always choked me up when visiting Victory is how Nelson's name is simply listed with the rest of the crew in alphabetical order.

[anteros-lmc.livejournal.com]

Oh my, I've never seen that list. I've still only seen a couple of Victory's decks. I hope I can see the rest of the ship sometime.