Forthcoming Events

TUESDAY 21 October 2025 – 10:30 for 11:00am

OUR ANNUAL WREATH-LAYING CEREMONY
at The Tomb of Admiral Lord Nelson at St Paul’s Cathedral, St Paul’s Churchyard, London EC4M 8AD

The Trustees of The 1805 Club invite Members and Friends, and their guests, to the annual wreath-laying ceremony at the tomb of Admiral Lord Nelson in the Crypt of St Paul’s Cathedral.

This special commemorative event was created from a shared initiative involving the Royal Navy, our former chairman the late Peter Warwick, and the Cathedral’s authorities.
 

The Service takes place immediately adjacent to Nelson’s tomb in the Crypt, and will begin at 1100 sharp.  Your advised arrival time is 1030. Please enter the Cathedral by the North Door (left-hand side of the building when looking at it from the front).
 

There is no charge for attending the ceremony but donations towards the upkeep of the Cathedral may be made on the day. Donations to The 1805 Club are also strongly encouraged, and may be made by using the button below.
 

Bags will be searched on entry. To assist the Cathedral’s preparations, please email the Secretary of The 1805 Club of your intention to attend, via secretary@1805club.org, with the subject line WREATH2025.
 

SATURDAY 25th October 2025 - Time: 18.00 - 22.20+

Annual Trafalgar Night Dinner

Our Annual Trafalgar Night Dinner this year will take place on Saturday  25th October 2025 in HMS Nelson Wardroom, Queen Street, Portsmouth, PO1 3HL.   

Details (including cost for the evening) will be promulgated with plenty of notice.

As well as being an important fundraiser for your Club, it promises to be a splendid evening - and it is not too early to book your accommodation; indeed, several members have already done so. Members have been sent accommodation details via email.

Full details will be sent via email to all members, but these will also be published in both the Kedge Anchor and The 1805 Dispatches.

Saturday 27th to the 28th September 2025

Weekend in Cornish Village to commemorate a Cornish Marine who was killed at Trafalgar

Born and brought up in St Tudy, Cornwall, Private Richard Masters of the Royal Marines was only 21 when he was killed in action at the Battle of Trafalgar on 21 October 1805. His body was thrown overboard – as was usual in the thick of battle – and he has ‘no grave but the sea’

But almost exactly 220 years later, on Saturday 27 September 2025, church bells in St Tudy will ring out with a new piece of music composed by Captain of the Tower John Mardon and named ‘Masters of Loskeyle’, Loskeyle (now called Leskeyle) being Richard Masters’ birthplace.

In a ceremony in St Tudy churchyard led by Revd Robin Thwaites, the young private will be remembered when a silver-grey Cornish granite plaque is jointly unveiled by Commodore Jamie Miller CBE DL RN, representing the King, and Brigadier Mike Tanner OBE RM, commander of Devonport Naval Base.

Geraint Richards OBE MVO FICFor will be present in his dual roles as High Sheriff of Cornwall and Head Forester to the Duchy of Cornwall, also representing the King. Other distinguished guests will include the Mayor of Wadebridge Cllr Ian Welch and his wife Cllr Gill Welch; and Cllr David Garrigan, representing Ben Maguire, MP for North Cornwall.

Led by their commanding officer David Green, the Padstow Sea Cadets will form a guard of honour. Reenactment members of the 32nd Cornwall Regiment of Foot will add a touch of period flavour.

The project was conceived by the St Tudy Historical Society (STHS) and has been carried through in partnership with The 1805 Club. Historian Stephen Howarth, honorary secretary of The 1805 Club, said,

“As with the Royal Navy, there are many monuments to officers of the Royal Marines, and group listings often include the names of privates in the service. But monuments to individual private marines are rare, especially from the period of Trafalgar. We are very pleased to be partners in this special project, which resonates throughout Cornwall and beyond.”

Crafted by Kerrow Memorials, the 510mm x 670mm plaque will be secured to the east wall of the church, close to the graves of members of Private Masters’ family.

Angela Aylward and Pam Free of the STHS said, “We regard this permanent commemoration as a way of bringing Richard Masters home after all these years.”