1805 Dispatches #20.01 June 2020 1 of 5 INTRODUCTION This is the first edition of a new venture for The 1805 Club, some might say, “A new adventure”, because it is the first time we have produced a purely digital publication. We have called it ‘1805 Dispatches’ and it will include snippets and extracts from forthcoming articles that will appear in members’ magazine, The Kedge Anchor, which will continue to be published twice a year in its present format, but will no longer be called a newsletter (this is now the newsletter). 1805 Dispatches will also include items that we hope to be not only of interest to all members, but also to anyone who reads it, as we will be making it available to nonmembers, via our website and social media. And you can help. Please read this new newsletter and let the Editor know if there is anything that you strongly dislike about it, and/or of any ideas that you think may improve future editions. Thank you! ka.editor@1805club.org BIMONTHLY NEWSLETTER OF THE 1805 CLUB www.1805club.org 1805 DISPATCHES Issue 20.01 June2020 THE VIEW FROM THE BRIDGE Observations From The Chairman, Bill White First, may I express to members of the Club my hope that the Coronavirus pandemic has passed you by, or that if it has not, that you are on the road to recovery and that we can all return to some degree of normality. As many of our meetings and activities have unavoidably had to be deferred, I am pleased to be able to maintain contact with you all by means of this edition of 1805 Dispatches, another product of Peter Turner’s skills as the new Editor of The Kedge Anchor. I am glad to give a full acknowledgement to the sterling efforts of Ken Flemming, a Founder Member of the Club, and one of our Vice Presidents, in maintaining the high standard of The Kedge Anchor as Editor over a number of years. These included the especially difficult years leading up to the sad death of our late Chairman, Peter Warwick. As a result, the new Editor was able to take over the production of the publication with little change to its format. The Kedge Anchor was conceived as a Newsletter, and originally issued on a quarterly basis. But more recently, financial constraints have necessitated it being issued less frequently, first to every four months and latterly to every six months. Commentaries on matters six months old hardly qualify as news. To counter this lack of immediacy, Peter Turner has proposed a shorter online publication, of which this is the first edition. It will be issued six times a year and will not replace The Kedge Anchor. In some ways this is a pilot scheme and will be modified as required in response to experience and feedback from the membership. Turning to the unusual circumstances of the Coronavirus lockdown, we have deferred, but not cancelled, a number of events and initiatives as a result of the lockdown. So, when the present restrictions are ultimately lifted, the aim will be to reactivate the deferred activities. Thus, by next May I would hope that it will be possible to hold the AGM of the Club, with the election of officers in the conventional manner. In postponing the elections, we are following the practice of many other institutions, including the Corporation of the City of London. A friend of mine, who is presently Sheriff and Senior Law Officer of the Corporation tells me that it is the first occasion in 14 centuries that the same person will have served in the office for two years running. With this example in mind, I hope the membership will not feel that megalomania has taken hold of the Council in an uncontrolled desire for power. As to events, my aim, if possible, will be to reinstate the planned Club visit to Minorca for the rededication of the Anglican Chapel complex in which the Club played a major role in restoring at the Old Royal Naval Hospital. And I hope that the projected visit to Athens [Piraeus] to see the Laskirides Nelson collection will also take place, along with other events. Here in the UK, through the good offices of our President, Admiral Sir Jonathon Band, I have been in contact with the Chaplain in charge of St Anne’s church in the dockyard at Portsmouth with a view to installing a monument to Admiral Sir William Cornwallis, who famously conducted the Brest Blockade during the Napoleonic Wars. The Chaplain has been very supportive and a discussion will take place at the church when the lockdown has lifted. And we are now in contact again with the Parish Council at Menheniot in Cornwall, the location of the tomb of Captain Lapenotiere. Members will recall that he brought the first Trafalgar Dispatches back to the UK and then, by his 271 mile drive by post chaise from Falmouth to London, established the route that became The Trafalgar Way. It is hoped that related events in the village can be run when circumstances permit. The Club is also planning some changes in our governance procedures. These will reflect recent amendments to charity law that will give us greater operating flexibility and are being prepared by a subcommittee chaired by Geraint Day, our Vice-Chairman. The aim here will be to present the proposed changes for approval at the 2021 AGM. However, all of this will depend on the progressive easing of the lockdown which is frustrating many of our intended initiatives. May I finish by repeating my wish that you remain safe and able to take part in our future events. Auguste Ballin - Four Scenes of Trafalgar, 6.50 AM[Extract] Available from http://www.maritimeprints.com/portfolio/ DRAFT 1
1805 Dispatches #20.01 June 2020 2 of 5 Nelson’s relevancy to the latest release of a Naval Doctrine Publication By John Rodgaard It is no surprise to Club members that Nelson continues to ‘pop up’ in all sorts of ways. The latest reference to Nelson can be found in a naval warfare doctrine publication. In April, the United States Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard jointly published the first in a series of doctrinal publications — the Naval Doctrine Publication (NDP) 1: Naval Warfare. As stated in its Foreword, the ‘Naval Doctrine Publication (NDP) 1, Naval Warfare, provides the doctrinal foundation governing our pursuit of excellence in the art and science of naval warfare’ [See p4 Ed.]. Within this document, Nelson is specifically mentioned three times. Nelson first pops up as one of two examples of a commander who demonstrated the type of action that favours decentralization of command and on-scene initiative. In a quotation by naval historian Michael A. Palmer, he compared Nelson and US Admiral Arleigh Burke: ‘The comparison of the ideas and methods of Nelson and Burke reveals that these two successful commanders drew very similar lessons from their early combat experiences. They shunned centralisation and came to believe that delegation of authority — decentralisation of command — offered the best hope of enhancing fighting power and achieving victory. They did so during periods when much heralded communications technology seemed to off the prospect of every greater centralised control’. A second reference to Nelson was in understanding the three approaches to command — direction, planning and influence. The first has the commander observing the scene of battle and then personally directing his forces against the enemy. The second has the commander planning every move in advance and relies on his highly trained forces and strict discipline to carry out the plan. The third is command by influence — ‘…the commander outlines desired objectives for his subordinates to accomplish and then relies on them to exercise on-scene initiative based on local situation awareness and lowered decision thresholds….Nelson and his “band of brothers” famously exemplified command by influence’. In the section of the NDP 1 that deals with how the US Sea Services fight, Nelson comes up again. ‘Sometimes You Need to Fight a Fort. “A ship is a fool to fight a fort” is a phrase often attributed to Admiral Nelson, yet even a cursory look at his career reveals that he established his reputation doing just that’. Reference to Nelson again demonstrates the continuous relevancy of his command philosophy to twenty-first century naval professionals. NEW MEMBERS At its foundation in 1990, The 1805 Club was a small private organisation with limited ambitions, and with membership only by invitation. As its ideas developed, the decision was taken to transform it into a public charitable organisation, with membership open to everyone who appreciated its objectives. These are detailed on p4. As our 30th anniversary approaches, we continue actively to seek new members, of any age and any nationality. By joining The 1805 Club, you become part of an international community of like-minded friends with a shared interest in the sailing navies of the world. Our principal objectives are conservation, education, research and publication, and cultural events. Our twice-yearly magazine has been acclaimed as the benchmark of its type in the naval historical family of organisations, and our yearbook is regarded as the go-to publication for the best new research. All members receive these publications. The 1805 Club’s Newest Member Celebrated On VE Day, 8 May, the two minutes silence was commemorated in Greenwich for Charles Medhurst, our newest member, by Matthew Reid, Petty Officer in The Royal Naval Association, presenting colours outside his home. A very moving occasion. Charles was a Greenwich Sea Cadet and then later, in WW2, served at D Day and in the Pacific. (Note: Press photographs taken at the time were beyond the Editor’s resources to purchase, but producing a cartoon, with Charles’ permission, was free.) SHIP’S WORD WHEEL Take a ten minute break and find as many words as possible, using the letters in the wheel. Each must use the hub letter and at least 3 others, used only once. No plurals (if only made with by adding an ‘s’ or ‘es’), no foreign words not in common usage in English, nor proper nouns. There is at least one nine-letter word to be found. Answers on page 4 SALLY BIRKBECK 1941 - 2019 With great sadness that we have to report the death of Sally Birkbeck, The 1805 Club's Membership Secretary from 1996 to 2007. Sally's passing occurred a few weeks after that of her husband, Paul, a distinguished professional artist. Sally and Paul were two of the oldest and closest friends of Peter Warwick, and they and their daughters regarded Peter and his son Tom as very much part of the family. Sally worked tirelessly and enthusiastically during her time as Membership Secretary, and her colleagues will remember her with huge affection. We will include a fuller appreciation of Sally in the next edition of The Kedge Anchor. ANNA TRIBE 1929 - 2020 With deep regret we must report the death of Mrs Anna Tribe, on 26 April, until then the most senior descendant of Admiral Lord Nelson and Emma Hamilton. Despite being confined to a wheelchair in recent times, she maintained a lively interest in Nelson and the Age of Fighting Sail. An obituary is being prepared by Captain Peter Hore that will be distributed to members of The 1805 Club.
1805 Dispatches #20.01 June 2020 3 of 5 For three decades, the Trafalgar Chronicle has been the flagship scholarly publication of The 1805 Club, a non-profit organisation with an international membership. The mission of The 1805 Club is to preserve the history, heritage, memorials, and monuments of the Royal Navy during the Georgian Era (sometimes called Nelson’s Navy) from approximately 1714 to 1837. The Trafalgar Chronicle is an essential component of that mission. It is published annually by Seaforth Publishing, which maintains a global readership. For the 2021 edition, the editors seek carefully-researched articles on ‘Georgian Navy Encounters with Indigenous Cultures and Enslaved Populations’. We want research and analysis of how the Georgian Navy interacted with, influenced, and was influenced by native populations and enslaved people. Contributors are invited to address and analyse encounters among and between individuals and groups and to consider the long-term effects of these encounters, positive and negative. Additional Topics: We are also interested in general interest articles with some unique perspective on the Georgian Navy. We invite biographical articles, articles about major wars, battles at sea, and technological advances in the Age of Sail. We also welcome reports on preservations efforts regarding the artefacts, graves, memorials, and monuments of the Nelson era. Proposal Submission Guidelines: Please submit a proposal/abstract of no more than 500 words and a biographical synopsis (your background) of no longer than 150 words. Proposals are due by 1 September 2020. Applicants will be notified of acceptance status by 1 October 2020. Submit all proposals and inquiries to tc.editor@1805Club.org. Detailed author guidelines are available upon request and will be sent to each author in any case when a proposal is accepted. Our Contributors: We welcome articles from members of The 1805 Club and anyone with an interest in the history of the Georgian-era Royal Navy and other navies of the period. Our articles have come from writers of varied backgrounds: historians, journalists, university students, military personnel, preservationists, and novelists. Please contact us with for additional information. Journal: Trafalgar Chronicle Sponsoring Organization: The 1805 Club, London, UK Publisher: Seaforth Publishing, UK Readership: International – Historians of the Georgian Era of the Royal Navy Editors: Dr. Judith E. Pearson, freelance writer and copyeditor, Virginia Dr. Sean Heuvel, Christopher Newport University, Virginia Captain John Rodgaard, US Navy, Retired, Florida Contact: tc.editor@1805club.org MEMBERSHIP RENEWAL Any members who have forgotten to renew their membership this year are requested to renew immediately, and to check with Barry Scrutton (barry@scruttonestates.co.uk) that their subscription is at the current rate. CALL FOR PAPERS TRAFALGAR CHRONICLE PUBLICATION DATE: AUTUMN/FALL 2021 THEME: GEORGIAN NAVY ENCOUNTERS WITH INDIGENOUS CULTURES AND ENSLAVED POPULATIONS In the Autumn edition of The Kedge Anchor there will be an article about the finding of HMS NAMURunder the floorboards of the Wheelwright’s Shop at Chatham Historic Dockyard. Below are some images from Naval Doctrine Publication (NDP) 1: Naval Warfare Published by the US Navy Just great pix that our readers may enjoy, despite being ‘out of period’.
1805 Dispatches #20.01 June 2020 4 of 5 THE 1805 CLUB The 1805 Club was founded in 1990 and broadly: • Promotes and engages in the preservation of monuments and memorials relating to the Royal Navy and seafaring people of the later sailing-navy era; and • Promotes research into and education about the Royal Navy, merchant maritime service and other state navies of the same era; and • Organises relevant cultural, historical and social events. The Club is charity No. 1071871, registered in England and Wales. Individuals desiring further information may contact: John Curtis, Hon. Club Secretary, The 1805Club 9 Brittains Lane, Sevenoaks, Kent, TN13 2JN,UK Email: jscurtis@btinternet.com Telephone: 01732 453176. For a membership application details please contact: Barry Scrutton, Hon. Membership Secretary, The 1805 Club 1 Cambus Road, London, E16 4AY, UK email: barry@scruttonestates.co.uk; Telephone: 020 7476 1215; Or: Capt. John A. Rodgaard (USN Ret.) Hon. North American Secretary, The 1805Club 6089 Guildhall Court, Burke, Virginia 22015USA Email: john_Rodgaard@yahoo.com; Telephone: 1-321-591-6123. Or: Mark Billings, Hon Canadian Secretary, The 1805 Club 4000 Marlowe Avenue, Montreal, Quebec H4A 3M2 Canada Email: mark@marengomgt.com Telephone: 1-514-296-1641 Visit our website: www.1805club.org Or see us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram Or to join go to: Join The 1805 Club A Bimonthly Newsletter for Anyone Interested in The 1805 Club PURPOSE. The purpose of this newsletter is to support and advance the Club’s objectives. The newsletter provides anyone who is interested with brief items of news about the club and its activities, in the hope that the it can help the club attract wider interest in naval history and new members. Most of the content will be a précis of articles that will appear in The Kedge Anchor, the six-monthly club magazine. EDITORIAL POLICY. The editor has full editorial responsibility for the newsletter. Views expressed in the newsletter are those of individual authors, unless claimed by the editor. Articles which appear do not express the official position of The 1805 Club on any subject unless specifically noted as such. Content of contributions to the newsletter may be edited for grammar, space allocation, or to better serve the purpose of the newsletter. Contributors wishing to be alerted to editorial decisions should notify the editor at the time that their contribution is submitted. Otherwise the submission will be published within the scope of the editorial policy. ISSUE AND COPY DATES The proposed issue dates for 1805 Dispatches are: February, April, June, August, October and December. Anyone wishing to contribute an article or news item to the editor for inclusion in the newsletter should do so by the beginning of the month preceding the issue in which it is to be inserted. Any articles that are not time-specific can be submitted at any time, with a note advising him of that fact. All copy is welcome, but not all copy may be used! Diary Dates Date Event BOOK ANNOUNCEMENTS Nelson’s State Funeral 1806: How to Bury a National Hero(£35) is now available either on line using the ISBN 978-1-5272-4984-4 or direct from Four Wents Publishing, The Four Wents, Goudhurst Road, Cranbrook, Kent TN17 2QD, U.K., or by phone from Susan Amos on (+44) (0) 1291-637407. The book will be reviewed in the next issue of The Kedge Anchor. ~~~~~~ Horatia’s Secret (Lulu £16.94) is now available. This historical novel by Liliy Style can be obtained at https://www.lulu.com/en/gb/shop/lily-style/horatiassecret/paperback/product-1kkj96zq.html or in Kindle or e-format from Amazon. Royalties to The 1805 Club. We are hoping that this book, also, will be reviewed in the next issue of The Kedge Anchor. ~~~~~~ From Across the Sea: North Americans in Nelson’s Navy. This book includes contributions from a number of The 1805 Club members, and should be available later in June at https://www.helion.co.uk/forthcoming-militaryhistory-books.php?sid=c8144e8eaf82a326f83a08dbcb6ee3e5 ~~~~~~ Trafalgar by Benito Pérez Galdós is available from Amazon. Written in 1873 this novel retells the story of the Battle of Trafalgar through Spanish eyes. See the review by Kathy Brown at https:// www.thetrafalgarway.org/blog/book-review-trafalgar-bybenito-prez-galds ~~~~~~ Naval Doctrine Publication (NDP) 1: Naval Warfare. As stated in its Foreword, the ‘Naval Doctrine Publication (NDP) 1, Naval Warfare, provides the doctrinal foundation governing our [US] pursuit of excellence in the art and science of naval warfare’ [Sent to me by John Rodgaard, and not for general publication, but interesting if you can get one. Ed.] NAVAL TERMS THAT HAVE ‘COME ASHORE’ Flog [or flogging] a dead horse – Seamen’s slang for doing something for nothing, or no good reason. This is from the fact that the first month’s work on a voyage was called a dead horse, for which the crew were paid in advance. On the last evening of the month the men would flog a straw-filled effigy of a horse being paraded around the ship, after which it would be thrown overboard. The expression came ashore from the fact that the crew would often not work hard during the first month, having already been paid for it. SEAFARING, afar, afire, fain, fair, fane, fang, fans, farang, fare, farina, faring, farse, fear, fearing, fears, feign, feigns, feis, fern, fine, finer, fines, finger, fire, fires, firn, frag, fraise, fries, frig, frigs, fringe, ganef, grief, infer, infers, infra, naif, rife, safari, safe, safer, seif, serf, serif, snarf. 20 = Good, 30 = Excellent, 35 = Amazing FOR REASONS THAT ARE OBVIOUS TO ALL OUR READERS, WITHOUT THEIR HAVING TO BE REMINDED YETAGAIN, THIS COLUMN IS ‘RESTING’. SHIP’S WORD WHEEL ANSWERS
1805 Dispatches #20.01 June 2020 5 of 5 LATE NEWS EXTRA It is intended that the 1805 Dispatches will usually have a four-page format, but one of the joys of digital-only publications is that there is a flexibility that is unavailable to printed matter. This means that when a late news story becomes available, after the main newsletter has been ‘put to bed’, we can still add it for your information and/or enjoyment. At the Militaria Auction Sale at T W Gaze held on 29 May a letter from Admiral Lord Nelson was sold. The following text is from their website, where you will find images; click onto this link: T W Gaze Sale “Lot No: 6290 Vice-Admiral Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson, 1st Duke of Bronte, KB (1758-1805). Norfolk born British naval commander and national hero, famous for his naval victories against the French during the Napoleonic wars, victor at the Battle of Trafalgar, where he was mortally wounded aboard his flagship Victory. A signed memorandum/letter to Ross Donnelly, Captain of the Narcissus, from "Victory off Toulon", dated 14th September 1803 and signed "Nelson & Bronte". The letter is in the hand of, and additionally signed by Alexander John Scott (1768-1840), Nelson's faithful official secretary who was with him as he died onboard HMS Victory. "Having received Information that the French intend sending Troops to the Island of Minorca / Menorca. You are hereby required and directed to proceed immediately with His Majesty's Ship Narcissus under your Command off Port Mahon, and endeavour to obtain information thereof, previous to your communicating with the Town, and if You find it perfectly safe, You are to send a boat on shore to His Majesty's Consul there, in order to obtain every Intelligence with respect to the French intentions of sending troops to the Island of Minorca, and also with the disposition of the Spaniards towards us. And return immediately after and join me on my Rendezvous off this place with the Information that you may Obtain. Given onboard the Victory off Toulon 14th September 1803 Nelson & Bronte" 1½pages, single folio leaf (32.5 x 20.5cm), some light browning and dust soiling, slightly worn at central horizontal fold (not affecting text), laid chain-lined paper bearing manufacturers watermark "S. Timbrell 1803". Provenance: purchased from Maggs Bros circa 1970's and then by descent. Letter housed in original Maggs Bros printed autograph sleeve and with original clipped printed catalogue entry loosely inserted, this stating at foot "Not in Nicholas, and presumably unpublished" Britain's greatest naval commander and Norfolk hero, Nelson was born at Burnham Thorpe, learning to sail in the web of waterways around Burnham Overy Staithe. He was a student at the Paston School, now Paston College, and what is now the Norwich School in Cathedral Close. He sailed into, and out of, Great Yarmouth many times, and it was here that Nelson declared "I am myself a Norfolk man and glory in being so" Sale Price: £3,200.00” Geoff Wright has sent Genevieve St George these photographs to share of The Emma Oak, after having walked some miles to go and see how the new tree is coping. She is looking good. The fencing surround is very nice and of the period. Pat Kynaston, former Mayor of Neston said they and Neston Council staff would secure it as far as possible from any damage and take very good care, which they obviously are. [This text is a paraphrase of the email from G St G sending the photos to me. Ed.] THE EMMA OAK
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