The 1805 Dispatches #21.DofE April 2021 4 Our Chairman sent this letter of condolence to Her Majesty The Queen. From Admiral of the Fleet The Lord Boyce The Royal Navy was a Service to which Admiral of the Fleet HRH The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, was quite palpably devoted from the time that he joined as a young 18-year-old and thereafter through the rest of his life. His distinguished war record and subsequent command of a warship, the frigate HMSMagpie, gavehim the absolute credibility to speak with knowledge, experience and ease to sailors and marines of whatever rank - he was, incidentally, inordinately proud of his role as Commandant General Royal Marines. His famous curiosity, interest and genuine wish to �ind out from whoever he spoke to about what they were up to – whatever their status and specialisation – engineer, logistician, operator or whatever – meant that he captured the absolute attention of all with whom he engaged; and he invariably won their utmost respect and admiration. And the experience of meeting him would more often than not leave people feeling stimulated, always better informed, and occasionally somewhat storm-torn, but always encouraged and refreshingly clear on His Royal Highness’s view! His high sense of duty and loyalty to the White Ensign could not have been more clear; he epitomised the ideals and ethos of the Service, setting a life-long example to which we could all aspire, although very few would genuinely match; and, in all, he was an inspiration for everybody in the Royal Navy during the course of his long life. He will be greatly missed by the Service. From Peter Yule Booth I have enjoyed many of The 1805 Club events, and none more so than the reenactment of the bringing of the news of the battle of Trafalgar to King George III hosted by Prince Philip at Windsor Castle. It was a wonderful occasion in every way. Towards the end of the evening Prince Philip was circulating. He approached, stopped and we spoke brie�ly, mainly about my ancestor, Lieutenant John Yule, who was with Nelson when he died and who appears in the famous Devis painting. Prince Philip was very interested and then turned to a young Royal Marine, with whom I had previously been talking. The photo below shows this. I am the person in the middle. Photos: George Bodnar
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