The 1805 Dispatches #21.02 April 2021 2 of 4 Never forget that there is a whole treasure trove of interesting stuff frequently updated on our facebook page https://www.facebook.com/The1805Club/ From The Royal Gazette of Bermuda Feb 22 2021: “The last casualty of a 19th century war between the United Kingdom and the United States was remembered today. A ceremony to commemorate Midshipman Richard Dale of the US Navy was held at St Peter’s Church, St George, where the young of�icer, aged 20 when he died in the Olde Towne, is buried. Richard Spurling, chairman of the Friends of St Peter’s Church, which organises the annual event, said Mr Dale arrived in Bermuda on the captured USS President on January 29, 1815 and died on February 22. Mr Spurling added: “He had his leg amputated and quite possibly ultimately died of gangrene. Here, he was lovingly taken care of by the residents of St George’s for which his father, Commodore Richard Dale of the US Navy, remained eternally grateful and arranged for the tombstone in St Peter’s Churchyard that reads: ’This stone records the tribute of his parents’ gratitude to those inhabitants of St George’s whose generous and tender sympathy prompted the kindest attentions to their son while living and also honouring him, when dead.’” Dale is thought to be the last casualty of the War of 1812. The battle took place after a peace treaty was signed in Europe in December 1814, but the news had not reached North America. The War of 1812 was the last armed con�lict between the UK and US and the two countries later became �irm allies. It was the 13th annual commemorative service organised by the Friends of St Peter’s Church. The ceremony was held in St Peter’s because of bad weather, rather than at the Bank of Butter�ield on King’s Square, a former hotel where Dale died. David Frith, the St George Town Crier and a Pipe Major, led a march to the graveside at St Peter’s for a wreath-laying ceremony. Alan Purcell, the acting US Consul General, Rena Lalgie, the Governor, and George Dowling III, the Mayor of St George, laid wreaths. Sea Cadets fromTSAdmiral Somers were also on parade for the ceremony. Tom Slawson, the priest in charge at St Peter’s, said: “We commemorate the young Midshipman as one of the last known American casualties of the battles of the sea of the war between the UK and US, begun in 1812. We give thanks to God that the enmity of those times have been supplanted by long-lasting and mutual relations.”” LEARN ABOUT THE GEORGIAN ERA WITH THE HISTORIC MARKER DATA BASE While the COVID pandemic restricts some travel, we can still visit far-away places virtually. One way is through the online Historic Marker Data Base at www.hmdb.org. The HMDB is a unique resource for travelers and students of history, offering a photo-�illed collection of approximately 145,000 historic markers from all over the world. Graves, monuments, and statues are not allowed – only of�icial, permanent markers. Every entry in the data base is placed by website users, making the data base a crowd-sourced product. This is an exciting resource, which members of The 1805 Club can learn more about in the spring edition of TheKedge Anchor magazine, currently under preparation. Anyone who is not a member – just do it! 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 , 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 The Last Casualty of a War Between the United Kingdom and the United States Arches overlooking Valetta Harbour, with the plaque inset. Here the mayor of St George is seen with the wreath from The 1805 Club.
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