The 1805 Dispatches #22.03 June 2022 3 of 6 Images from the ORNC visit reported on the previous page: Top: Memorial plaque commemorating Nelson, in the floor of the Painted Hall. Upper left: A working sketch on display of the bronze relief sculpture, Trafalgar Day at Greenwich: Victory Breaks the Line, by Anthony Dufort, is in preparation and will be installed in Nelson Room this year. Upper middle: Claire Kirk Upper right: Martin Ashley Lower left: An example of the AV display in the Nelson Room. Lower middle: Michelle, one of our guides, enthusing in the Painted Hall. Lower right: Some of the specially manufactured seating designed to complement that in the Painted Hall. Bottom: The Nelson Pediment, only visible from within the inner courtyard of King William Court, hence infrequently seen by the casual visitor. THE 2022 EGM/AGM OF THE 1805 CLUB Our first in-person formal meetings since 2019 took place at the Army & Navy Club (‘The Rag’), Pall Mall, London, on Saturday 28 May 2022. After so long, it was a great pleasure to be able to get together with members old and new, and the mood of the meeting was lively and friendly. There were 38 attendees from the UK and the US. It was a special pleasure to welcome new members (five) and guests (also, coincidentally, five); and in fact, at least six more members had been expected, listed below. Our chairman Captain John Rodgaard USN (Ret) and his wife, our Recorder Dr Judith Pearson, had tested positive for Covid the previous afternoon and were selfisolating. The same had happened to our previous Honorary Secretary (John Curtis and his wife Margaret) andto Captain John Wills RN (Ret), UK project manager of our major conservation project (the Nevis Parish Register recording Nelson’s wedding); and Dr Sue Carr, our Membership Secretary-designate, had been hit by a bout of fibromyalgia. Thus, it fell to our Hon Vice Chairman Geraint Day and Hon Secretary Stephen Howarth to run the show, which went smoothly, with Council members present giving reports in person. All Council members had submitted reports to members beforehand, and the chairman’s PowerPoint headline slides gave the necessary structure to the whole. Votes on the various motions were carried unanimously by all present, with 21 proxy votes also in favour of all motions; one abstention from all; and one, intriguingly, in favour of all except the reforming motion that was the heart of the EGM, and which will make it much easier for members to stand for Council. The AGM voting sections must be chaired by a member who is not standing for Council: an essential duty ably carried out by member Naomi Hill, daughter of our recently deceased member Commander Charles Fremantle RN. Naomi was accompanied by her mother, Caroline, and jointly they also acted as registrars, logging members and guests in on arrival. We had use of two beautiful rooms: the capacious Library for the social aspects of the meetings, and the nearby Drawing Room for the business. Tea, coffee, and biscuits in the Library were available after registration, with a light lunch of excellent sandwiches and various drinks (Club wines, fruit juice, water). Our expert lecture after lunch was given by the distinguished conservation architect Martin Ashley MVO, Surveyor of the Fabric of the Old Royal Naval College, Greenwich (ORNC); of St George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle -- and of other buildings with past (or more frequently present) royal connections. Martin is a wonderful speaker for a group such as ours: truly expert in and genuinely passionate about his work, yet very modest. His principal subject was the recently completed conservation of the Nelson Room at the ORNC, to which The 1805 Club contributed financially, and as promised he strayed off the Georgian era into other periods. We were happy for his talk to stretch beyond its allotted time, and several members afterwards said they would have been glad to have listened to him for much longer. We look forward to returning to The Rag for our AGM next year, and indeed for other events before then. The Rag is actively welcoming us as future partners and has made various special offers available to members of The 1805 Club. These may be viewed on the Members section of our website, with the special ‘landing page’ connecting the two organisations. Images from Stephen Howarth showing everything ready in the Rag’s Drawing Room to welcome The 1805 Club members.
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