1 of 8 August 2024 The 1805 Dispatches #24.04 THE 1805 DISPATCHES THE VIEW FROM THE BRIDGE From The Chairman, Capt. John Rodgaard USN (Ret) I do hope all of you have had a good two months since the last 1805 Dispatches. I say this, knowing that many of our members have experienced extreme weather events. If it isn’t the extreme heat blanketing the US, Canada and southern Europe, many of our fellow Club members had to endure a hurricane, tornados and flash floods. Hopefully the heat will soon abate. There are certainly worst storms at sea, but that would be too easy to say to someone who has been without air conditioning for days on end. There is certainly a corollary of sorts on the effects of weather and climate that had a significant influence on events during the Georgian era. I thought of the relationship between the ‘Little Ice Age’ and the Great Anglo-French Wars (17931815). Specifically, of the back story responsible for The Battle of the Glorious First of June. This climatic period began during the mid-13th century and continued through the mid-19th century. It was marked by ‘intervals of plummeting temperatures…’1 One span of time, beginning in 1770, saw a sudden drop in temperatures that caused havoc on agriculture. It had an effect on North Atlantic shipping as well, to include significant grain shortages caused by years of poor harvests throughout the French countryside. The food riots in 1775 were just a harbinger of future unrest that led to revolution. The food shortage was exacerbated in June 1783 by Iceland’s Laki volcanic eruption which caused extreme temperature swings — extreme cold and heat. ‘The fluctuations ravaged the lives of the French, ruining crops, killing livestock and creating an unbreakable cycle of hunger, poverty, stress, fear and hardship’.2 The climatic trauma and the corruption of France’s ancien régime did much to bring about the French Revolution of 1789. Fast forward to the spring of 1794, which saw the French Republic in a dire situation; externally pitted against the monarchies of Europe and internally strained by the lingering effects of poor grain harvests. Forced to look overseas to overcome the food shortage, the revolutionary government ordered the formation of a massive convoy of merchant ships to be filled mostly with grain brought over from the United States. Without going into specifics, the Battle of the Glorious First of June was a tactical victory for the Royal Navy, but at the operational and strategic level, it was a French victory. The massive grain convoy arrived with only one ship lost to an Atlantic storm and thus, mitigated the famine experienced by the French people. What if the convoy had failed to make it to France? What would the next decade have brought besides a near continuance of a global war on land and sea? Food for thought for our own times. For something completely different, I do want to mention that Ms. Jude Wilson has agreed to assume the position of the Club’s administrative officer, or our Clerk to the Trustees. Jude is a retired Royal Navy senior rating, whose specialty was in communications. After her 20 plus years of service, Jude completed her requirements to become a practicing solicitor, working as a residential property conveyancing professional. As your chairman, I am grateful that we have someone who has demonstrated her ability to herd cats. On a personal note, I wish to thank many of you for expressing your concern for the recovery of my right patella tendon that I ruptured in January. I am ⇾ Newsletter of The 1805 Club EDITORIAL Swings and roundabouts apply to the affairs of The 1805 Club, in much the same way that they do for everything else in life. The last TD newsletter was dominated by British news stories, despite the international nature of the Club. Sometimes we find ourselves reporting the very lively activities across the Pond. This time there is a more balanced content. The newsletter relies on hearing the naval history news from you, the reader, wherever you are in the world. And is made more interesting when you send stuff in for inclusion. There is always lots of activity going on, but unless we hear of it, the rest of our members can’t be told in TD. Please don’t forget to read page 3, and maybe act upon it. Details of the carving of Matthew Flinders’ new gravestone, showing his ship HMS INVESTIGATOR, and his cat Trim. More information of this important grave is given on page 4. Photo: Stephen Howarth.
2 of 8 August 2024 The 1805 Dispatches #24.04 saying this as I can now drive, and with that we (Judy Pearson and myself) took a road trip to Canada in June to meet with our Canadian Secretary, Mark Billings, and his family in Montreal. Then we met up with several other Canadian members in Toronto at the Royal Canadian Military Institute. Following that, we met up with more members, who were attending the North American Society of Oceanic History’s conference at St Catharines, Ontario. Looking forward to August, we will be travelling to Nevis to participate in the annual conference of the International Association of Caribbean Archaeology (IACA) https://blogs.uoregon.edu/iaca/. We will represent The 1805 Club at the conference. Additionally, we plan to meet with the Nevis Historical and Conservation Society (NHCS) to finalise arrangements to bring to Nevis the replica of Nelson’s uniform and tricorn hat, together with the conserved St John’s Figtree Church Parish Register. It is our hope that all of the loose ends will be tied up during our visit, and that a formal presentation of the artefacts will occur in March 2025 to coincide with the date of Nelson’s wedding to Frances Nesbit on 11 March 1787. 1. https://time.com/6107671/french-revolution-history-climate/ 2. Ibid. U.S. AND CANADIAN HAPPENINGS (1) Seven US 1805 Club members participated in the 2024 Canadian Naval Records Society and North American Society for Oceanic History conference, 20 – 22 June, in St Catherines, Ontario. The conference was held at Brock University, with panel discussions on a variety of topics in maritime history and research. Dr John Hattendorf, Professor Emeritus of the US Naval War College moderated a panel on the Royal Navy in North America during the Seven Years’ War. Dr Sam Cavell of Southeastern Louisiana University presented a paper on the Acadian expulsion and the wreck of the Duke William. Dr Evan Wilson of the US Naval War College presented a paper on Wolf, Cook, and Jervis at Quebec, 1759. He moderated a panel on research methods in studying maritime history. He also chaired the NASOH AGM. Dr Cori Convertito of the Key West Art and History Society presented a paper on Tattooing and American Sailors in the nineteenth century. Dr Thomas Malcomson, independent scholar, moderated a panel on the impact of technology on trade, land, and shipbuilding. He also headed the team that organized the conference. He and his team received many accolades. Dr Judy Pearson and Captain John Rodgaard attended and had a fun time. Photo below right: L – R: John Rodgaard, Judy Pearson, Sam Cavell, John Hattendorf, and Cori Convertito Photo below left: L – R: John Rodgaard, Evan Wilson, and John Hattendorf. CLUB CHAPLAIN OFFICIATES AT HER NAVAL NEPHEW’S WEDDING The 1805 Club’s Chaplain, Revd Lynda Sebbage, recently officiated at her nephew’s wedding in the family church in North Essex. The wedding was attended by a number of Royal Naval Officers who provided a special guard of honour as the bride, Izzy, and groom, Louis, left the church in the pouring rain which certainly didn’t dampen the excitement of the day. Louis Pryor-Sercombe is a Sub Lieutenant in the Royal Navy – was trained at Dartmouth and is soon to become Lieutenant – and was once the youngest member of The 1805 Club. Revd Lynda commented, “The whole family is so proud of Louis who has proved himself to be a very talented and capable naval officer. He is enormously popular with his colleagues and it’s wonderful that he has continued in the family’s tradition of serving with the Royal Navy!” Photos: © Jason Little Photography STOP PRESS! In the final throes of preparation for publication, a late news story arrived of The 1805 Club Battle of the Nile Commemorative Lunch on 27 July, 2024, held in Alexandria, Virginia – together with a number of pix. Look out for the October TD, in which there will be find space for the full report. Ed.
3 of 8 August 2024 The 1805 Dispatches #24.04 WHAT CAN YOU DO FOR THE 1805 CLUB? Founded in 1990, The 1805 Club is an international charitable organisation that commemorates and educates about the history and heritage of the age of sail, during the Georgian era (1714-1837), and the influence this period has played on the maritime world up through the present day. It is registered to the Charity Commission for England and Wales as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO), number 1201272. The Club’s activities encompass: events, publications, projects, research and education about naval history and the lessons to be learnt from it in today’s world. The Club owns a number of valuable databases relating to ships, mariners and monuments of the era and has ambitions to create a single, authoritative virtual museum to house and display its numerous and growing collection of online exhibits – articles; talks; original digital material, including its databases. Through the museum, people across the globe will be able to explore and learn about the topic, and academics will be provided with valuable source material. There will be commercial benefits too, which will support further maintenance of the Club’s resources and provide funding for new projects and research. RECRUITMENT OF A COMMITTEE OF MEMBERS TO DETERMINE CLUB POLICY ON MARKETING, FUNDRAISING AND ADVERTISING As a CIO, the Club must demonstrate to the Charity Commissioners that its members are contributing to the Club’s charitable projects, and are not simply enjoying the benefits of being a member. This means that fundraising must be even more seriously addressed than hitherto. We therefore invite members with experience of marketing, fundraising, and/or advertising (and some spare time, as well as the wish to actively help!) to put their names forward for possible inclusion in a voluntary committee with the power to reorganise such Club activities. This invitation is open to all members, because under our new Constitution, members and Chairs of such committees do not have to be Trustees of the Club. For further information please contact Kathy Brown via email – kathy.1805club@gmail.com The 1805 Club is a club, the clue is in the name. But what all of us must remember is that the Club is a charity, originally created to find memorials to past naval personnel of the long Georgian period and to try our best to ensure that they be properly remembered. To further this end we also encourage and support research into naval history and find ways to improve its education. None of this is cheap if it is to be done well, and ‘done well’ is the only way to do things. In common with all other charities, we can only fully carry out our promises if we can raise enough funds to do so. In future publications you will see a reminder that there are ways to make a donation, whenever you might find a bit of surplus cash, together with ways to purchase merchandise and secondhand books that have been kindly donated to the Club for the very purpose of fundraising. Give at our website: http:// 1805club.org/ or use these links: http://bit.ly/1805ClubFlagshipFund or http://thetrafalgarway.org/ 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 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. 40 = Average; 50 = Good; 60 = V Good; 70+ = Amazing! Answers on last page Remember that there is a whole treasure trove here https://www.facebook.com/ The1805Club/
4 of 8 August 2024 The 1805 Dispatches #24.04 From our Honorary Secretary Stephen Howarth comes this brief report of a very special event. There will be a more detailed report in the next issue of The Kedge Anchor, available to 1805 Club members. (Yet another reason to join The 1805!) It's not every day that one gets the chance to be present at the reburial of a truly distinguished Royal Navy captain from our period, but on Saturday 13 July 2024 I had that opportunity, and was amongst the c. 300 congregation to witness the reburial of Captain MATTHEW FLINDERS (16 March 1774-19 July 1814), who mapped Australia's coastline and gave the continent its name. His original grave in London was inadvertently covered over in the construction of a railway station, and was recently rediscovered during excavations for a new railway line. A successful five-year campaign ensued to "bring him home" to his birthplace in the village of Donington, Lincolnshire. The coffin was carried by members of the Royal Navy State Ceremonial team. His new gravestone, in the church of St Mary & the Holy Rood, includes a gorgeous emblematic carving that combines his ship HMS INVESTIGATOR, the continent he named, and his beloved cat Trim. Adjacent to the grave, a small permanent exhibition includes a splendid new model of his ship, made in Australia, an Australian memorial stone commemorating the bicentenary of his birth, and a bust showing him as a young captain. [All photos by Stephen Howarth] THE REBURIAL OF CAPTAIN MATTHEW FLINDERS, RN
5 of 8 August 2024 The 1805 Dispatches #24.04 This is how the Spanish refer to the defeat of the Royal Navy at Tenerife in 1797 – the aattack on Santa Cruz at which Nelson suffered the injury that caused him to lose his right arm. It is celebrated by the Spanish every year with a recreation of the battle in the place that it happened. They are very entitled to call it a heroic deed, in defence of their island, and are congratulated on their victory and the humanity they showed to their vanqushed foe after the fighting had ceased. LA RECREACIÓN DE LA GESTA DEL 25 DE JULIO DE 1797 (THE HEROIC DEED OF 25 JULY 1797) The re-enactment (as we would call it) takes place over four days, with a procession through the old town of Santa Cruz, followed next day by disembarkation of the English troops and battle against them in the Black Castle. On the third day is another battle between Spanish and English troops, and on the final day is a presentation of medals and a staging of the English capitulation. Here are some photographs of this year’s celebrations, sent to us by Club Vice President Agustín Guimerá, together with one or two dramatic ones that he sent from last year’s recreation. If time permits, we hope that Agustín will send an article for use in The Kedge Anchor, giving more details. For more information, go to: https://lagesta1797.es (Centre photo below: Agustín is the one who is not in uniform) Agustín also sent us this text describing the event and this year’s recreation: “In 2008 was founded an association for the civil knowledge of the history of the failed attack of rear admiral Horatio Nelson to Santa Cruz de Tenerife in 22-25 July 1797. It has around 70 people and it is recreating the military event in the city each year, with accurate uniforms, weapons, flags and musical instruments. Organisers of the event also cooperate with civil and military institutions, and schools, on this cultural objective. The military units involved on this event are: British Royal Marines and Seamen; Spanish Artillery, Infantry and Provincial Militias; French Seamen of the corbet “La Mutine”; and Canary peasants.”
6 of 8 August 2024 The 1805 Dispatches #24.04 Here are some extracts from Royal Navy News giving welcome news: Museum bosses in Portsmouth have been given the money they need to celebrate the deeds by the Royal Marines with displays befitting both a mid-21st Century museum and an elite fighting force with an unmatched 360-year history. The Corps’ long-standing museum in Eastney closed in 2017 as the building needed urgent renovation and was regarded as unsuitable for meeting the expectations of present-day visitors. Instead, the National Museum of the Royal Navy – responsible for the four main museums which tell the story of the Senior Service and its various branches/ arms – looked to revamp Boathouse No.6 in the historic dockyard (the iconic yomper statue which dominates the eastern Southsea seafront has remained in place due to popular demand). In awarding £4.9m, Stuart McLeod, Director England – London & South at The National Lottery Heritage Fund, said the new plans offered “a world-class museum” which would allow visitors to immerse themselves in the Royal Marines experience and remind the public of “the important heritage of the Royal Marines for many generations to come” as well as hopefully boosting the local economy through increased footfall. On 18 June, at the Royal Canadian Military Institute, in Toronto, Ontario, John Rodgaard gave a talk on the book, From Across the Sea: North Americans in Nelson’s Navy, that he edited with Sean Heuvel. Canadian members of The 1805 Club, and perspective members, attended for dinner, the talk, and drinks in the bar. Photo on the left: Left to Right: Gurth Pretty, William McLaughlin, John Rodgaard, Judy Pearson, Ron Anderson, Gregory Loughton, and Ian Russell. ROYAL MARINES TO GET A FIT-FOR-PURPOSE MUSEUM IN PORTSMOUTH HISTORIC DOCKYARD FIVE P CHALLENGE BY OUR CHAPLAIN In June, while in Montreal, John Rodgaard and Judy Pearson had a delightful evening at dinner with Canadian Secretary Mark Billings and his charming daughter, Daphne. The Italian restaurant, Da Emma, had a grotto atmosphere: an underground setting with stone walls, no windows and low ceilings. The historic building was once a nineteenth century women’s prison. U.S. AND CANADIAN HAPPENINGS (2) On 3 June, some 1805 Club members attended the annual Battle of Midway Commemoration Dinner organized by the National Capital Naval Consortium at the Army Navy Country Club in Arlington, Virginia. The keynote speaker was VADM John B. Munstin, Director of the Navy Reserve, who described the battle's significance. He read from the diary of his grandfather, who was a young lieutenant commander present at the battle, in USS Atlanta. Pictured here below, left to right, Peter Pennington, John Rodgaard, Pamela and John Prevar, and Judy Pearson. A pillion perambulation of proximal parishes by priest – saw Revd Lynda and Risby biker, Stephen Spencer, visit eleven churches by motorbike. This ‘first’ for Revd Lynda is a fund-raising challenge towards a new boiler for St Giles Church, Risby. If you want to help, ring Revd Lynda on 07870640074. Photos: © Norman Savigar FOR UK VETERANS It’s easy for UK Veterans to get a UK Veterans Card. Any armed service veteran who retired before 2019 should apply and get the benefits described at: https://www.gov.uk/veteran-card
7 of 8 August 2024 The 1805 Dispatches #24.04 Playwright and Director Christopher Swann has sent this for 1805 Club members. He wrote to us: I am at the moment working hard to assemble the budget to put it on with the Playground Theatre (which is a charity so qualifies for charitable donations and grants - all the money going to the Theatre) but most importantly I would wish for an audience who might enjoy the subject matter to know about it and buy tickets. "ADMIRAL BYNG" By Christopher Swann THE THIRD PLAY OF THE "LOST TRILOGY" The narrative of "Admiral Byng" is set on March 13th & 14th 1757 and plays out through the last two days of Jack Byng's life, knowing that he will be shot on the quarterdeck of HMS Monarch at noon on the final day. The action itself is set in the master cabin of the ship, on a quayside and outside a nearby Inn. It is a play about friendship, navy life, betrayal, scapegoating and of one man, John Byng (known as Jack to his friends), finding peace to die with dignity, believing his dishonour was unjust, that he did do his utmost, and hoping that history would find him innocent of any fault. So far it hasn't. The main characters are Byng and his long-time servant and valet Hutchens. Byng comes to terms with his fate, opens up to Hutchens and finds friendship and warmth in his final hours. The two create a bond that becomes stronger as Byng's final minutes tick by and both discover depths in the other that might never have emerged if fate hadn't decided on the scapegoating of Byng for ‘not doing his utmost’, leading to his inevitable death. The supporting cast are Captain Augustus Hervey one of Byng's fiercest supporters, Byng's sister Sarah Osborne and a young man called Nicholas. Hervey was known as the 'Naval Casanova' and much later became the Earl of Bristol. Sarah had eleven brothers - when Byng was shot, she was left with none - all of them were dead. Nicholas is about to join the Navy and is brought by Hervey to meet the Admiral for this one and only time. A meeting that resonates through the rest of Nicholas's life. There are two sailors who interrupt the action with the ballads and songs of the day that were heard in the streets as the public voice of both condemnation and support of Byng. On his final night Byng is visited in a dream by a Frenchman, Monsieur Arouet, otherwise known as the philosopher Voltaire. https://sites.google.com/a/christopherswann.co.uk/ christopherswann/home “SWING, SWING, ADMIRAL BYNG” Earlier this year (March 31st) saw the 40th anniversary of the closure of Chatham Dockyard and the beginning of an extraordinary effort to save its historic 80-acre Georgian core; the most complete dockyard in the world from the age of sail. The site includes many important buildings associated with the Royal Navy’s emergence during the long Georgian century as the greatest industrial organisation in the then Western world. In 1711 Chatham alone had a workforce of 1300 people with innovations such as professional managers, the recruitment, training and deployment of staff, the coordination of manufacturing processes, and the use of machinery predating most histories of the Industrial Revolution. Responsibility for the repair and upkeep of the buildings on site lies with the Chatham Historic Dockyard Trust which is also charged with maintaining a major visitor educational attraction. For more info, go to: www.thedockyard.co.uk For the Officer’s Terrace gardens: https://georgiangroup.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/ 2020/10/GGRJ_1988_02_Hall_0001.pdf For the Ropery https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BIC-kfHZyfs CHATHAM HISTORIC DOCKYARD CELEBRATES 40TH ANNIVERSARY
8 of 8 August 2024 The 1805 Dispatches #24.04 THE 1805 CLUB Founded in 1990, the Club: ・Promotes research into and education about the Royal Navy, merchant maritime service and other state navies of the same era; and ・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 ・Organises relevant cultural, historical and social events. The Club is charity No. 1201272, registered in England and Wales. Individuals desiring further information may contact: Stephen Howarth, Hon. Club Secretary, The 1805 Club Nottingham, UK Email: secretary@1805club.org Telephone: 07973 717618 For a membership application form please contact: Dr Sue Carr, Hon. Membership Secretary, The 1805 Club London, UK Email: membership.secretary@1805club.org Or: Harold E (Pete) Stark, Hon US Secretary, The 1805 Club Annapolis, MD, USA Email: the.americas.membership.secretary@1805club.org Telephone: 410-269-9760 (mobile) Or: Mark Billings, Hon Canadian Secretary, The 1805 Club Montreal, Quebec, Canada Email: canadian.membership.secretary@1805club.org Telephone: 1-514-296-1641 Peter Turner, Hon. Editor of The Kedge Anchor and The 1805 Dispatches Aldeburgh, Suffolk, UK Email: ka.editor@1805club.org Telephone: 07903 251008 The 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. Some 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 The 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 middle 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 the Editor of that fact. All copy is welcome, but not all copy may be used! Careening, enracing, narceine, recaning, anergic, cannier, cinerea, craning, creeing, energic, engrace, generic, grecian, nancier, narceen, narcein, rancing, arcing, cagier, canier, canine, caning, canner, cannie, careen, caring, carnie, cering, cierge, cringe, encage, encina, enrace, griece, incage, neanic, racing, recane, acing, areic, cager, cairn, caner, cerge, ceria, cerne, cigar, craig, crane, crena, crine, erica, genic, grace, grice, nacre, nance, nicer, niece, rance, acer, acne, acre, ance, cage, cain, cane, cang, care, carn, cere, cine, cire, crag, cree, cria, eric, icer, narc, nice, race, rice. SHIP’S WORD WHEEL ANSWERS Clanger – A badly timed remark was said to make the ship’s bell clang. The image is of Bedfordshire Clangers, which are foot-long pastries with a handy division in the middle. One side contains the main course: a stew of meat, potatoes, and vegetables. The other is dessert: usually jam or sweetened apples. The savoury and sweet pastry began its life as a humble dumpling. [It was felt that a cartoon would be less amusing. Ed] NAVAL TERMS THAT HAVE ‘COME ASHORE’ EVENT DATE EVENT TITLE EVENT DESCRIPTION CLUB LEAD 13-20 Aug 24 International Association of Caribbean Archaeology 30th Congress, Nevis BWI Congress John Rodgaard Judy Pearson 17 Sept 24 ‘No Host’ Lunch at the RAG Informal get-together of members at The Rag, Pall Mall, London Stephen Howarth 19 Oct 2024 Trafalgar Night Dinner Trafalgar Night Dinner at HMS Nelson Wardroom, Portsmouth Stephen Howarth 21 Oct 2024 Trafalgar Wreath Laying St Paul’s Cathedral Stephen Howarth 15 Feb 2025 Battle of Cape St Vincent Luncheon Alexandria, Virginia Pete Stark 22 Feb 2025 Midshipman Dale Commemoration Ceremony Wreathlaying ceremony at the grave of Midshipman Dale at St Peter’s Church (The Chapel of Their Majesties) St George’s Bermuda John Rodgaard Judy Pearson 2025 Return of St. John’s Figtree Parish Register, Nevis Ceremony jointly held by The Nevis Historical and Conservation Society, The Parish of St. George and St. John Anglican Church and The 1805 Club Richard Lupinacci Stephen Howarth John Rodgaard & Pete Stark 2025 Presentation of Nelson’s Captain’s uniform and tricorn hat Ceremony jointly held by The Nevis Historical and Conservation Society and The 1805 Club Richard Lupinacci Benedict Ryan John Rodgaard & Pete Stark 2025 Visit to Haslar RN Hospital and Buckler’s Hard Club visit to these fascinating historical sites Stephen Howarth EVENTS DIARY This is a schedule of some forthcoming 1805 Club events, so please put the dates in your own diaries.
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