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
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