The 1805 Dispatches #25.03 June 2025 2 of 7 THE 1805 CLUB AGM 2025 The Annual General Meeting of The 1805 Club was held on 17 May at The Army and Navy Club, 36 Pall Mall, London. The formal minutes are available to all members – here is a summary of key points: 1. Approximately 40 members attended, representing 10% of the membership (see note 5). 2. Geraint Day was accepted as Chair of the AGM. 3. Last year’s AGM minutes, together with the Annual Report and General Accounts were noted/accepted as appropriate, without exception. 4. The Secretary’s Report gave details of the current Trustee requirements of a CIO (which highlighted that John Rodgaard and Stephen Howarth will this year be serving their last permitted spells as Trustees), followed by information of events during 2024 and conservation projects completed and in hand. 5. The Membership Report showed that the Club has 409 members in 23 countries. An urgent reminder was given that Members must renew their subscriptions by 30 June, and must now pay renewal subscriptions via Stripe on The 1805 Club website. 6. The Communications Report advised that email communications to members receive an 80% engagement rate. 7. The Treasurer’s Report gave a balance at the end of 2024 of £99, 093.00, which is about 12% down from 2023, indicating that the Club is actually doing charitable works requiring expenditure, as it should. 8. Subscription has increased from £45 to £50, and the agreed increase (refer to last year’s AGM) to £60 has been deferred until 2027. 9. A report was given on the current state of, and plans for, the Club’s website. 10. The US Secretary’s Report was given, with details of events and the forthcoming HMS DeBraak Project. 11. Reports were given on The Trafalgar Chronicle, The Kedge Anchor and The 1805 Dispatches – all healthy and continuing without major changes. A brief reminder was given that the Readers’ Dictionary of Sailing Ship Terminology is now accessible of the Club’s website. 12. Member Shirin Camenisch was introduced as administrator of the Club’s Facebook and Instagram pages. 13. Trafalgar Way’s website and social media was reported. 14. The 1805 Trading Company is providing a small but growing income stream. 15. The Flagship Fund (see next page) is providing income for projects. 16. The Way Ahead was reported as including:Virtual Museum – Natacha Abriat will be Curator; DeBraak Bell – Jack Slatterfield will manage; Forbes Memorial – Stephen Howarth is managing; Richard Masters Plaque – Stephen Howarth is managing. 17. Future Events include: McMullen Symposium; The 1805 Club Conference, new Series, 2025; Trafalgar Night Dinner. 18. Future Publications includes A History of The 1805 Club, to mark 35 years since its creation. 19. Governance reminded members that replacement Trustees are needed next year for John Rodgaard and Stephen Howarth. Three new Trustees were introduced, so that the current Council of Trustees, after the vote, is alphabetically: Natacha Abriat, Mark Billings, Jo Birtwhistle, Stephen Howarth, Kate Jamieson, John Rodgaard, Pete Stark, Russ Strick, Peter Turner and Mark West. Jude Wilson was introduced as the Club’s Clerk. Co-oted to Council are: Kathy Brown, Sue Carr and Lynda Sebbage. 20. The next AGM is Saturday 9 May, 2026 at The Army and Navy Club. 21. The Members’ Forum raised valid points which will be acted upon by the Council of Trustees. After lunch the AGM concluded with a fine speech given by Captain Michael Barritt, RN (right) who spoke on his recently published book, Nelson’s Pathfinders, about oceanic charts in the age of sail.
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