The 1805 Dispatches #25.05 October 2025 3 of 8 "Here follows a message from Bishop Hugh Nelson, Bishop to the Armed Forces: "The young man we commemorate today, RICHARD MASTERS, was a Cornishman born in 1784, and brought up to a farming life in the parish of St Tudy. "As a young man in the time of the wars with France, he joined first the local militia and then the Royal Marines. And it was as a Marine, fighting at the battle of Trafalgar in 1805, that he met his untimely death. "The fleet in which he served at Trafalgar in 1805 was famously led by Admiral Lord Horatio Nelson. By a double coincidence, I share the Admiral's surname, and I have the honour to be Bishop to the Armed Services. "For these reasons, I regret that I cannot be with you today as we give public commemoration, for the first time, to this brave young Cornishman. "However, at its heart, this will be a village event. For that good reason I am very happy to have the Dedication and Blessing done by Reverend Robin Thwaites, your Rector. Thank you, Robin! "But today's commemoration is also an event with much wider resonance. "In a sea battle such as Trafalgar, inevitably the greater number of victims were ordinary sailors and other junior individuals, yet they are in general the least remembered. In commemorating Private Masters, we shall also be thinking of the many other Cornishmen who gave their lives. "I should add that it is extremely rare -- possibly unique -- for a Private in the Royal Marines to be commemorated personally and in his home parish. Today's event may be small but it is truly historic." BISHOP’S MESSAGE Editorial circumstances resulted in this getting a whole page to itself. It was decided that this is not inappropriate, not because the message is profound, but simply because it is special.
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