The 1805 Dispatches #26.03 June 2026 1 of 8 THE 1805 DISPATCHES Newsletter of The 1805 Club EDITORIAL THE VIEW FROM NEAR THE BRIDGE From The Editor, Peter Turner Happy June, which, in the UK at least, seems at last to have brought summer. We recently had a bumper edition of The Kedge Anchor, to celebrate my twelfth issue in the Editor's seat, and now we have a bumper edition of The 1805 Dispatches. This to celebrate the AGM, Natacha Abriat's triumph at the House of Lords, the successful mast lifting at HMS Victory, and a bunch of other stuff, as you'll see if you read on. Please do, and tell your friends. Hello everyone. This is your Editor addressing you from the bridge, where I recently entered to find nobody there, and it occurred to me that some members of our Club may appreciate a brief explanation of why there was nobody, and who is currently at the helm. Before I start, I will ditch the nautical allusions – they hung over from our recently become ex-Chairman, Captain John Rodgaard, who, you will recall, was US Navy (Retd). I am not any navy, just Retd, so will stick to English English. If you were able to see the circulation about the forthcoming Annual General Meeting, that happened at The Army and Navy Club on Saturday 9 May, and especially if you were able to actually attend, you will know that both our Chairman, John Rodgaard, and our Secretary, Stephen Howarth, stood down. This was because they were no longer able to serve as Trustees, under the rules of this charity. You may recall that a few years ago it was decided by the then Council of The 1805 Club that there were good reasons to stop being a simple charity and to become a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO). I will not set out the reasons here, because they were well discussed and AGM approved at the time, and I was not part of the Governance Committee, so will probably miss some salient points. What I do know is that it was a requirement of that Committee to establish a new set of regulations for the CIO that complied with the regulations of the Charity Commission of England and Wales. One of the new rules, the one relevant to this explanation, was that Trustees could only serve a maximum of three terms before they must stand down for a period of not less than three years. This is a very sensible rule to make, if the Board of Trustees is not to petrify into a bunch of old stagers sticking in the mud of their old ideas. The intention is to make space for new, hopefully younger, Trustees to be appointed, with invigorating ideas and energy. A fine intention but, despite feelers being put out amongst members, those members who may qualify have proven hard to find. In other words, and of direct relevance at this time, nobody offered themselves up to be Chairman or Secretary. Fortunately, both John and Stephen have stepped into the breach and offered to continue with some of the functions that they dealt with formally and formerly, but now simply as advisers to the Board of Trustees. That is, John cannot be called ‘Chairman’ and Stephen cannot be called ‘Secretary’, because they are not. Neither has executive power. The exact format of this new management system is still evolving, but it has been decided that this View From The Bridge, so soon after the changes at the AGM, would be inappropriate to come from the immediate ex-Chairman. It is possible that the Trustees will draw straws to decide who will be at the helm – sorry, who will write the VFTB – in future publications. Or it may be that things will settle down nicely into an acceptable alternative. One reassurance I can give is that it will certainly not always be written by me! As you will see elsewhere, we now have 10Trustees, out of the permissible 12, and, for the record, they are: Natasha Abriat, Mark Billings, Josephine Birtwhistle, Shirin Camenisch, Kate Jamieson, Jack Satterfield, Pete Stark, Peter Turner, Mark West and Jude Wilson. (one French, one Canadian, one Swiss, two Americans and five British) If you consider yourself to be of possible service to the Club, and would like to be considered as a future Trustee, please contact me (ka.editor@1805club. org), and I will pass on your offer to the Board of Trustees. So, not ‘yours aye’ this time, and thank you for your patience. Peter Turner Trustee and Editor (but ONLY Trustee and Editor!) Pictures from The Big Repair of HMS Victory (See page 4)
The 1805 Dispatches #26.03 June 2026 2 of 8 Forty-five members and guests gathered at the RAG (The Army and Navy Club), Pall Mall, London, on Saturday 9th May for The 1805 Club’s Annual General Meeting 2026. This year’s meeting carried particular significance, as both Chairman, John Rodgaard, and Secretary, Stephen Howarth, have now completed their constitutional three-year terms and stepped down from the Board of Trustees. During the Members’ Forum, member Charles Barton invited attendees to join him in a warm round of applause to thank Capt Rodgaard and Mr Howarth for their outstanding leadership and service. The Club confirmed its Trustees for the coming year: Pete Stark (US Secretary), Mark Billings (Canadian Secretary), Jo Birtwhistle (Webmaster), Kate Jamieson and Mark West (Trustees without Portfolio), Natasha Abriat (Virtual Museum Curator), and Peter Turner (Editor of The Kedge Anchor and The 1805 Dispatches). Three new Trustees were also warmly welcomed: Jude Wilson (Secretary/Clerk), Jack Satterfield (Trustee without Portfolio), and Shirin Camenisch (Social Media Coordinator). With these additions, the Board now comprises 10 Trustees, together with fsix Associates: Kathy Brown (Trafalgar Way Programme Manager), Sue Carr (Membership Chair), Stephen Howarth (Senior Advisor), Judy Pearson (Recorder and Managing Editor of the Trafalgar Chronicle), John Rogaard (Senior Advisor) and Lynda Sebbage (Chaplain). Members heard reports of another active and productive year for the Club. Highlights included a visit to Nevis to return the conserved parish register to St John’s Figtree Anglican Church and to unveil a replica of Nelson’s captain’s uniform for the Nevis Historical and Conservation Society. The Club completed a project with the St Tudy Historical Society in creating and dedicating a memorial plaque at St Tudy’s Church, to Private Richard Masters, Royal Marines, who was killed at Trafalgar. The Club also launched a preservation project in Delaware for the ship’s bell from HMS DeBraak. Work continues in Scotland to honour Sailing Master George Forbes with a grave marker and bench. Other activities included a guided tour of Stonehouse Royal Marine Barracks in Plymouth; commemorative luncheons in Alexandria, Virginia marking the Battle of the Nile and the Glorious First of June; participation in the Midshipman Dale wreath-laying in Bermuda; attendance at the McMullen Naval History Symposium at the US Naval Academy; presentation of a student prize at Admiral Nelson School; and a series of Trafalgar Way talks by Kathy Brown. There was also a major Conference in Portsmouth, featuring presentations from eight leading international naval historians. The year concluded with the traditional Trafalgar Night Dinner in HMS NELSON Wardroom. In the Membership Report, the Club recorded 379 members across 23 countries as of 31 December 2025. This included 235 members in the UK, 117 in the US, 33 life members, eight honorary members, and 10 corporate members. Looking ahead, the Club plans to introduce a tiered membership structure aimed at the heritage sector, academia, and naval associations, with reduced-rate digital-only memberships for students, serving naval personnel, and Sea Cadets. The meeting was followed by a compelling talk by guest speaker Colonel Ian Moore, CBE, RM (Rtd) who explored the vital role of the Royal Marines at Trafalgar. He highlighted their disciplined musket fire in repelling boarding attempts and closed with a poignant account of Marine Sergeant Secker carrying the mortally wounded Admiral Nelson below decks – an enduring reminder of the Marines’ presence at one of naval history’s most iconic moments. THE 1805 CLUB ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING - 2026 Alison Reijman 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. 15 = Average; 20 = Good; 30 = V Good; 40+ = Amazing! Answers on last page
The 1805 Dispatches #26.03 June 2026 3 of 8 THE GLORIOUS FIRST OF JUNE – 2026 The battle of the Glorious First of June is celebrated by The 1805 Club every year, on 1 June, usually at Langar Hall, Nottinghamshire, formerly the family home of Admiral Lord Howe, where champagne is sprinkled on his tomb. The current Earl and Countess Howe, (the Lord Lieutenant of Nottingham-shire, representing the monarch) often attend, together with other guests. This year was different, because it included the 300th birthday of Admiral Lord Howe. The present Earl Howe and Stephen Howarth decided that something extra special was necessary, and desirable. They came up with the exceptional solution of a presentation upon the life and times of the admiral, presented in the chambers of the Lord Speaker of the House of Lords – a rare treat indeed, for which the Lord Speaker is thanked. A privilege only possible with the sponsorship of a serving lord. In fact, Earl Howe had to seek the aid of Admiral Lord West as sponsor during the period pending Earl Howe's being granted of of a life peerage, next week. The French naval and art historian, Natacha Abriat (creator and curator of our developing virtual museum) accepted the challenge of presenting the story of Admiral Lord Howe from a French perspective. Very well researched and beautifully illustrated, the lecture was both erudite and interesting, and amusing, and will be published in full by the Club. The present Earl Howe particularly enjoyed it and in his vote of thanks said that he was pleased and pleasantly surprised to learn some new things about his ancestor. The title of Natacha's lecture was 'From the American War of Independence to the Glorious First of June: Admiral Richard Howe (1726-1799) A view from the French Quarterdeck' Natacha first apologised to her audience in case they found difficulty with her French accent but reminded us that Admiral Howe himself was difficult to understand because of his taciturn nature and convoluted method of speech. She took us back to meet the young Captain Howe in the War of Austrian Succession and in the the SevenYears War and the War of American Independence. We were told of his early commands, especially mentioning HMS Dunkirk (named after a Fench port), and HMS Magnanime (a captured French ship) as having a particulary appropriate name for Howe, because during this period, and indeed throughout his life, he became known to and admired by the French, who preceived him as a brave and honourable opponent. The Battle of Quiberon Bay was an enormous shock to France, who lost many of their best ships, including the finest, le Soleil Royal. But it was the catalyst for France to rapidly rebuild her fleet – a process inevitably slow, but accelerated by the contributuion of a ship by each of the French provinces, that were able to. And so we came to the American War of Independence, where Admiral Lord Howe commanded the fleet and his brother, Genral William Howe, commanded the land forces. We were given a detailed and amusing tale of Howe's shallow-draughted fleet being anchored securely in New York Harbour, with Comte d'Estaing's very much stronger, but deeply-draughted, fleet unable to get at the British across the bar at Sandy Hook. d'Estaing's ships had turned out to be unsuitable for American East Coastal waters. The French fleet were able to capture many enemy merchant vessels, who were unaware that war had broken out and had assumed the great fleet they encountered must be British. The illusion was reinforced by the French use of false colours and of trepeating the British signals. This sequence of fleet stand-offs terminated in a great storm, prompting Scipion de Castries to comment, "A breath of wind changed the fate of the two empires. The general at sea has nothing to oppose the winds, which he can never master." We were told about Howe's relief of Gibraltar in 1782, achieved against a combined French and Spanish fleet, but without a sea battle, partly by his clever use of tactics, signals, and luck with weather. We were reminded that the flag signals system had been previously developed by the French! And, finally, we got briefly to the Battle of the Glorious First of June, of which Natacha rightly assumed we did not need a lengthy description. The battle was used to describe to us the different attitudes of the British, who celebrated the people taking part, and the French, who came to celebrate the brave sacrifice of the losers. The French Fleet was strong, but poorly officered, as a result of eighty officers of the 'Ancien Regime' having died or emigrated because of the French Revolutuion. If the revolution had not occurred, would the French have prevailed? Regardless of this possibility, Admiral Lord Howe was presented as a very fine fellow, and a respected enemy by the French.
The 1805 Dispatches #26.03 June 2026 4 of 8 MASTS LIFTED FROM HMS VICTORY (Edited version of the story by Steven Morris from The Guardian Tuesday 28 April) (As a follow-up to the report in the most recent KA:) There is only one correct way to extricate a 15-tonne wrought iron mast from one of the world’s most famous and beloved warships – very slowly, and with extreme care. Which is precisely how a 30strong team led by shipwrights and riggers set about their task on Monday night into Tuesday morning when they lifted the foremast from HMS Victory as part of a £42m conservation project. A 750-tonne crane removed the 23-metre mast from the ship in an operation requiring power to lift the wrought iron structure but also a great deal of delicacy to make sure the fabric of the vessel was not harmed. Then the mizzen and bowsprit were craned off and laid on a Portsmouth dockside ready for conservation work to begin. Patrizia Pierazzo, the deputy project director, hailed it as a “great start”. She said: “The team worked through some initial challenges but overall the lift process was undertaken safely and we now have the foremast securely removed from the ship.” Andrew Baines, the executive director of museum operations at the National Museum of the Royal Navy, admitted he had been a little anxious. “I think you’re always nervous when you’re dealing with something like Victory, which is a 250-year-old structure that’s been knocked about over the years. “These masts have not always been maintained as well as they might have been. We’re lifting historic wrought iron structures out of a very important timber historic structure. So it’s fairly complex.” “There’s six months of planning gone into this process, refining and perfecting and making sure those risks to fabric have been reduced to (Story from BBC News 21 May 2026) A handwritten letter from Admiral Nelson has been snapped up at auction as part of a huge sale of personal belongings once owned by Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts and his wife Shirley (right). The letter, written in 1795, went for £6,000 when it went under the hammer in Exeter, helping push the total sale to £410,000. It was penned two years before British naval commander Nelson, famous for his victories in the Napoleonic Wars, lost his right arm in battle, with his handwriting described as neat and his signature clear before he later had to switch to writing left-handed. More than 870 items from the couple's home, in Dolton, Devon, were sold following their deaths in 2021 and 2022. ROLLING STONE GATHERS NELSON LETTER
The 1805 Dispatches #26.03 June 2026 5 of 8 a level as low as reasonably practical and risk to life has really been eliminated.” The ship’s main mast was removed in 2021 at the start of the restoration of the whole ship, which is being billed as the Big Repair. Once all the masts are down, a huge scaffolding structure will encase the vessel and remain in place until the conservation project ends in 2033. Victory’s original masts were wooden but in the 1890s a survey concluded they were rotten and should be replaced with wrought iron masts recycled from the decommissioned frigate HMS Shah. “HMS Shah was retired and had been sent off to Bermuda and didn’t need her masts,” Baines said. “It was decided that they were good enough to be dropped in Victory as part of a repair and a refresh. They are thought to be the only surviving iron masts of the 19th century still in use.” It is the first time Victory has been without all her masts since then, and Baines said it would look a little odd. “The number one query that comes our way is when are the masts going back.” He said the restoration was a slow, careful process. “It would be faster to build a new ship but we’re not involved in a piece of shipbuilding or a ship repair. These masts are important objects in their own right. They need to be protected for another century plus and that takes time.” Subsequently Charlotte Coles reported for BBC News, on 21 May 2026: "Six 19th Century coins and tokens have been discovered beneath the foremast of HMS Victory. The find was made following the successful removal of Victory's foremast at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard. The discovery connects directly to a long-standing maritime tradition in which coins were placed beneath a ship's mast as a symbolic act, says Andrew Baines, executive director of Museum Operations at Royal Navy Museums. The newly discovered coins and token, together with the earlier coin discovered beneath Victory's main lower mast, will go on display in the Victory Gallery at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard from 23 May and will remain on display throughout the summer. Baines said uncovering the coins was an "extraordinary surprise". The coins have endured extreme conditions for 132 years, sitting beneath the fore lower mast, bearing the weight of approximately 50 tonnes of masts, yards and rigging above them.
The 1805 Dispatches #26.03 June 2026 6 of 8 RECRUITMENT ROYAL NAVY DAY BY DAY Published at intervals since 1979, the detailed daily history of the events through history has been undergoing the latest update and is about to be published within the next few weeks at a list price of £100 – which, bearing in mind that it is a 1,000-page A4 hardback, is good value for money. However, the membership of the Royal Naval Tot Club of Antigua and Barbuda, for whom David C Monks, Past Commodore of the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve is organising this offer, have managed to negotiate a magnificent 47.5% discount from the list price, making each copy only £52.50 plus P&P. David Monks feels this offer could be of interest to membership of The 1805 Club, so we have circulated details here, as the offer will have to close within the next few weeks as it gets nearer the publication date. Anyone interested should complete the form at https://ask2gocloud.fillout.com/t/vSStuggaG9us to secure their place in the expressions of interest, and this will be followed up with instructions regarding collection/posting once the published weight has been determined. You have read elsewhere of the changes that have taken place in the Board of Trustees and those Associated to the Board. We have a fresh set of Trustees – not all new, as experienced Trustees form the majority, but still a fresh grouping. This is an opportunity for those members who feel they can contribute to the running of The 1805 Club to step up to the mark. Please either use the Skills button on our website, or contact our new Secretary, Trustee Jude Wilson, at secretary@1805club.org, and express your interest. Various roles wait to be filled, or refilled. You will never be expected to commit more time and effort than you are comfortable with. The ongoing vitality of the Club is important, and you may be one of those who help maintain it. And have more fun as a result! 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 finding 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 main website: http://1805club.org/ or use these links: For the Flagship Fund go to http://bit.ly/ 1805ClubFlagshipFund or for The Trafalgar Way go to http://thetrafalgarway.org/ For our shop, try https://www.1805club.org/shop, or click on one of the images opposite . . . Nelson Portrait At His Desk on Victory £100 Used Books £10 each Past copies of Trafalgar Chronicle £15 each The Trafalgar Way Official Storymap £19.99 Nelson Portrait No.2 £100 (Both portraits by Jessica Turgoose)
The 1805 Dispatches #26.03 June 2026 7 of 8 EVENTS DIARY EVENT DATE EVENT TITLE EVENT DESCRIPTION CLUB LEAD Sat 25 Jul Visit to the former Royal Hospital, Haslar Private Visit to the former Royal Hospital, Haslar, Hampshire Stephen Howarth and Mark Trasler MBE, Chairman, Haslar Heritage Group (and Club member) Sun 26 Jul Visit to Buckler's Hard, Bealieu Visit to Buckler's Hard, Bealieu, Hampshire, with river trip, personal updates on the archaeology and guided tour by Mary Montagu-Scott, 1000-1700 Stephen Howarth and Mary Montagu-Scott DL, Director, Buckler's Hard Maritime Museum (and Club member) Sat 1 Aug Battle of the Nile Commemorative Luncheon Luncheon and Battle Discussion at Vaso’s Mediterranean Bistro, 1118 King St., Alexandria, VA 22314. Pete Stark Wed 19 Aug The George Forbes Project Unveiling and completion of the George Forbes project, Logie Coldstone kirkyard, Aberdeenshire Stephen Howarth Wed 23 Sep Visit to Woodbridge Riverside Complex. Day visit to four venues: Sutton Hoo Ship’s Company (SHSC) + Tapestries Gallery + Woodbridge Tide Mill + Woodbridge Museum Martin Sutor (SHSC Crew Mate) and Peter Turner 21 Oct Annual Wreath-laying at Nelson's Tomb Annual Wreath-laying at Nelson's Tomb, St Paul's Cathedral 1100-1200 Stephen Howarth Sat 24 Oct Trafalgar Night Dinner HMS NELSON WARDROOM, Portsmouth, 1800-2230+ Stephen Howarth The sharp-eyed among you may have noticed that the Club Lead for all but two of the events in the UK is ex- Club Secretary Stephen Howarth. Your Editor respectfully suggests that it is too much to expect one person to bear the total load of organising events. The 1805 Club is widespread, and would welcome any suggestions for relevant local events that could be of interest to other local members, and that could be organised by those local members. The Club would be happy to assist, and to publicise, any such events.
The 1805 Dispatches #26.03 June 2026 8 of 8 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. Much 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 beginning 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 him of that fact. All copy is welcome, but not all copy may be used! 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 sailingnavy 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 Shelton, Notts, UK Email: secretary@1805club.org 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, Editor of The Kedge Anchor Aldeburgh, Suffolk, UK Email: ka.editor@1805club.org Telephone: +(44) 7903 251008 Jude Wilson UK secretary@1805club.org For a membership application form please contact: Dr Sue Carr Hon. Membership Secretary, The 1805 Club London, UK Email: membership.secretary@1805club.org Eyke, Suffolk, UK Improvise, improves, improve, improvs, ivories, privies, verismo, improv, movers, movies, proves, verism, vermis, vipers, vireos, virose, visier, ivies, mover, moves, movie, overs, pervs, prove, rives, roves, servo, siver, verso, viers, viper, vireo, vires, visie, visor, vomer, ivor, mirv, move, over, perv, revs, rive, rove, spiv, veii, vers, vier, vies, vims, vire, vise, voes, vors Heavy weather – To make heavy weather of something is seamen’s slang for exaggerating a problem. NAVAL TERMS THAT HAVE ‘COME ASHORE’ SHIP’S WORD WHEEL ANSWERS The Great Wave at Kanagawa. Designed by Hokusai CALL FOR PAPERS – THE TRAFALGAR CHRONICLE 2027 The editors of the Trafalgar Chronicle, the flagship publication of The 1805 Club, invite proposals for the 2027 edition (New Series 11). Theme: Freedom of the Seas during the Georgian Era, 1775– 1848 We welcome carefully researched articles exploring how the principle of freedom of the seas was developed, challenged, enforced, and interpreted during the Age of Sail. We also encourage submissions on broader topics in Georgian maritime and naval history, including biographies, naval battles, maritime economics, exploration, diplomacy, and technological innovation. Abstract deadline: 1 September 2026 Article deadline: 1 February 2027 Length: 3,000–5,000 words Please send a 500-word abstract and short biographical note to tc.editor@1805Club.org. Contributors receive a complimentary copy of the volume and, for non-members, interim membership of The 1805 Club. We welcome submissions from historians, students, journalists, and all enthusiasts of the Georgian maritime era.
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