3 The tenth Annual General Meeting of The 1805 Club held on Saturday 19 April took on a new look this year; it was decided to rename it “Members’ Day.” This change of name - which encompassed both the AGM and the Cecil Isaacson Memorial Lecture and included an opportunity for members to chat informally together and with Council members during a buffet lunch with wine - was designed to give the occasion a more informal and friendly feel. A total of 35 members attended the day held at the Old Royal Naval College in Greenwich during which Club Chairman Peter Warwick reflected on another very busy year of activity. He said that projects were very much the raison d’être of the Club and to that end, the Captains Memorial Project was now reaching a conclusion, the highlight of which would be the rededication of the tomb of Lapenotiere on Sunday May 25. Another major project had been the redevelopment of the website, which was having a positive effect on recruiting new members. Applications for membership were being received and as a result, the number of members was being sustained. Our publications, The Kedge Anchor and the Trafalgar Chronicle, were going from strength to strength. Another innovation, the establishment of regional groups in the north, south-west and south-east had really helped to develop a camaraderie within the Club, said Peter. The year had been marked by a series of very special events, including ‘A Homage to All Heroes Weekend’ in Great THE CECIL ISAACSON MEMORIAL LECTURE “SONS OF NELSON” The Cecil Isaacson Memorial Lecture at Members’ Day “Sons of Nelson” was delivered by Capt Peter Hore RN (right) who was responsible for the very successful Sons and Daughters of Trafalgar project in 2005. The lecture was a natural succession from the project in which Capt Hore highlighted how other descendants from the battle, from both sides of the Atlantic, continued the great Naval traditions of their forebears. One example was William Atkins, a 23-year-old landsman from Charlestown, North America, who ended up in a ship in the Thames in 1803. For three years, he was on board HMS Victory (including Trafalgar), then went on to HMS Ocean. At the end of his service, he was given a land grant to go to Nova Scotia but when he arrived, he was caught in some atrocious winter weather. So Atkins used his upturned boat as his home during the winter months then sailed up the coast where he and his family settled in a house on Atkins Island. Other famous names mentioned included descendants of Capt Charles Mansfield, who commanded HMS Minotaur at Trafalgar. A full transcript of Capt Hore’s lecture will appear in the Trafalgar Chronicle later this year. Alison Henderson, Hon Press Officer CECIL JAMES ISAACSON Cecil James Isaacson was born at Cottenham, Cambridgeshire in 1917. The family moved to Welches Dam, Cambridgeshire where Cecil attended the Primitive Methodist Sunday School and played the organ for regular services. At 14 years old he left Manea School when apprenticed to a carpenter in Thetford, Norfolk. When Cecil was 17 years old he contracted polio which left him with a painful back and wasted leg. Unable to complete his apprenticeship, he joined the Church Army in 1937 with which, considered to be unfit for active service during WWII, he served in France and the Middle East, remaining in Palestine until 1947. Cecil married Mary (Mollie) Whitfield from Newcastle-upon-Tyne in 1945. He continued with welfare work leaving the Church Army in 1950 to train for the ministry at Salisbury Theological College, Wiltshire. An accomplished linguist, he learned to read and write Greek, Hebrew and Arabic. In 1953 he became a curate and three years later took up the position of vicar at Hellesdon, Norfolk. Ill health prompted a move to Burnham Thorpe with Burnham Overy in 1962 and the parishes of Burnham Norton, Burnham Sutton and Burnham Westgate were added in 1967. Cecil always had an interest in people and world affairs and the variety of parishioners past and present in the Burnhams led to years of great pleasure for him. His interest in Burnham Thorpe’s most famous son led to him being teased greatly by other clergy at meetings about being rector of St. Nelson’s church. He also started giving lectures about Nelson and an essay given in Los Angeles in 1982 has been incorporated in the booklet, Admiral Lord Nelson & His Homeland. He retired from the ministry in 1982 and in 1991 published another booklet containing two short essays entitled Nelson’s ‘Five Years on the Beach’ and The Other ‘Horatio’ Nelson of Burnham Thorpe. He was in the process of gathering information for a booklet about Horatia when he died suddenly in 1995. With many thanks to Christine Smith, Cecil Isaacson’s daughter for this short biography. Yarmouth commemorating the Battle of Copenhagen; the Glorious First of June Weekend; the 300th anniversary service for Sir Cloudesley Shovell; the Trafalgar Night Dinner, when hosts George and June Jeffreys were made Vice-Presidents; and a Pickle Night in North America. Peter singled out the New Trafalgar Dispatch reception at Windsor as being the highlight, adding it was quite remarkable to see what an impact a Club with a membership of 500 could have with such an occasion. The coming year would be devoted to continuing the research work for the Nile and Copenhagen Captains’ Project; staging a Fundraising Forum; furthering the Club’s “living history” dimension; staging new events including the Nelson 250 celebrations; developing Memlog (Register of Memorials) and reaching a decision on the new Club President. The Council was re-elected without opposition and Peter paid tribute to all their hard work over the past year. There was one amendment to the Constitution to remove the corporate patron category that was accepted by the Club. Among the issues raised by Club members during the meeting was the possibility of involving HRH Prince William in events; offering a special membership rate to students; how to make the work of the Club more attractive to young people and using the regional groups to raise awareness of the Club at a local level. Alison Henderson, Hon Press Officer THE 1805 CLUB ANNUAL MEETING TAKES ON NEW LOOK AS MEMBERS’ DAY
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