Special points of interest: Nile & Copenhagen Captains Memorial Project 4 A Great & Glorious Victory - Book & DVD 4 Naval Strategy against Napoléon 1806-1810 Conference Report 5 Annual Trafalgar Dinner at Newhouse 6 Trafalgar Day Wreath Laying Ceremony at St Paul's Cathedral 7 Pickle Night Dinner 7 News from the Regional Groups 8 Turner at the Metropolitan Art Gallery New York 10 Nelson 250th Anniversary Celebrations at King’s Lynn and Burnham Thorpe continued 12 Emma among the treasures of Waddesdon Manor 19 New Bust of Nelson unveiled to celebrate 250th Anniversary 20 Saumarez, Jackass Frigate, Hamilton Letters, etc. 20 Chairman’s Dispatch 2 From the Quarterdeck 3 Forthcoming Events 10 Alison’s Column 18 Book Notes 20 Collectors’ Corner 24 Notes & Queries 26 Web Notes 27 INSIDE THIS ISSUE: THE KEDGE ANCHOR NEWSLETTER OF THE 1805 CLUB Issue No. 23 November 2008 250th BIRTHDAY CELEBRATIONS EXCEED EVERY EXPECTATION The 1805 Club celebrates 250th anniversary with a spectacular weekend in Norfolk 26-28 September 2008 T here was only one place which would have been fitting to spend the weekend of the 250th anniversary of Nelson’s birth – his childhood home, Burnham Thorpe in Norfolk. With this ultimate destination in mind, a total of 83 members of The 1805 Club and their guests made the “pilgrimage” to west Norfolk on the weekend of 26-28 September and enjoyed what was probably one of the most memorable events the Club has ever staged both in its content and complexity. Painstaking planning and a meticulous eye for detail by the Club’s Events Officer Barry Coombs ensured everything went smoothly. Friday afternoon: Paston College Friday lunchtime saw several members and guests taking the opportunity to visit Paston School (now Paston College) to which, in 1769, Horatio and his brother William transferred from King Edward VI Grammar School in Norwich. The Head, Peter Mayne, made everyone very welcome and took us on a tour of the school building, first to the IT Room, formally the Above: Burnham Thorpe’s ‘Little Nelsons’ after receiving their Nelson medals watched by the King’s Lynn Sword and Mace Bearers and the Master of Ceremonies. MORE PHOTOGRAPHS: CENTRE SPREAD & BACK PAGE The KEDGE ANCHOR is the newsletter of The 1805 Club. It is published three times a year (in March, July and November) and is distributed free to members. For information about the newsletter contact the North American editors: Randy and Dana Mafit at 1980 Sunrise Blvd., Eugene, Oregon 97405, USA, phone +1 541-343-1894, email: randym1805@aol.com, or the UK editors: Paul and Penny Dalton at Woodlands, Hankham, Pevensey, East Sussex BN24 5BE, UK, phone +44 (0)1323 764212, email: pd@pdpictorial.freeserve.co.uk. UK Edition Continued on page 12
2 CHAIRMAN’S DISPATCH: A Birthday To Remember E arlier this year I happened to be in Poland and arranged to meet the former president and leader of Solidarity, Lech Walesa. The aim was to highlight the coincidence of his birthday, which falls on 29 September, Nelson’s birthday! It was a bright sunny morning when I arrived at his office at the famous Green Gate in Gdansk. Initially he was surprised that I had even bothered to see him because, while he knew about Lord Nelson, he said he couldn’t even swim! However, when I replied, “Nor could Nelson!” his eyes lit up. So now they had two things in common. He then pointed out that he “wasn’t a war fighter”. While I had to agree on the technicality that he hadn’t made his career the armed services, I emphasised that he had fought a different sort of ‘war’, and moreover one that highlighted the two fundamental similarities he shared with Nelson: moral courage and humanity. Now I really had his interest! He was flattered and also a little embarrassed when I pointed to his own bravery and moral courage in first clambering over the gates into the Gdansk shipyard, and subsequently standing his ground for what he believed in until victory was achieved. His tinge of embarrassment converted to genuine humility when I highlighted his own humanity – the singular word that also defines Nelson. And so he agreed that he would come to Britain for Nelson’s 250th birthday celebrations in Norfolk if a slot could be found in his full diary. It was not to be, but the meeting not only introduced him to The 1805 Club, it also showed how Nelson’s words at the end of his Sketch of my Life, “Go thou, and do likewise”, are as relevant today as they ever were, for in his own way Lech Walesa had indeed done likewise. NELSON 250 was an amazing success and I don’t imagine anyone who came to Burnham Thorpe for the Thanksgiving Service, whether members, guests or residents, will ever forget this unique celebration in the tiny village set in countryside that is little changed from what it looked like all those years ago. They will recall the charming performance by Burnham Thorpe’s young children, the Dean of Norwich’s expressive sermon, the large turnout and the very smart guard provided by the Sea Cadets. The Guard was inspected by Admiral Sir Mark Stanhope, Commander-in-Chief Fleet, who with Lady Stanhope, joined the Club for the whole weekend. He was also Guest of Honour at the splendid civic Birthday Dinner in Lynn’s historic Town Hall. Our thanks go to everyone else who took part and helped to make this national celebration the success that it was, not least the Mayor, councillors and officers at King’s Lynn, the commanding officer and crew of HMS Raider for their initiative and special visit to King’s Lynn, and the splendid Fermoy Gallery for its stunning Nelson Exhibition. Without doubt this year’s events programme has been exceptional, with the Club arranging eight major events in addition to NELSON 250. Many Council members have been involved in their preparation, but I should like to thank Barry Coombs, the keystone for most of them, for his resilience, good humour and wonderful organisational skill throughout. Next year we shall enjoy a slightly quieter programme as we gear up for the Collingwood commemorations in Newcastle in March 2010, but there are a number of attractive events in the pipeline culminating in October with the Club’s Trafalgar Dinner on the 17th. Our final event for 2009 will be the Wreath Laying Ceremony at St Paul’s Cathedral on Trafalgar Day itself, which we now co-organise with the Royal Navy and Marine Society and Sea Cadets. All members will receive an invitation to this. The Club had the honour of redesigning this year’s ceremony and well over 70 people attended. You will find a more detailed report of the occasion in this Kedge Anchor. Also, starting with this issue, is a regular report from Council; an overview of our discussions which we hope will give you a better idea of how we ‘run’ your Club. In my last Dispatch I described how The Nile and Copenhagen Captains Memorial is the next major conservation project of the Club. As with the Trafalgar Captains we are keen to involve our members and as you will see from the separate article in this issue (see page 4), we are calling for volunteers to visit the graves to carry out preliminary surveys, including photographs. I am pleased that thanks largely to the painstaking research by Club Secretary John Curtis we have been able to identify virtually all of them but we still need members to confirm our information and to check their condition. We have published their whereabouts in the Members Area of the website, but are also listing them here. We earnestly hope that we shall find a ‘fine sett of fellows’ to help us with this essential work. Please contact John, who will give you more details and the survey guidelines. Talking of fine fellows, I should like to take this opportunity to thank Sim Comfort for the support he gave to the Bayntun Dinner in July, and in particular for the production of the keepsake, which he has since reproduced for all our members and which you will find enclosed with this copy of The Kedge Anchor.
3 To conclude, In early October I was in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. We have a new member there and I managed to welcome him aboard within a few days of his enrolling - the Chairman is always pleased to meet new members! I was cheered to hear that the RNA was organising their annual Trafalgar Dinner in the city and found the idea that the Immortal Memory would be drunk with mango juice so compelling that I had to mention it here. I am sure they had a wonderful evening in spite of the alcoholic restrictions, and I dare say Nelson, who had a flavour of the Arabian Peninsular from his visit to Basra, would be fascinated. It gives me much pleasure to wish you all a very Happy Christmas and a wonderful New Year. With kindest regards, Peter Peter Warwick Hon Chairman Welcome to this new feature of The Kedge Anchor. At the meeting in August, Council agreed that a brief report of its most recent proceedings should appear as a regular item. We believe in transparency and trust that this will allow members, as far as is possible within the constraints of the law, to follow Council proceedings. The following issues are ongoing, and appear on the agenda of most meetings: Projects Fundraising The Club website Educational development programme The selection of a new President Events In addition, publications, membership issues and regional groups are often discussed, and finance is usually an overriding consideration for most topics. The latest meeting on 25 October held at The Old Royal Naval College, Greenwich, was exceptionally attended by the North American Secretary Randy Mafit, who was on a visit to the UK. Usually of course he has to send his apologies. The Chairman reported that he has been in touch with a good candidate for the Presidency of the Club. This person is considering the offer and will meet the Chairman soon to discuss this further. If the invitation is declined the Council has drawn up a shortlist of other names. Josephine Birtwhistle, who is responsible for the Club’s Website, was unable to attend the meeting, but submitted a full report on website developments, showing that there is much activity in this area. Dianne Smith, the Education Officer, was also unable to attend the meeting, but had also submitted a report. Short term plans for the provision of remodelled resources on the website are now due to be launched in January 2009, to be followed later by development of the concept with Year 9 students from Admiral Lord Nelson School, Portsmouth. On Projects, it was reported that with the completion of conservation work on the graves of Thomas Bladen Capel and Henry William Bayntun the Trafalgar Captains Memorial Project is now finished. It is planned to arrange rededication events in 2009. The Secretary reported that the initial research work on the Nile and Copenhagen Captains Memorial is nearly finished, and Council is now ready to seek the aid of members (see separate article in this edition). The Treasurer reported that more than usual has been spent on projects this year, so prudence is required. The Chairman described his ideas for a Fundraising forum in the near future, and various people were mentioned who could assist. The intention is to try and find a fundraising strategy that secures a steady income for projects in the future. Council discussed the success of recent Events, including the Collingwood Conference, the Nelson 250 celebrations in Norfolk, the Trafalgar Dinner at Newhouse, and the revamped Trafalgar Day Wreath Laying Ceremony at St Paul’s Cathedral. The Chairman recorded special thanks to Barry Coombs for his tremendously efficient hard work in helping to arrange the conference, Nelson 250 and Newhouse dinner. Exceptionally, the Club organised nine events in 2008, but next year will be less busy. Other issues discussed included constitutional reform, as requested at the 2008 AGM, and the organisation of Council meetings. It was agreed that the next Members’ Day and AGM will be held on 25 April 2009 (please put this in your diaries), and that the next two Council meetings will be held on 17 January and 16 May 2009. Finally, Council received with regret the news that David Harris and Barry Coombs will be standing down at the AGM as Treasurer and Events Officer respectively. So if any members wish to be considered for these posts, the Chairman, Peter Warwick will be delighted to hear from you! John Curtis Secretary NEWS FROM COUNCIL
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