Special points of interest: Chairman’s Dispatch 2 From the Editor’s Desk 3 From the Quarterdeck 3 News from Council 4 AGM/Members’ Forum 5 Forthcoming Events 16 Feature Story contd 20 Ditty Box 30 Collectors’ Corner 34 Book Notes 36 In the Auction Rooms 39 INSIDE THIS ISSUE: Introducing Gillian Knight 4 Glorious 1st June Luncheon Santa Clara 5 Nelson Arch, Dunscombe Park 5 Visit to Penn House 6 First Sea Lord at HMS Excellent, Portsmouth 8 Men of Trafalgar Corporal Wm Turner RM 9 Men of Trafalgar Able Seaman Wm Sandilands 11 Men of Trafalgar Ordinary Seaman James Sharman 13 22nd Trafalgar Dinner 15 NYC Pickle Night Dinner 15 Expedition to Tierra del Fuego 18 Constitution vs. Guerriere 24 CWM 1812 Exhibit 28 Navy Board Project 30 Capt. Flinders Memorial 32 The Nankivell Ring 32 THE KEDGE ANCHOR NEWSLETTER OF THE 1805 CLUB Issue No. 34 July 2012 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 editor Ken Flemming, 15 Southlands Drive, Leyland, Preston Lancs PR26 7SJ, UK, phone +44 (0)1772 433970, email: kenflemming@sky.com. UK Edition Aqua Triumphalis In this Diamond Jubilee year Club Chairman Peter Warwick looks at the history of state barges on the Thames and describes how The Queen’s Rowbarge Gloriana is the lasting legacy of the Jubilee. T he story of Admiral Lord Nelson’s funeral was a defining moment for me. All it took was one picture: the very last strip from the boy’s comic Eagle, dated 15 March 1957, which concluded the story of The Great Sailor. Why? It is hard to explain, but from that moment I was captivated by Nelson and his splendid funeral, and the fascination has never waned. On 16 September 2005 the scene was successfully recreated with the ceremonial re-enactment of the river borne funeral procession. This was another defining moment because organising it introduced me to the workings of the River Thames and led to the formation of Thames Alive, which in 2007 initiated and promoted the idea of a major river pageant to celebrate The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. In turn this gave the impetus for The Queen’s Row Barge Gloriana. - continued page 20 - Lord Sterling of Plaistow welcomes The Queen and Duke of Edinburgh aboard The Queen’s Row Barge Gloriana at Greenland Pier, Greenwich, 25 April 2012. The Queen’s Row Barge Gloriana passes Crosby Hall, on Cheyne Walk, Chelsea, during the Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant, 3 June 2012. Sir Steve Redgrave CBE DL is stroke oar.
THE CHAIRMAN’S DISPATCH! Pageantry on the River Thames On 8th January 1806 the River Thames witnessed one of the most amazing spectacles in its long and fascinating history – the funeral river procession of Admiral Lord Nelson. The boat that carried his body had originally been built for Charles II in an age when river pageants were very much the fashion. It is now exhibited at the National Museum of the Royal Navy at Portsmouth and, in spite of being the oldest royal barge to survive, it is in excellent condition. The barge, or more correctly shallop, is 35 ft. long with a 6ft 1 in. beam. For Nelson’s funeral its bright red and green paintwork and gilded carvings at bow and stern were draped with black velvet and the coffin was covered by a large and ornate canopy with black ostrich plumes tremulous at each corner. The crew was suitably clothed in mourning and in a strong south westerly they rowed their precious charge from Greenwich to Whitehall. The procession was probably the largest ever to take place on the Thames, with 17 barges and 55 boats in the official procession, including the barges of the Lord Mayor of London and eight City Livery Companies. The Drapers’ barge led the other seven Livery Company barges since Nelson had been an honorary freeman of the Drapers’ Company. The Company records state that the crew were, “dressed in mourning scarfs, with the Company’s staffs covered with Black Crape and each of the Watermen had a black armband.” William Watson at St Katherine’s Dock, wrote that “thousands of boats covered the water” filled with yet more spectators”. The rest of the throng were “clinging like Bees upon the rigging” of nearby ships and every window was crammed with people eager to get a view. A little over two hundred years later, on 3rd June 2012, another spectacle took place on the River Thames, this time to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee of HM The Queen. Once again, there were a thousand boats on the river and the 1.5 million spectators who turned out in spite of the dismal weather were just as eager to get a view of the procession of boats as their ancestors two hundred years earlier. Leading the Pageant was the magnificent Queen’s Rowbarge Gloriana, built especially for the occasion. She led the flotilla of over 260 manpowered boats and together they stole the show, even creating ‘the Canaletto moment’, which echoed his wonderful picture, The Thames on Lord Mayor’s Day Looking Towards the City and St Paul’s Cathedral, now on loan from the Lobkowicz Collection, Czech Republic to the National Maritime Museum at Greenwich as part of its Royal River: Pageantry & the Thames exhibition. The Queen’s Rowbarge was constructed by Mark Edwards of Richmond, one of the few remaining traditional boat builders in the UK, who led a team of young and enthusiastic craftsmen from around Britain. The 92 ft. long vessel is furnished using traditional British woods and is rowed by 18 oarsmen. It flies Royal and City Standards at the appropriate times, and carries 16 crests representing the Realms of the Commonwealth. Turn to ‘Aqua Triumphalis’ for an insight into the history of state barges on the Thames and the lasting legacy of the Queen’s Rowbarge. However, QRB Gloriana was not built for the Pageant alone. She is the lasting legacy of the Diamond Jubilee. She forms a tangible link between Britain’s status as a seafaring nation and maritime London. The River Thames, the rowbarge’s home water, played a defining role in world trade which remains the essence of a city which is still the hub for the world’s leading maritime organisations. Given the very poor coverage of the event by the BBC, this legacy bears an additional responsibility, because Gloriana reminds us that the river and the sea are a fundamental part of our story, present and future. Sadly the BBC’s coverage revealed the ignorance of the ‘middle generation’ and highlighted clearly how the education system has failed to furnish people with the basics of British maritime history. The lack of knowledge demonstrated over the heroism of the Dunkirk Little Ships was a vivid example, as was the comment that Lord Nelson was at the Battle of Waterloo! Furthermore, there were no cameras covering the Parade of Sail. Nothing was shown of Amazon, the remarkable screw schooner which attended the Spithead Review celebrating Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee in 1897, or indeed any of the other stunning large vessels lining the river, such as Kathleen & May, the last surviving sailing topsail schooner from the thousands which once traded the UK coasts, the Thames barge Edith May, which is National Historic Ships UK Flagship for 2012; the superb French 3-masted ship Belem, or the stunning replica medieval ship Matthew. The idea that Britain is essentially still a maritime nation would appear to have been lost. It would seem that it is no longer part of the common psyche. The 1805 Club may not be a ship or boat, but in the words of our President, Admiral Sir Jonathon Band, we are ’part of the naval heritage family’. Therefore, the link with the River Thames, Nelson and the conservation of graves and memorials of the Georgian sailing era ties us closely to this regrettable phenomenon. As we celebrate this Diamond Jubilee year we recognize the scale of the task ahead of us, and the importance of our Wooden Walls educational programme featured in the last issue of the Kedge Anchor is brought into even sharper focus. The challenge is huge and we hope that other organizations will join us and rally to this essential cause. With all good wishes, Peter Warwick
3 From the Editor’s Desk A merican political commentator and journalist George Will has quipped that ‘the future has a way of arriving unannounced.’ So it is, after eleven years of work in the trenches and with some trepidation, that I announce my decision to step down as Senior Editor of The Kedge Anchor to assume lesser responsibilities as a ‘consulting editor’ Ken Flemming, my co-editor for the past few issues will be assuming command—he is already taking a primary role, although the transition is likely to continue for a few more issues. I have the fullest confidence in Ken’s abilities; he has some good ideas about how to meet and, perhaps, even improve on the standards that have been set for the newsletter by me and our editors emeritus, Paul and Penny Dalton, who continue to cast long shadows over we incumbents. There are sure to be changes—Benjamin Franklin offered sage and succinct advice: ‘When you’re finished changing, you’re finished’. Order and change should proceed hand in hand if the newsletter is to remain relevant . The challenges of today cannot be met with yesterday’s tools…In that regard, your editors and council are considering a move to an electronic format which would eliminate many of the constraints of print publication, considerably reduce printing costs, create greater access and provide for more effective and timely distribution of information to the membership. We don’t plan to completely eliminate the printed edition of the Kedge Anchor, recognising that not all members have computers or internet access. There will probably be changes to the print edition too, as Ken seeks to streamline its format and seek more contributions from our readers. As for me, I will continue to send in my small bits and pieces for the ‘Book Notes’, ‘Collector’s Corner’, and ‘In the Auction Room’ columns and honour requests for mainstream articles as required. In closing, it would be dismissive of me not to acknowledge the great and continuing support I have received from individuals at home and abroad. Editors can too often become ’one-man bands’ who develop tunnel-vision. And lose touch. A few, among the many, who made contributions, inspired me, or otherwise kept me on task were (in no particular order): Dennis Hyatt, Stephen Howarth, the late Colin White, Michael Nash, the Daltons, Richard Endsor, Don Rosenberg, Anthony Cross, Richard Venn, Louis Roeder, John Curtis, Linda Ebrey, and Robert Fosterjohn (who started it all). I also owe great appreciation to Peter Warwick, Bill White and the cascading members of Council for their assistance, patience and, at times, their indulgence. Lastly, I salute my wife Dana, who has served admirably during my tenure as copy-editor, proofreader, technical guru, hand-holder and trouble-shooter at large. Thanks to all who have tried to make the KA as good as it can be. And thanks for the satisfaction. RBM NEWS FROM COUNCIL The AGM and Members’ Day was held on Saturday 5 May, and reports can be found elsewhere in this issue. Unfortunately the Chairman Peter Warwick was unable to be there as he was at sea somewhere in the Azores ‘on his latest recruitment drive’, so Vice Chairman Bill White deputised. At the AGM Carol Robbins and Gillian Knight were elected to Council for the first time as well as Dr Huw Lewis-Jones, editor of the Trafalgar Chronicle, although he had previously been co-opted to Council. Paul Ellis, Projects Officer, was also co-opted for a second time. The newly elected Council met on Saturday 26 May, when the new members were properly welcomed. Council discussed several matters arising from the AGM and the subsequent Members’ Forum, including the extension of the educational programme to the Sea Cadets, and the approaching bicentenary of the engagement between the Shannon and the Chesapeake. Council decided to set up a small Projects Sub-Committee to manage the Conservation Projects programme. This will consist of Peter Warwick, Bill White, John Curtis and Projects Officer Paul Ellis. The budget for 2012 projects was set and suggestions were discussed for the main conservation work to be carried out this year. Costings will be obtained before a final decision can be made. In addition Council heard that a recent visit to Horatia’s grave at Pinner had shown that some renovation was required, and Paul Ellis will look into this. Bill White suggested that a feasibility study be made into a proposal to produce DVDs on aspects of naval history that officers could take to sea with them. These could be produced in conjunction with universities and organisations such as the National Maritime Museum and the National Museum of the Royal Navy. Council agreed that this was a terrific idea that should be developed further. As always, the Events programme was also discussed, and Council decided to establish a small Sub-Committee to manage this. The list of fixed and possible events for 2012 and 2013 was gone through in some detail and the 2012 programme can be seen in this issue. Finally, Council discussed the plans of Winston Leese, the Club’s Merchandising Officer, particularly for the production of new Club ties and scarves for ladies. The remaining Aynsley plates would be sold at the Trafalgar dinner on 20 October 2012. John Curtis Hon Secretary
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