SPECIAL POINTS OF INTEREST: The View From TheBridge 2 Secretary’s Report 3 The Trafalgar Way 4 Prize Papers Research Portal 11 Sons & Daughters of Trafalgar 17 New Members 20 Obituaries 28 Book Reviews 29 Jessica Turgoose 32 The Nile Clumps 34 The Coming of Steam Ships 37 Everybody Knows About Cochrane 38 (Cover image, see page 3) INSIDE THIS ISSUE THE KEDGE ANCHOR THE MAGAZINE OF THE 1805 CLUB Issue 57 SPRING 2022 Feeding the Georgian Navy 6 EatLikeA Sailor 12&26 Nelson’s Onions 13 Projectiles 15 Travels of a Merchant Brig 18 Les Misérables 22 Midshipman Dale 36
THE KEDGE ANCHOR Issue57 2 With Spring now upon us, I am sure all of you have been seeing brighter weather and calmer seas ahead. For many of us, COVID’s grip has de�initely relaxed. In anticipation of the relaxation of restrictions, I am happy to report that your Club Council has been very active since you found the last Kedge Anchor in your letterbox. Your Club Council has created an Events Committee. The committee has not only started planning to hold in-person events, but as of this writing, a few have already taken place. You will see the schedule of events in this issue. In-person events began in February, when The Club’s US Secretary, Harold ‘Pete’ Stark, organised a luncheon to commemorate the Battle of Cape St Vincent on Saturday 12 February. The luncheon brought together 17 members living within the greater Washington, DC area. Two additional attendees came as guests and left as two of The Club’s newest members. One, Ms. Clare Sassin, is the President and CEO of the Tall Ship ProvidenceFoundation, Alexandria, Virginia. This was followed later in February when The Club’s Secretary, Stephen Howarth, met with local members at the historic Crown Inn at Bishops Waltham, which is just north of Portsmouth (UK). It was an informal dinner. I am sure many in attendance wondered where the French Admiral Villeneuve sat for his meals during his ‘imprisonment’ at the inn after Trafalgar. Representing the Club, Council member Genevieve St George and Club Secretary, Stephen Howarth, attended the dedication at the newly restored Nelson Room on 17 March. The reason for the invitation was that the Club provided a modest donation toward the restoration of the room. It was on Christmas Eve 1805, that this small inconspicuous room, located off the side of Greenwich’s famous Painted Hall, held the body of Lord Nelson. His remains had arrived earlier that day to stay overnight in preparation for his grand lying-in-state, which was held in the Painted Hall. Plans are underway to follow up with a special event to be held later this year for Club members, to tour the room in addition to visiting other attractions at Greenwich. [See Events Diary] As mentioned previously inThe 1805 Dispatches, the Club will hold an in-person AGM on Saturday 28 May. It will be held at The Army Navy Club (The RAG), London. I look forward to seeing many of you there, in person or via zoom. At the AGM, it is my hope that the membership will walk away with a better understanding of the direction the Club is taking beyond its original mission. That of preserving and maintaining those memorials and monuments relating to Royal Navy personages and events over 200 years ago. It is not that the Club’s raison d’êtrehasbeen dropped, but that it is now a part of a greater programme that promotes the history of the Royal Navy, as well as the world’s sailing navies during the Georgian era and their greater legacy into the modern seafaring age. I think one unfortunate aspect of that legacy can be connected to the current age; it can be seen in the war that we are witnessing in Ukraine. As of this writing, the descendant of the Imperial Russian Navy’s Black Sea Fleet is actively blockading Ukraine’s coast and threatening the city of Odessa with amphibious assault. The port of Kherson that Catherine the Great established for the purpose of building her Black Sea Fleet is in Russian hands. Catherine established Odessa as a result of conquering the immediate lands from the Ottoman Empire in 1792. The two great wars of the eighteenth century against the Ottomans resulted in pushing Russian rule down to the Danube River Delta. The Russian Navy played a major role in Russia’s success. The current posturing of the Russian Mediterranean Squadron during this war has its roots in the Imperial Russian Navy’s operations under Catherine, succeeded by Tsar Nicholas. Those squadrons of the Imperial Russian Navy sortied from the Baltic Sea to operate in the eastern Mediterranean and the Aegean Sea against the Ottomans. They experienced considerable success during these wars, which concluded in the international navies, including British and French ships, defeating the Ottomans in the Battle of Navarino in 1827. This battle contributed to ensuring Greek independence. As someone who sailed the Mediterranean in a US Navy destroyer escort between 1971 and 1973, I can tell you that the presence of the Soviet Navy was a constant challenge. At the time, my ship’s operations represented, in a small way, a legacy of the US Navy’s presence in the Mediterranean, that began in the early nineteenth century, which continues to this very day. In conclusion, as a naval historical organisation, The 1805 Club has an opportunity to show the general public the relevance of the Georgian era of sail to today’s sea-going world through developing educational programmes, promoting commemorative events, conserving and restoring artefacts, and championing historical research. I am so pleased that you have joined us in this voyage. THE VIEW FROM THE BRIDGE By John Rodgaard, US Navy (Retd) Chairman, The 1805 Club
THE KEDGE ANCHOR SPRING 2022 3 EDITORIAL Welcome to the Spring 2022 editionof The Kedge Anchor (KA), where we �ind ourselves still in the grip of COVID, even if that grip is easing a little in some areas. But, we are not downhearted, despite the fact that it has affected Club activities and the consequence that this magazine has not yet been able to return to its former glory of reporting on major, or even many minor, events. This means we have continued to take the opportunity to �ill the pages with articles of a more general nature, which it is hoped you will �ind interesting. I am delighted to be able to include an optimistic Events Diary (see page 4) this time, thanks to the Events Commitee, and will continue with that in future editions, together with the stories of those events as they happen – either inKAor in the bimonthly digital editions of The 1805 Dispatches. The theme for this edition of KAis ‘Feeding The Navy’, and we are privileged to lead that theme with a major article by the expert on the subject, Professor Janet Macdonald. However, feeding the Navy does not only refer to comestibles, so Club member Jennifer Newbold has given us an article about ordnance, in particular the projectiles used in the Georgian Navy. Peter Hore has reminded us about the care taken by Nelson to ensure the proper feeding, and so good health, of his crews, and we have one or two other relevant snippets, as you will see. This theme is too large to be con�ined to just one edition of KA, so look out in future editions. On a personal note, this is the �ifth edition of KA for which I have been the Editor. Hardly a key event, but I am beginning to think that I might be learning how to get away with it, as some people have said nice things about KAlately. Long may it continue! One of the reasons the magazine is successful is that we have good copy sent in by members, and the inestimable help of Stephen Howarth, who does lots more than I could ask. This time I have had help from Jenny Newbold, too. It’s good to know they ‘have my back’. Needless to say, I challenge myself to outwit them both whenever I can, as you will see by any mistakes that you spot. Please note the next edition is due in Autumn 2022. The deadline for copy will be 21 September 2022. Please submit your ideas to the Editor as soon as you can, and actual contributions before the copy deadline whenever possible. Cover Picture – Detail from ‘Irene’s Wave’ 2019© by Matthew Cusick. Inlaid maps on panel. 35 x 56 inches. Courtesy of the artist and Holly Johnson Gallery, 1845 Levee St. Dallas, Texas https://hollyjohnsongallery.com SECRETARY’S REPORT By Stephen Howarth, MA (with Distinction), FRHistS, FRGS Hon. Secretary, The 1805 Club COUNCIL Changes in Council membership at the allZoom AGM of May 2021 were signi�icant, with three of the four principal of�icers standing down after very long service. Following Bill White’s retirement from the Chairmanship and his unanimous appointment as one of our Vice Presidents, Captain John Rodgaard USN (Retd) was elected as our new Chairman. John Curtis stood down after a monumental 17 years as Secretary and was replaced by Gillian Knight, but sadly in August ill health forced her to stand down too. Lindy Mackie, having been Treasurer since 2008, also stood down at the AGM for health reasons, but continues to provide off-Council support to her successor Nicholas Ridge. This is the �irst time we have elected a non-Brit as chairman – another landmark for The 1805 Club. John’s replacement as US Secretary is Harold “Pete” Stark, and the new post of Canadian Secretary is �illed by Mark Billings. Emphasising our commitment to internationalism, these elections do not detract from our published focal interest on naval matters in the Georgian era: on the contrary, it expands to �irmly include those beyond British shores. This has always been the case, and for several years past it has been our privilege to sponsor three speakers at the prestigious biennial McMullen conference, whose papers are now published in our annual journal, the Trafalgar Chronicle. EVENTS Over the two Covid years, Council took a cautious view of offering live events. Informal feedback from a sample of members made it clear that, well into the second year, ‘out-of-town’ members were reluctant to visit the capital and expose themselves to the risks of travel on public transport. We respected those views. We did not wish any Club event to become a ‘super-spreader’, and we regarded ourselves as having a duty of care to members. Council discussed the pros and cons of every proposed live event, up to and including Trafalgar Night dinners. It was hard to have to abandon those, especially given that 2020 marked the 30th anniversary of the Club’s foundation, for which a very special celebration had been planned. Even the 2020 wreath-laying in St Paul’s was almost a token event. Tentative steps towards normality evolved in 2021. Now, it is a huge pleasure to announce a developing programme of exciting UK and US social events, up to▻
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