THE KEDGE ANCHOR AUTUMN 2025 3 THE KEDGE ANCHOR Issue 64 2 Greetings from Autumn in Virginia. Wow! What a year of anniversaries this is turning out to be! This year we celebrate not only our Club’s 35th, but also the 250th anniversary of the US Navy, the 220th of Trafalgar and the 350th of the Royal Observatory, Greenwich, the historic home of British astronomy, Greenwich meantime, and the Prime Meridian of the world. I feel I must interrupt the greeting by reminding ourselves that The 1805 Club started out as a British creation, and has since become international, with members in 23 countries at the last count. With me as Chairman, and with so many North American members, there is a tendency for me to comment on the things that happen here and to me and my nearby friends. This must not distract from the fact that all members are equally important, and that we want to hear your voices, too, from wherever you are in the world. Having said that, writing my latest to you in this Autumn addition of The Kedge Anchor seems appropriate, as it’s the �irst day of Autumn here in Northern Virginia. I can de�initely feel the pending change in the season after spending three days in Annapolis, Maryland last week. In Annapolis I joined a dozen Club members and over 400 attendees at the United States Naval Academy’s biannual McMullen Naval History Symposium. This was the sixth time The 1805 Club has sponsored papers on a range of subjects centering on the Georgian sailing era. This year the Club sponsored two panels. We are indebted again to Professor Evan Wilson of the US Navy’s War College for organising the two panels. Pete Stark’s article on the Club’s participation in the McMullen can be seen in this edition. There were many other papers that covered aspects of the Club’s Georgian sailing era. I was fascinated by several scholars who presented papers on such topics of privateers from the newly independent country of Colombia, crossing the expanse of the Atlantic to conduct raiding, smuggling and counter-revolutionary operations against its former Spanish imperial overlord after the Napoleonic wars; the infant Chilean Navy conducting combined operations with the revolutionary Chilean Army against the last vestiges of Spanish rule in Chile, and the Trans-Paci�ic mission by the Spanish Navy’s Brigantine Legazpi, which conducted intelligence gathering operations against the newly independent countries of Mexico, Peru, Ecuador and Chile. These papers and others from Spanish, Portuguese and South American naval historians, cast a different light on the role of navies and privateers, beside those of Britain, France, Spain and US, during those revolutionary years of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. I for one, am looking forward to the next McMullen in 2027. But, before that, I am looking forward to our own New Series Conferences Inaugural Event at the Princess Royal Gallery in HM Naval Base, Portsmouth, the day before this year’s Trafalgar Night Dinner. The Club had previously established a good international reputation for organising and promoting a series of successful naval historical conferences, during the chairmanship of the late Peter Warwick. Because of the sad demise of Peter, and then Covid, the conferences fell into abeyance. But now we are back in business. We have an exciting line-up, as you will have seen from the invitation to attend sent out on 15 September. I do not want to leave anyone out, so here are all the names of the speakers, in alphabetical order: Natacha Abriat; Michael Barritt; David Gibbins; Nick Hewitt; Andrew Lambert; Brian Lavery; Seth Lejacq and N A M Rodger. If you are not familiar with any of them, read the invitation. The focus of this �irst conference is ‘Naval matters of the Georgian era (1714-1837) and their in�luence since then’, and, with these speakers, it promises to be fascinating. All members will be very welcome to accept the invitation, even if you are unable to attend the TND next day. Well, as you will see, this edition of KA includes a recap of this year’s AGM; preserving HMS Unicorn; a brief biography on the ship’s designer; battles and poetry, and biographical sketches to include a section recognizing our new members. I �ind it gratifying that The 1805 Club is attracting such accomplished people. At the same time, I am grateful for the recognition of the passing of two of our most loyal and supportive members, Angela PlowdenWardlaw and Tim Voelcker. Both lived with such enthusiasm and passion, and as you will see in their respective tributes, they devoted some of their enthusiasm and passion to the Club. We shall miss them. I wish to thank the Editor for the cover art of this edition of The Kedge Anchor. With the US Navy’s 250th anniversary of its establishment on 13 October on my mind, I thought this beautiful rendition, of a frigate sailing before the wind was one of the US Navy’s �irst six frigates. Ah, but I was too quick off the mark! It is a detail from the original watercolour painted by fellow Club member Captain Christer Hãgg, RSwN Retired, as you will see in the note on page 28. Thank you Christer for again allowing one of your beautiful paintings to be used by the Club. Many of you will recall, that Christer has provided several of his works to the Club’s Trafalgar Chronicle, especially to the cover of the annuals New Series 8. Another event that I will unfortunately miss, being over here, will have happened on 27 September. The Commemoration of Private Richard Masters, RM, at St Tudy, Cornwall, UK. Born and brought up in St Tudy, Cornwall, Private Richard Masters of the Royal Marines was only 21 when he was killed in action at the Battle of Trafalgar on 21 October 1805. His body was disposed of overboard and he has ‘no grave but the sea’. But almost exactly 220 years later church bells in St Tudy will ring out with a new piece of music composed by Captain of the Tower John Mardon and named ‘Masters of Loskeyle’, Loskeyle being Richard Masters’ birthplace. In a ceremony in St Tudy churchyard led by Revd Robin Thwaites, the young private will be remembered when a silver-grey Cornish granite plaque is jointly unveiled by Commodore Jamie Miller CBE DL RN, representing the King, and Brigadier Mike Tanner OBE ADC RM, commander of Devonport Naval Base. For more details, see the BBC News article reproduced on page 23. I would just like to say a big thank you to Stephen Howarth, who has done a sterling job organising the conference and this ceremony in St Tudy. Going back to the US Navy’s 250th year, I will be in Philadelphia attending some of the momentous commemoration ceremonies. I know several US members THE VIEW FROM THE BRIDGE Captain John Rodgaard, USN (Ret) Chairman, The 1805 Club EDITORIAL It is probably because I enjoy writing that I have hitherto avoided the blandishments of an AI assistant. I simply do not want to find its help attractive, fearing that my own voice may be lost. Before you judge my closed mind, listen to this true story: a friend asked ChatBot how AI would take over control of the World. The reply was, “AI does not need to do anything. Humankind always takes the path of least resistance, and so, before too long, humans will choose to hand over control to AI.” This may be a good thing, rescuing mankind from a worse fate – until such times that AI decides that the rescue of the Earth FROM mankind has a higher priority. So, dear readers, please continue writing your own words, and send human articles to KA for publication. In this way we will perhaps be saving mankind, by delaying AI’s progress a little. We have a lively collection of articles for you this time – a small piece about the Boston Tea Party and Pine Tree Riots; a discovered plaque about Billy Ruffian; something about nails in HMS Ajax; the activities of our French Curator; HMS Unicorn; HMS Java versus USS Constitution; one of the First Fleeters; an armada of admirals; Seppings and more. The sharp-eyed reader may notice that there are a couple of ‘fillers’ this time. The solution to reducing the need for fillers is to send copy! Many Club members have ideas for things they would like to have published. Please do not hesitate, even if you have never written before – it may come as a surprise that, before I had ever written, I, too, had never written before, but was encouraged to ‘have a go’. The satisfaction of first publication is immense! Help is available, without judgement. Nothing to do with editing, but the eagle-eyed reader may notice, on page 39, that my home village has changed to Eyke, Suffolk, UK. In the UK, the Of�ice for National Statistics de�ines a village, as having 0-4,999 residents – Eyke has less than 400. Not much more than a hamlet, really. In keeping with the smallness of my village, my home is a very tiny, but very comfortable, cottage, dating from the turn of the nineteenth century. In it I am very relieved to have survived a dif�icult couple of years and come out of it stronger and happier than ever, and thank The 1805 Club for helping me get through with the support of friendship. Front cover picture: ”Frigate from the early 19th century presses on under full sail”, Watercolour by member Christer Hägg, 1992 (See also page 28) Back cover pictures: HMS Unicorn – See page 17 SECRETARY’S REPORT Stephen Howarth MA (with Distinction), FRHistS, FRGS, Cert. Ed. (Oxon) Hon. Secretary, The 1805 Club The next edition will beissuedin Spring 2026. The deadline for copy will be 1 March 2026. Please submit your ideas to the Editor as soon as you can, and actual contributions before the copy deadline whenever possible. of the Club will be there as well, and I am con�ident that all Club members will join us in this celebration. Finally, I leave you with the following from the US Navy’s History and Heritage Command proclaiming the establishment of the Navy. A 13 October 1775 resolution of the Continental Congress established what is now the United States Navy with … a swift sailing vessel, to carry ten carriage guns, and a proportionable number of swivels, with eighty men, be �itted, with all possible despatch, for a cruise of three months ...” After the American War of Independence, the U.S. Constitution empowered the new Congress … to provide and maintain a navy.” Acting on this authority, Congress established the Department of the Navy on 30 April 1798. Wishing you all my very best. Yours aye, Your Club Needs YOU! … to consider standing as a Trustee – and if you feel quali�ied, even to put your name forward for one of our principal of�ices of admin and leadership: Chair, Secretary, or Treasurer. Currently we lack a Treasurer, so if you’re good at �igures and can spare a couple of hours a week, plus about three hours for one Zoom call every quarter, we’d love to hear from YOU! Immediate start with friendly supporting back-up! If we get an overwhelming rush of volunteers of the right calibre and willingness to contribute actively (surely not impossible?), we could even reinstate the post of Vice Chair. And it’s essential to give this reminder: that under our new Constitutional rules as a CIO, the current chairman Captain John Rodgaard USN (Ret) and the current Secretary MUST stand down as Trustees at next year’s AGM, on Saturday 9 May 2026. This is already only seven months away, and we all know how time slips by… so PLEASE GIVE THIS YOUR URGENT CONSIDERATION. EVENTS For the Club’s AGM in May 2025, we were welcomed back to the Army and Navy Club, nicknamed the Rag, in central London. Presentations from the chairman and other of�icers of the Club combined to give a detailed review of the Club’s activities in the preceding twelve months. As well as this, members attending enjoyed not only each other’s company – for many years, one of the Club’s notable features – but also a fascinating and informative expert talk by Club member Captain Michael Barritt RN, former Hydrographer to the Navy, on “Nelson’s Path�inders”: the development of the truly vital services of the hydrographic of�ice. Events since then have included the annual commemoration in Nottinghamshire of the Glorious First of June – which rather remarkably involved not only the county’s Lord Lieutenant, Veronica Pickering, representing the King, but also another Lord Lieutenant, from Buckinghamshire: the Countess Howe. August brought the annual Nile Luncheon in Virginia, and a visit by our chairman to the wonderful Frigate Unicorn in Dundee secured the promise that they will display our handsome banner and provide visitors with our forthcoming new recruitment lea�let. Imminent at the time of writing is the Unveiling in Cornwall of our plaque, done in partnership with the St Tudy Historical Society, commemorating Private Richard Masters of the Royal Marines, killed at Trafalgar. Members are warmly encouraged to propose and organise events in their region. These could be, for example, visits to places of special interest to our period, talks (especially those involving outreach to other groups), Continued on page 5
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