"England Expects..."
 

Today is the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar, so I hope everyone raises a glass to Admiral Lord Nelson who led our navy to victory over the combined might of the French and Spanish fleets - a true English hero!

:engsmil:

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Was Nelson in Lancashire named after Horatio Nelson, and if so what was it called before that?

I've been searching around and couldn't find out. The only bit of information of any interest that came up was that Burnley was originally called Brunley.

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It was originally two farming settlements, Great and Little Marsden, and was, indeed, renamed after Lord Nelson.

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.........and so was Nelson Square in Church (now the site of the Sports Centre)

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....and in Oswaldtwistle, we had Duncan Square, named after Nelson's contemporary (although not quite as illustrious), Admiral Lord Duncan.

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Admiral Lord Duncan, Nelson's mentor, was yet another great naval hero to whom this country owes a debt of gratitude. In 1797, the Dundee-born Duncan commanded the British fleet which defeated the Dutch fleet at the Battle of Camperduin. The Dutch ships were about to pick up thousands of French troops to invade Britain. Thanks to Duncan, the invasion was thwarted. Personally, I think they should erect a statue of him on the empty plinth in Trafalgar Square, but I don't suppose it'll happen.

Incidentally, Tealeaf, I suppose you've sunk a few in your time in the Duncan Bar of the Trafalgar Tavern in Greenwich!

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...Yeah..and in the Yacht next door, and in the Prince of Wales Feathers next door to the NMM...

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[quote=Wynonie Harris]Admiral Lord Duncan, Nelson's mentor, was yet another great naval hero to whom this country owes a debt of gratitude. In 1797, the Dundee-born Duncan commanded the British fleet which defeated the Dutch fleet at the Battle of Camperduin. The Dutch ships were about to pick up thousands of French troops to invade Britain. Thanks to Duncan, the invasion was thwarted. Personally, I think they should erect a statue of him on the empty plinth in Trafalgar Square, but I don't suppose it'll happen.quote]
Don't think it would have been that bad being invaded by the Dutch, all that free sex and drugs.:)

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Cheers Lord Nelson, also bought the commemorative Battle of Trafalgar £5 coin, very nice it is too!

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Hmmm...sounds like a potential pre-match pub crawl before the Stanley v Orient match next season!

Talking of pubs, time to go and drink a toast to Admiral Lord Nelson - a man amongst men!

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definatly worth raising a glass to that guy- anybody who whoops the frogs will do for me lol

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He never said 'Kiss me Hardy'.

I was there, it was something much ruder.;)

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Do you have too...................:p

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That's what he said!

Where you there?

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One might be knocking on, but I'm not that old.

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Garinda on a thread about a long standing National Hero i believe comments should be held back.There is a time and a place.Point being your place or mine?

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What Nelson really said before he died was, "Kismet, Hardy" - meaning Fate.

I have a copy of a letter from Nelson written to a man in Latchford, Warrington thanking him for some supplies. It's a lovely, chatty letter and he mentions his bit of trouble in Tenerife (he had his elbow shattered by a musket ball and had to have the arm amputated).

I like Nelson because, apart from being a hero and a great naval tactician, he was very "human", with his affair with Emma Hamilton and his vanity etc. The only one since him who compares is Churchill, another brilliant, but personally a bit flawed, man.

Do we only get one per century?

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Human? Read adulterer. Lady Hamilton was married, and so was he, sadly though not to each other.

I don't think his personal morality matters a jot as to how he did his job. It's just interesting how our ideas about morality have changed, and what we don't know about doesn't hurt us, even in today's age of a relatively free press.

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Let he without guilt cast the first stone, or was it he who evil thinks? :confused:

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Ok.:) Pass me that sack of rocks.

Seriously though, people look back at England's past glories forgetting that most people lived in poverty, with no medecines to cure what today we consider trivial diseases, and as for morality cities were filled with brothels some specialising in children, all there to service the good and the great.

A bit like today, the then First Lord of the Admirality, was under a different set of rules than the rest of us.

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If Englands true history was written Soddem and Gomora wouldnt have a look in. So what if an Admiral liked a bit on the side the polititions of today are the experts.

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Nelson was roundly criticised in his time for his relationship with Emma, Lady Hamilton. They were even laughed at in public and the King and Queen would not recieve Lady Hamilton, even though Sir William Hamilton was related to the King. The public of the time were very much aware of Lady Hamilton's colourful history and treated her with the contempt due. However, Nelson's fascination with her and abandonment of his wife were largely forgiven because of his status as national hero.

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She was a Cheshire girl of humble origin, but with a very pretty face. Today she'd be a footballer's wife, wearing a Burberry tracky and carrying her fags in a Prada bag.

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Crikey put like that Wayne Rooneys Chav Queen would be put in the shade and at least Lady Hamilton would have better manners because of her breeding. Do you think old Nelson would lend her to us for a month or two?

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His faults are what make Nelson human, aren't they? He was a far from perfect being and, in a perfect world, he wouldn't have gone very far. But it's not a perfect world and if a hero, if only in the military sense, comes along we have to grab him. Nelson's victory at Trafalgar saved Britain from invasion by the French fleet. We should remember that, in his day, Bonaparte was as loathed and feared as Hitler was a century and a half later, though I rather think he was a much nicer bloke than Adolph.