"England Expects..."

[Doug]

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?

Very well put West Ender, I believe we do only get one per century, the King Arthur effect if you like..

 

[Doug]

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.

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

 

[garinda]

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

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.

 

[SPUGGIE J]

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.

 

[Acrylic-bob]

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.

 

[garinda]

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.

 

[SPUGGIE J]

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.

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?

 

[West Ender]

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.