On “Trafalgar day”, last Saturday, I joined the Horsham Royal Naval Association at Mannings Heath Golf Club for their commemoration. It was a pleasure to do so and see the Association in great spirits. Marked by the Royal and Commonwealth Navies around the world Trafalgar Night has its own traditions, including the toast to the “Immortal Memory” of Nelson and those that fell with him, raised in silence.
The events of Trafalgar took place 218 years ago and yet Nelson, in the 2000 national poll of “Greatest Britons”, was ranked in the top 10 and famously graces the heart of London. He was extraordinary popular in his day: the news of Trafalgar, perceived as a rescue from imminent French invasion, convulsed the country with joy. The simultaneous news of his death produced an overwhelming grief evident in thousands filing past his coffin in Greenwich.
He has remained firmly in the national consciousness ever since. In part, like the victors over Nazi aggression, he is remembered for engaging in an heroic act of defence of his country from an existential threat. The lines were very clear cut, as was his role as a national figurehead.
However more than that his particular way of inspiring trust and loyalty has made him a very modern figure. He felt, and it was known he felt at the time, an affinity with the ordinary sailors in his ships, pressed or volunteers, who would bear the brunt of hardships and the sheer terror of battle at sea.
His leadership has inspired the Royal Navy ever since. The Navy, to meet the current threat, is modernising and growing. Two brand new aircraft carriers able to project our force for good around the world; two classes of new frigate under production (their designs embraced by Australia, Canada and Poland); two of HM Ships permanently patrolling in the Indo-Pacific; the nuclear deterrent ever on standby beneath the waves; maritime assets helping to prevent conflict spreading on the seaboard of the Eastern Med or drug trafficking in the Caribbean, while maintaining a weather eye on the North Atlantic. We remain an island and remain dependent on trade and freedom of navigation, the Navy now, as then, has a vital role play and does so every day of the year.