The Battle of Trafalgar and the Immortal Memory
On October 21st, two hundred and seventeen years ago, a British Fleet met a superior Franco-Spanish Fleet off Cape Trafalgar. Through outstanding leadership, superb tactical awareness and the motivation to fight and win, one fleet triumphed while the other was decimated. As far back as 1811, in a pub in Blackheath, people have come together to mark this event.
We hold up the battle of Trafalgar as a central pillar in centuries of Naval history. But there have been many great admirals, winning many major battles through the ages and some are almost forgotten whilst others have achieved mythic status.
So why Trafalgar?
For Nelson, the battle of the Nile was arguably the more strategically significant victory in the Napoleonic wars. It isolated Napoleon’s Egyptian army, set the conditions to retake Malta and cemented British control of the Mediterranean. Trafalgar was certainly another great victory, but it was perhaps the icing on the cake.
It endures in our memory, I suggest, because it was also bittersweet. Nelson, felled by a French sharpshooter in the heat of battle, ensured in death that his legacy would endure through time immemorial and that we would gather tonight, as generations before us have, to remember him.
Nelson’s people
It is well understood and oft repeated that Nelson was a particularly exceptional leader. According to his letters, he achieved results through a tendency for ‘good fellowship and trust, rather than by carefully calculated management strategies’. And we know he exercised this trust in his people through mission command, evident at Trafalgar as his commanders secured victory whilst Nelson was below, mortally wounded.
His approach was a simple as it sounds; he looked after his people, knew them instinctively and they followed him as a result. That message of looking after our people is key to what we at HMS Oardacious are trying to achieve. It’s more than the adventure of rowing oceans (I imagine Nelson, as a fellow adventurer would approve!) but more importantly it’s about raising funds for the Royal Navy & Royal Marines Charity to help our submariners, their families, and veterans. Something else we imagine Nelson would approve of.
The Immortal Memory
We remember Nelson for many positive reasons, be it his leadership and way with his people, his great victories or his ultimate sacrifice. And although the world and the technology has changed beyond recognition, there remain clear parallels between Nelson’s age and today. Through history we can celebrate those who went before us, their achievements and their legacy, but we can also take salient points and sage lessons and apply them to the here and now.
Nelson was not infallible, none of us are. Some of his views and attitudes changed throughout his life, and for many of the positive qualities described here tonight, you could find a less complimentary perspective.
But, rightly, we hold him up as a symbol of what we aspire to be; strong leaders, representing an organisation committed to safety and security on the high seas, with a global presence alongside our friends, partners and allies.
None of that can be achieved without our best asset – our people. Like Nelson, we at HMS Oardacious strive to support them.
It is fitting that we remember and honour the immortal memory of Horatio, Viscount Nelson, Duke of Bronte and Vice Admiral of the White, and to those who fell with him.