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Image Not Available for The Times report of the Battle of Trafalgar and the death of Nelson
The Times report of the Battle of Trafalgar and the death of Nelson
Image Not Available for The Times report of the Battle of Trafalgar and the death of Nelson

The Times report of the Battle of Trafalgar and the death of Nelson

Publisher
Date7 November 1805
Object number00030056
NameNewspaper
MediumPrinted text on paper
DimensionsOverall: 413 x 285 mm, 0.05 kg
Display Dimensions: 445 mm
ClassificationsEphemera
Credit LineANMM Collection Gift from Dr J Broadbent
DescriptionFour pages of The Times No. 6572, Thursday 7 November 1805 with the centre spread containing the first news articles recounting the events of the Battle of Trafalgar on 21 October 1805. It includes an account of the battle including the official reports from Vice-Admiral Collingwood on HMS EURYALUS dated 22 and 24 October 1805; and an in-depth article on the death of Admiral Lord Nelson, the 'Hero of the Nile' and 'Darling of the Navy'. It also recounts the order of attack and lists of the wounded and killed; and details an impromptu performance called 'Nelson's Glory' at the Theatre Royal in Covent Gardens.HistoryOn 21 October 1805, the Battle of Trafalgar was fought off the south-west coast of Spain. It turned the tide against the French Emperor Napoléon Bonaparte's threatened invasion of England. Under the command of Nelson, the British Fleet defeated the combined French and Spanish fleets - but it came at a high price when Nelson was mortally wounded. The Times published the first full account of the battle as reported by Vice-Admiral Lord Collingwood to the Admiralty, including the events surrounding Nelson's death at the hands of a French marksman. The public outpouring of grief was tremendous, as evidenced by the tens of thousands who viewed his body as it lay in state at Greenwich Hospital and watched as the funeral cortege made the journey from Greenwich to St Paul's Cathedral via Whitehall in January 1806. A quote from the paper: 'If ever there was a man who deserved to be "praised, wept, and honoured," by his country, it is Lord NELSON. His three great naval achievements have eclipsed the brilliancy of the most dazzling victories in the annals of English daring. If ever a hero merited the honours of a public funeral and a public mourning, it is the pious, the modest, and the gallant NELSON, the darling of the British Navy, whose death has plunged a whole nation into the deepest grief, and to whose talents and bravery even the enemy he has conquered will bear testimony.' The first stanza of an ode to Nelson as it appears in the paper: 'BRITONS! You hear TRAFALGAR's story, You triumph in your country's glory, Mourn o'er the relics pale and gory Of brave, immortal NELSON. To earth and war our Hero's dead, To Heaven and peace his spirit fled; Twine your green Laurels round the head Of brave, immortal NELSON. Mourn, one and all, Great NELSON's fall, Oh! Dash not off the gushing tear; No tears disgrace The manly face, When freemen tend to freeman's bier Fame's rugged steep with daring feet he trod, True to his King, his Country, and his God.' SignificanceNewspapers can offer an insight into the reporting of major events of the day. This edition of The Times recounts the events of the battle of Trafalgar through the official report produced for the Lords of the Admiralty and other firsthand accounts.