Over seventy members, and friends of the Torrevieja Branch, Royal Naval Association celebrated the 211th anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar on Friday 21st October. Quesada Country Club did us proud with a superb carvery meal and we danced the night away with the excellent Diverse Duo.
On 21st October 1805 Admiral Lord Horatio Nelson successfully lead the British fleet to put an end to Napoleon Bonaparte’s bid to conquer Europe. As the British and French fleets moved towards engagement, Lord Nelson, aboard HMS Victory, ran up a 31 flag signal to the rest of the British fleet which spelt out the famous phrase “England expects that every man will do his duty”.
Nelson was killed during the battle after attacking the French ship Bucentaure, killing two hundred men on board, crippling the ship and the power of the French fleet. As The Victory tried to make her way through enemy lines she was blocked by another ship, the Redoubtable, and was trapped between three ships as grenades and musket fire rained down on her upper decks. At 13.05 hours Nelson was hit by a lead ball, cutting an artery in his lung before lodging itself in his spine. As it was obvious Nelson wouldn’t recover, he was taken below decks. Despite Nelson’s death , HMS Victory’s attack on the Bucentaure won the battle as it trapped French Admiral Villeneuve on a crippled ship, causing chaos in the French ranks and led to the French fleet’s downfall.
The Battle not only stopped Napoleon but also confirmed The British Royal Navy as ruler of the high seas which gave Britain status as a global power for well over a century.
The Royal Naval Association, Torrevieja Branch welcomes all serving and ex Royal Naval personel as well as non military people. We meet on the first Wednesday of every month at Restaurante El Paraiso near Carrefour at 17.00 hours. For more information please call Chairman Paul Edwards on 618644934, Vice Chairman Danny Kay on 966716274 or Secretary Margaret Forshaw on 966921996.
