Thursday, 21 October 2010

Trafalgar Day 2010


Today is, of course, Trafalgar Day and there will be the traditional dinner onboard HMS Victory and the toast to Nelson. Above is a copy of the ledger, relating to Nelson's hat, of the design worn at the battle, complete with green eyeshade. He needed this since he lost most of the sight in his right eye from a bursting shell and sandbags during the siege of Calvi. It is a myth that he had an eye patch, as such. The eyeshade was designed between Nelson, hatter James Lock II and his foreman on 11th February 1803 and Nelson probably took two of these fine hats onboard HMS Victory with him as he sailed off to crush Boney's navy. One of them is preserved on Nelson's wax effigy in Westminster Abbey.

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