Lord Nelson comes to National Maritime Museum

by National Maritime Museum on 7 Oct 2005 Everyone wanting to hear the latest on England’s great Admiral, Lord Nelson, and his enormous victory at Trafalgar just 200 years ago is invited to a special one-day seminar at the Australian National Maritime Museum on Sunday, 23 October.

Experts will describe how the Royal Navy vanquished the combined fleet of France and Spain, recall the personalities and re-evaluate Nelson’s battle in terms of modern strategic concepts.

The seminar is one event on the museum’s packed program celebrating the historic battle off the south-west coast of Spain on 21 October 1805.
To mark the celebrations the museum will fly the full set of signal flags on its flag mast relaying Nelson’s famous message to the fleet: ‘England expects that every man will do his duty.’

Trafalgar Night Dinner

Friday, 21 October at 7 pm

The tradition of Trafalgar Night Dinners started in England soon after the battle. This Black Tie event will be a blend of tradition, fine food, wines and port, music and ceremonies and of course the Toast to Vice Admiral Lord Horatio Nelson – The Immortal Memory.

The Dinner will be presided over by Commodore Geoff Geraghty RAN and the Toast will be proposed by media personality and Nelson disciple, Mike Carlton. The Dinner will be preceded by a (25-min) ceremonial performance ‘Salute to the Battle of Trafalgar’ by the full RAN Band. Phone 9298 3644 for information and to book. Tickets $230

Trafalgar Day Lunch

Saturday, 22 October at 12 noon

The museum’s celebrations continue with the Trafalgar Day Lunch… with more tradition, fine food, wines and port, music, ceremonies and the Toast to Nelson – The Immortal memory – by Commodore James Goldrick AM CSC RAN. The lunch will be presided over by Commander The Hon Peter Collins AM QC. There will also be a special presentation Trafalgar 200 by midshipmen and cadets from the Australian Defence Force Academy. Phone 9298 3644 for information and to book. Tickets $130.

Special film program

Saturday, 22 October from 10.00am to 5.00pm

A full day’s program of documentaries on Nelson and Trafalgar plus the 1941 feature film That Hamilton Woman starring Vivien Leigh and Lawrence Olivier (courtesy Magna Pacific). Free, in the museum’s ANZ Theatre.

Seminar: Nelson and Trafalgar

Sunday, 23 October from 10 am to 5 pm

Hear all about the life, loves and battles of Lord Horatio Nelson, and how his victory at Trafalgar reverberated across the world, including to Australia.

Speakers will include navy historian Lt Tom Lewis OAM RAN: Nelson, the greatest fighting captain in history; historian Peter Poland: Nelson’s Last Walk; historical researcher Midshipman Bernard Dobson: The chosen few – Nelson’s band of brothers; historian Peter Tesoriero: The cult of the hero – Nelson and Bronte; contemporary military strategist Dr Gregory P Gilbert: Re-evaluating the Battle of Trafalgar.

Phone 9298 3644 for information and to book. Tickets $80 (including morning and afternoon tea, light lunch and evening reception).

Trafalgar 200 Celebration Sunday

Sunday, 23 October

Hear the Royal Australian Navy Band between 11 am and 2 pm with stirring naval songs from the Nelson era plus some modern tunes as well. See 18th century naval marines and other historical characters arrive by longboat, fire cannon and muskets and roam the museum and there will be a traditional 18th century rum issue for those who enjoy a tot. Kids will find a lot to interest them with craft and fun activities in the museum’s Trafalgar Kids Deck.

Entertainment free, Kids Deck entry $5.

Nelson and Trafalgar Commemorative Exhibitions

The Australian National Maritime Museum has mounted two small tightly-focused exhibitions to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar.

One, titled simply Nelson and Trafalgar, features engravings from the museum’s own collection relating to Nelson’s life and achievements. These include portrayals of the Battle of Cape St Vincent (1797), the Battle of the Nile (1798), Trafalgar (1805) and The Death of Nelson – a 1.5 metre wide heroic portrayal of Nelson dying on the deck of Victory amid the confusion and drama of battle.

The second exhibition demonstrates that the Battle of Trafalgar, which turned the tide against the French Emperor Napoléon Bonaparte’s threatened invasion of Britain, and Nelson’s death in that battle created a huge industry of commemorative wares that continues to this day.

Included in this host of ‘souvenirs’ are a Malacca walking cane with an ivory bust of Nelson, a copy of a white plaster life-mask of the great Admiral, several free-standing busts, loving cups, trinket, snuff and match boxes… right through to a few contemporary fridge magnets.

This display – in the museum’s Navy exhibition - is located below the museum’s 2.7 metre tall carved and painted wooden figurehead of Lord Nelson from England’s largest timber battleship, HMS Nelson, which passed from Britain’s Royal Navy to the Victorian Colonial Navy and then the Royal Australian Navy.