Bicorne

 

Bicorne

Napoleon Bonaparte

Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons

I have been listening to the Wellington and Napoleon Quartet, by Simon Scarrow. It is historical fiction portraying the parallel lives and careers of Arthur Wellesley, (1^st Duke of Wellington) and Napoleon Bonaparte (1st Emperor of France) A small detail that jumped out at me last night was about the bicorne, and active duty.

The bicorne is a two-pointed hat, usually seen in portraits of Bonaparte, or Wellington, or Admiral Lord Nelson, during the time of the Napoleonic Wars (1803-1815). 

Anne, Princess Royal

Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons

It is still seen in ceremonial dress, though usually in fore-and-aft fashion, whereas Bonaparte et al wore theirs side-to-side, or ‘athwart.’  

By the beginning of the nineteenth century, the practice of wearing bicornes fore-and-aft became more popular. It was more practical, because there was reduced wind resistance, when marching or riding, and a smaller likelihood of interference with weapons. There was also less chance of it being knocked off!

Napoleon famously continued to wear his athwart, while Wellington, according to the author Simon Scarrow, altered his from athwart to fore-and-aft to indicate that he was on active duty.

Trafalgar Day

 

Trafalgar Day

All images courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

                                    HMS Victory,  Portsmouth

On October 21^st 1805 the combined French and Spanish fleets were defeated by the Royal Navy at Cape Trafalgar, off the coast of South West Spain, HMS Victory, the flagship of Horatio Nelson, led the attack. Victory is the oldest commissioned warship in the world and is preserved at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard, in Hampshire, UK.

Admiral Lord Nelson, born 29.09.1758, Burnham Thorpe, Norfolk, the 6th of 11 children. He suffered from seasickness throughout his naval career.

Painting by John Whichelo (1784-1865)

The Battle of Trafalgar was Admiral Lord Nelson’s greatest victory and the setting for his death. He was hit by a musket shot from a French marksman one hour into the battle. He died in the knowledge that the fleet commanded by him had achieved a remarkable victory over the numerically superior French and Spanish fleets.

Every year a service of remembrance is conducted on board HMS Victory to honour England’s greatest naval leader and those on both sides of the conflict who died that day or from their injuries in the days and weeks that followed. The day begins with the usual daily ceremony of ‘Colours’ when the White Ensign and the Union Jack are hoisted. 

The White Ensign is worn on Royal Navy ships and shore establishments. 

The Union Jack  

On Trafalgar Day this is followed by Nelson's famous flag signal, 'England expects that every man will do his duty'. (His final signal was 'Engage the enemy more closely').

During the service a wreath is laid on the brass plaque marking the spot where he fell as he paced the quarterdeck while directing the battle.

On Trafalgar Night commissioned Royal Navy officers commemorate the victory with a dinner in the Officers’ Mess. A speech is made by the guest of honour, finishing with the toast, ‘The immortal memory of Lord Nelson and those who fell with him’. The Nelson Toast is made standing up and drunk in complete silence at Trafalgar Night dinners across the world. Traditionally, naval toasts are made when seated because William IV had banged his head while standing for a toast and thereafter authorised all naval personnel to remain seated for the Loyal Toast.

ABC Wednesday T is for Trafalgar

Watercolour of HMS Victory by  John Constable, 1805, now in the V&A

Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Trafalgar Day is a celebration of the Royal Navy’s victory over the French and Spanish fleets off the south-west coast of Spain, just west of Cape Trafalgar. The Battle of Trafalgar was fought on 21^st October, 1805 and was one of the decisive battles of the Napoleonic Wars of 1803 – 1815. It established Britain’s dominance as a naval power for one hundred years and was the final defeat of Napoleon’s plans to invade Britain.

Twenty-seven British ships under the command of Admiral Lord Nelson aboard his flagship HMS Victory engaged and defeated a combined force of thirty-three French and Spanish ships. No British ships were lost but the enemy lost twenty-two vessels.

During his long naval career Horatio Nelson had lost an arm and an eye. It seems that he expected to die in this encounter, having made farewells to his friends and officers and indeed he was fatally wounded. When he led the Victory into battle he was wearing his dress uniform and decorations. Maybe this was to inspire his men.

Nelson's famous signal, 'England expects that every man will do his duty.'

Image courtesy of Wikipedia

The signal flying from HMS Victory, in dry dock in Portsmouth, at the bicentennial celebrations in 2005

Image courtesy of Wikipedia

There were light airs in the Atlantic, making engagement difficult for several hours. When Nelson raised the signal at 11:45, 'England expects that every man will do his duty,‘ a great cheer went up from the sailors. At 1:30 Nelson was struck with a musket bullet that went through his spine and lodged in his back. He was carried below deck and died three hours later, having been given the news that the Franco-Spanish force had been defeated. His body was placed in a cask of brandy to preserve it on the homeward journey. He was 47.

His concerns for the welfare of his beloved Lady Hamilton and their daughter Horatia were well-founded. While England rejoiced in the victory, honouring his brother and wife, they were ignored and lived an impoverished life.

Trafalgar Day is still observed by Commonwealth navies. Plans to make it a public holiday were first mooted by John Major when he was Prime Minister. The Cameron-Clegg coalition is reported to be considering it again.

Trot along to ABC Wednesday to see more Ts, and say Thank you to the Talented Denise Nesbitt and her Truly Terrific Team who organise this weekly meme.

ABC Wednesday N is for Nelson, Napoleon and the Battle of the Nile

Rear Admiral Sir Horatio Nelson by Lemuel Francis Abbott, 1800

National Maritime Museum

Image courtesy of Wikipedia

The Battle of the Nile (also known as the Battle of Aboukir Bay and in French as the Bataille d'Aboukir) took place on August 1^st – 3^rd, 1798, east of Alexandria off the coast of Egypt in the Mediterranean. The French Fleet of 17 carried 1,196 guns. The British Fleet of 14 had 1,012 guns.

Battle of the Nile, August 1st, 1798 byThomas Whitcombe (1816) 

National Maritime Museum

Image courtesy of Wikipedia

It was a major naval battle fought between the British and French fleets and proved to be a resounding success for Rear Admiral Sir Horatio Nelson.

Napoleon Bonaparte’s intention was to invade Egypt in a bid to force Britain out of the French Revolutionary Wars, support Tipu Sultan of Mysore in his fight with the British in India and re-establish French influence in India. Naturally, the British government and the East India Company were greatly alarmed at this prospect. The French fleet was pursued by the British across the Mediterranean for more than two months but Napoleon was able to capture Malta and then land his army in Egypt.

The French fleet anchored in Aboukir Bay, its commander believing it to be in a strong defensive position. Nelson’s fleet arrived on August 1^st and he ordered an immediate assault. As his ships drew near the French line they divided into separate forces. One division sailed between the French ships and the Egyptian shore and the other took on the seaward side. The French commander, Admiral Brueys d’Aigalliers, had mistakenly believed that the British would not attack, it being then near sunset and late in the day to engage in battle. Trapped in crossfire, the French suffered a fearsome few hours of fighting.

They had taken advantage of being at anchor to conduct refits and took a long time to bring the batteries on land into action, set about as they were with stores and equipment from the ships. The French flagship, the Orient, had been in the process of repainting and highly flammable paint and turpentine were stored on deck. During the fighting these caught fire and the ship exploded at 10:00 pm watched by Nelson on his flagship Vanguard. 

Admiral Brueys died of his wounds before the explosion and the captain, Commodore Casabianca, was blown up with his ten-year-old son. Desperate efforts were made by both French and English ships to pick up survivors, but only 70 crew were saved. The great quantity of valuables looted from Malta by Napoleon was lost. The French ships to the rear of the line tried to sail out of the bay but of the seventeen ships engaged, only four managed to break free. Of the rest, four were destroyed and nine captured, two of which fought on the British side at Trafalgar.

Following the defeat at Aboukir Bay, Napoleon left his army to fend for itself and returned to France. Any risk to Britain’s claim to India was averted and other European countries were encouraged to resist France. Nelson was hailed as a hero throughout Europe (though not in France!) and was created Baron Nelson.

During the battle Nelson ordered British colours to be flown from Vanguard’s rigging in six different positions so that at no time would there be an absence of colours, regardless of how much rigging was destroyed. Afterwards he ordered all his ships to conduct thanksgiving services. The captured atheist French revolutionary officers were impressed by the piety and discipline of the British crews.

ABC Wednesday is brought to you by the Noble Denise Nesbitt and her Noteworthy team. Please click here to see more Ns.

Weekend Reflections #39

Weekend Reflections is hosted by James at Newtown Area Photo. Thank you, James!

This brass plaque commemorates the lying in state of Admiral Lord Nelson in the Painted Hall of the Old Royal Naval College, Greenwich. I didn't realise there was a reflection on it of the ceiling of the Painted Hall. 

Nelson was killed at Trafalgar on 21st October 1805. His body was placed in a cask of brandy which was later replaced with spirits to preserve it during the long journey home.  

ABC Wednesday Round 5 - V for Victory

photo courtesy of Wikimedia commons

HMS Victory was Admiral Lord Nelson's flagship during the Battle of Trafalgar which was fought off Cape Trafalgar, Spain, in October 1805. The British fleet was fighting the combined Spanish and French fleets. The day ended in Victory for the British.
When Nelson chose her as his flagship (a flagship is the lead ship of a fleet) she was about thirty years old and though she wasn't particularly fast she was very stable and had a steadfast crew. She was badly damaged during the battle and had to be towed back to Gibraltar for repairs.

Victory has never been decommissioned from the Royal Navy and still has a captain and crew.She is now a museum ship in dry dock in Portsmouth, England attracting thousands of visitors every year. It is possible to gain a clear impression of shipboard life two hundred years ago on this vessel. A brass plate marks the spot on deck where Nelson was fatally shot.

Victory is also used for ceremonial events and was at the centre of celebrations to mark the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar in 2005.

Thank you to Denise Nesbitt for organising and hosting this meme.

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