Trafalgar Day
October 20, 2008 –
Probably not PC, but never mind eh? Tomorrow is Trafalgar Day and I am aware of it because of the (many) glorious times I have spent at special Trafalgar night dinners at the Royal Naval Officers Mess :) Not I must add in my capacity as Miss Charles, but shall we say, in a former life… Ahh those navy boys know how to throw a party – all very proper, etiquette rules supreme, passing the port and whatnot. Happy days (sigh). Now that the navy has almost gone and left us and dear old Manadon College is sadly just a memory, I thought I would dig up some info on Trafalgar Day for your delectation…
Trafalgar Day is the celebration of the victory won by Vice-Admiral Horatio Nelson’s British fleet over the combined French and Spanish fleets at the Battle of Trafalgar on 21 October 1805. It was widely commemorated by parades, dinners and other events throughout much of the British Empire in the 19th and early 20th centuries.
Its celebration declined rapidly after the end of the First World War in 1918. The massive casualties and upheaval had changed the general public perception of war as a source of glorious victories to a more sombre view of it as a tragedy, for which the newly instituted Armistice Day on 11 November was felt more appropriate.
2005 was the 200th anniversary of Trafalgar, and the Royal Navy led Trafalgar 200 celebrations. The International Fleet Review, the first since Her Majesty The Queen’s 1977 Silver Jubilee, was held off Spithead in the Solent on 28 June.
The victory is celebrated each year in the Australian town of Trafalgar, Victoria in which the small town of 2,200 hold an annual Battle of Trafalgar Festival with the Trafalgar Day Ball held on the Friday or Saturday closest to 21 October each year. Sea cadets of the united kingdrom also celebrate this day with usually a parade of a town.
I feel a rendition of ‘Land of Hope and Glory’ coming on :)
This here blog thing started as a way to express my saucy self. But do you know what? There's more to me than the saucy bits! So herewith you will find all sorts of thoughts, anecdotes, ideas, funny things (lots of them), deep and meaningfuls - a mixture of everything really, just like life. I hope you like it here. I like it here. It's cosier if you are here too so stay a while - and make a comment when you feel the need; I like that x
7 Responses to “Trafalgar Day”
Land of Hope & Glory … Rule Britannia more like for the Royal Navy?!?!
By Mark on Oct 20, 2008
Oh, let’s push the boat out (groan!) and sing both! :) x
By Rhia Charles on Oct 20, 2008
Tut,Tut, Miss Charles, surely you mean the Wardroom!!??
By Taciturn on Oct 21, 2008
CANNON BALLS !!! DID YOU KNOW THIS ?
It was necessary to keep a good supply of cannon balls near the cannon on old war ships. But how to prevent them from rolling about the deck was the problem. The best storage method devised was to stack them as a square based pyramid, with one ball on top, resting on four, resting on nine, which rested on sixteen.
Thus, a supply of 30 cannon balls could be stacked in a small area right next to the cannon. There was only one problem — how to prevent the bottom layer from sliding/rolling from under the others.
The solution was a metal plate with 16 round indentations, called, for reasons unknown, a Monkey. But if this plate were made of iron, the iron balls would quickly rust to it. The solution to the rusting problem was to make them of brass – hence, Brass Monkeys.
Few landlubbers realise that brass contracts much more and much faster than iron when chilled. Consequently, when the temperature dropped too far, the brass indentations would shrink so much that the iron cannon balls would come right off the monkey.
Thus,it was quite literally, cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey. And all this time, you thought that was just a vulgar expression, didn’t you? You must send this fabulous bit of historical knowledge to at least a few uneducated friends.
By Lee on Oct 21, 2008
Indeed, the wardroom – same difference :) x
By Rhia Charles on Oct 21, 2008
Sorry Lee – but that explanation is a load of bunkum and an urban myth. Firstly, the thermal coefficients of expansion and contraction are not significantly different between brass and iron to allow the stacks of cannon balls to fall off. Secondly, there is no recorded use of the term monkey or brass holders to hold cannon balls. They were actually stored on wooden planks with holes in them called shot racks or shot garlands.
Sorry but do like to clear up these literary urban myths
M
PS I think I watch too much QI!
By Mark on Oct 21, 2008
bunkum made me smile and thankyou for putting me correct x
By Lee on Oct 21, 2008