Horatio Nelson was born in 1758 in the village of Burnham Thorpe, close to the North Norfolk coast in the East of England.
Burnham Thorpe lies to the south-east of the better known village of Burnham Market where the old coach hire to Norwich used to stop. Burnham Thorpe is smaller and tucked away along narrow lanes and behind tall hedges. As the birthplace of such a notable British hero, the village 'wears its fame quietly'.
Horatio’s father Edmund was Rector of Burnham Thorpe. The Rectory where Nelson was born is no more but his father’s church, with font where he was baptised, is there as is the old pub where Nelson met friends and wrote letters to the Admiralty.
The Nelsons were not a wealthy family though his mother was well-connected. With the assistance of his uncle, Horatio joined the Royal Navy at the age of 12.
The most momentous years of Nelson’s naval career were the 12 years which followed the outbreak of the French Revolutionary Wars. Nelson rose swiftly through the ranks to become a Lord and later Commander in Chief Mediterranean Fleet in 1803.
During these years Nelson won several decisive victories. In each encounter Nelson exhibited forms of tactical expertise and inspirational leadership which became known as the Nelson Touch.
In 1978 Nelson was sent to destroy the French fleet supporting Napoleon’s invasion of Egypt. The enemy fleet was found lying at anchor in Aboukir Bay. In a night attack a group of British ships broke through one end of the French line while the rest of the British fleet proceeded down the other side. The enemy fleet was caught in deadly cross-fire and systematically destroyed. Napoleon was forced to abandon Egypt and his army.
In 1801 Nelson was in the Baltic. In the middle of a battle with the Danish Fleet at Copenhagen, his commanding officer flew a recall signal. Knowing that this was no time to flee, Nelson raised his telescope to his blind eye saying “I really don’t see the signal”. The Danish fleet was defeated, the Baltic re-opened to British trade, and Nelson became a public hero.
The Battle of Trafalgar was the finest exposition of the Nelson Touch. In October 1805 a combined fleet of French and Spanish ships laid at anchor in Cadiz. On 21 October the Franco-Spanish fleet came out of port and was promptly engaged by Nelson’s fleet.
This was a moment for which Nelson and his captains were well prepared. Naval battles at the time normally consisted of two lines of ships facing and firing broadside at one another. Nelson wanted to make better use of his ships’ gunnery and close fighting skills. The Nelson Touch at Trafalgar was to cut through the middle of the enemy line and to use his entire fleet to destroy half the enemy fleet before the remainder of the enemy fleet could turn around and join battle.
The outcome of Trafalgar is well known – the enemy lost 18 ships, the British lost none. The battle secured supremacy of the seas for Britain which lasted more than a century. The British however lost their commander. Shot through the chest by a mast-top sniper, Lord Nelson died later that day.
Nelson’s body lies in the crypt of St Paul’s Cathedral in the central position beneath the dome among the tombs of the great and famous in British history. In the stakes for ‘Second Greatest Englishman’ Nelson holds pride of place.
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