Britain Honors 1805 Battle of Trafalgar

Yahoo News ^ | 10/21/05 | EMILY BEHLMANN/AP

[Mercat]

Anyone interested in the British Navy of the 18th and 19th century should read the Patrick O'Brien series which begins with Master and Commander. I'm on my third time through, this time in audio form.

[GVnana]

on the be-ribboned garters of daring young ladies

LOL. And why not!

[MadIvan]

That's what I was thinking - Portsmouth looks much better now than it did 10 years ago. So "faded" perhaps isn't the right word - perhaps "reviving" is.

Regards, Ivan

[Alkhin]

"...in a pause he leant over with such a smile and said, "Never mind manoeuvers, always go at them." I shall never forget it: never mind manoeuvers - always go at 'em. And at that same dinner he was telling us how someone had offered him a boat-cloak on a cold night and he had said no, he was quite warm - his zeal for his King and country kept him warm. It sounds absurd, as I tell it, does it not? And was it another man, any other man, you would cry out "oh, what pitiful stuff" and dismiss it as mere enthusiasm; but with him you feel your bosom glow..." Jack Aubrey, Master and Commander, Chapter Three.

[GretchenM]

ping

[snugs]

Thanks Gretchen, I visited Portsmouth about 8 years ago and I must say it looked better than I was lead to believe it would. From what I understand and could see at the time more renovations were being undertaken but I suppose if someone was visiting it for the first time they might say faded. Especially if they are remembering from school days and illustrations the great navy days in Portsmouth.

[Da_Shrimp]

I'm pretty sure that they took down Nelson's statue, and replaced it (temporarily, I believe) with a smaller statue of either a homeless person, or some nameless indian.

That's completely untrue. Where did you get the information from? Nelson has never been removed from his column, nor shall he be.

[gaijin]

Yes, I'm sorry. It appears it's probably untrue. I heard this story from Michael Savage, the radio talk show host.

I should have checked it out.

[Da_Shrimp]

There was a statue of a homeless person put on one of the empty plinths in Trafalgar Square, though, which is what he my have been talking about.

That particular plinth had been empty since the square was constructed and there were always arguments about what should go there. Finally, the powers-that-be decided to put various works of art on there on a regularly-changing basis.

[P8riot]

There is a nice article in the October National geographic abou Trafalgar HERE.

I also had the opportunity recently to re-visit Lord Nelson's flagship the HMS Victory, which is in drydock in Portsmouth England. I had visited it once in 1984 when I was in the Navy.

[Skooz]

Anyone interested in the British Navy of the 18th and 19th century should read the Patrick O'Brien series which begins with Master and Commander. I'm on my third time through, this time in audio form.

I must agree.

I am making my way through them for the first time, and am currently reading book 5, "Desolation Island." They are superb. I don't think I have ever read better prose. Ever.