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Life In Nelson’s Navy - An Insight Into One of the Most Dramatic Eras of Naval History 25 November 2005 Manx National Heritage’s guest speaker at the Manx Museum lecture on Friday 9th December continues the naval theme established with the exhibition ‘The True Glory: Manxmen at Sea in the Age of Trafalgar,’ currently on at the Manx Museum. Nick Slope, who will be leading the lecture on ‘Life in Nelson’s Navy’, is an independent archaeologist and maritime historian, who has written and broadcast extensively on Nelson’s Navy and is also the chairman of The Nelson Society. In recent years Nick has combined his interests through an archaeological rescue excavation on Nelson’s Island, a piece of land off the Egyptian coast where many of the casualties of Nelson’s fleet from the 1798 Battle of the Nile are buried. In April of this year over 30 remains were reburied in Alexandria and the Royal Navy sent in HMS Chatham to provide an honour guard and burial party. Matthew Richardson, Curator of Social History for Manx National Heritage, commented: “We are delighted to be able to welcome Nick to the Isle of Man in what has been a very busy year for him, as part of our own commemoration of the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar. Anyone who wants to know more about what life was like for Manxmen at sea amid the smoke and din of a naval battle will certainly find this lecture of interest”. During Nick’s illustrated lecture he will be drawing on new insights into life on the lower deck taken from his PhD research. He will look at the lives of the sailors whose remains he has rescued and will explore what life was really like 200 years ago for the sailors and marines of Nelsons fleet and their experiences of fighting in battles like the Nile and Trafalgar. Manxmen were especially valued for their seafaring skills in this age and more than sixty served in a variety of ships at Trafalgar. The most famous of these men was Lieutenant John Quilliam of HMS Victory. Nick will also touch on the topics of recruitment, food, women and children who served, medical care and naval discipline; in what promises to be a fascinating journey in to one of the most dramatic eras of naval history. The lecture will be held at the Manx Museum on 9th December and doors open at 7pm for a 7.30pm start. Admission is free. The Manx Museum is part of the award-winning Story of Mann and is open from Mondays to Saturdays 10am to 5pm, closed Sundays. It remains open throughout the winter season, excluding Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Years Day. 25th November 2005 More stories >>>
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