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'Trafalgar 200' Exhibition

‘England expects that every man will do his duty’

The war with France and her allies ended for a short time in 1802, when the Treaty of Amiens was signed. During peace time Paris even became a popular holiday destination for rich and fashionable British socialites!

On the 18th May 1803 the tentative peace of Amiens collapsed. The terms of the Treaty had been broken on both sides, with Britain refusing to evacuate Malta and Napoleon failing to guarantee Dutch independence. Britain again declared war with France.

Nelson was given command of the Mediterranean fleet. The combined French and Spanish fleets escaped to sea and with Nelson in pursuit, sailed to the West Indies before doubling back to Europe.

Nelson eventually encountered them off Cape Trafalgar in Spain, where one of the most famous battles in British Royal Naval history commenced. Before the battle, Nelson raised the famous signal, ‘England expects that every man will do his duty’.

The French and Spanish fleets never recovered during the remaining ten years of war.

Naval uniform worn by Lord Nelson during the Battle of Trafalgar.

The damaged epaulette can be seen on the left shoulder, where the fatal bullet entered Nelson’s body.

Nelson fell on the spot where his secretary, John Scott had been killed an hour earlier and his blood stains the tails and left sleeve of the coat. Nelson requested that the coat be returned to Emma Hamilton, the woman he loved. Emma kept it until 1814, when she gave it to Joshua Johnathan Smith as payment for her increasing debts.

HRH Prince Albert bought the coat from the Smith family and in 1845, it was presented to Greenwich Hospital.

The coat is now part of the National Maritime Museum’s collections in Greenwich.