# Happy Trafalgar Day! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 21, 2007, 10:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-trafalgar-day/423458 "2007-10-21T10:29:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Corporal\_Nobbs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/cc9497/32.png) [@Corporal\_Nobbs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Corporal_Nobbs)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2007, 10:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-trafalgar-day/423458/1 "2007-10-21T10:29:57Z")
Title says it all really! Today in 1805 Nelson defeated the combined French and Spanish fleet, thus preventing the invasion of Great Britain. “A Toast to the immortal memory of Nelson!” and “Absent friends and those at sea.” ---
**Author:** ![Ice\_Wolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/dfb087/32.png) [@Ice\_Wolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ice_Wolf)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2007, 10:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-trafalgar-day/423458/2 "2007-10-21T10:37:16Z")
Good to see that someone out there in the world still remembers. 'Tis kismet, Hardy. ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2007, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-trafalgar-day/423458/3 "2007-10-21T12:49:30Z")
“England expects that every man will do his duty.” For the longest time I thought that was a dirty joke. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2007, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-trafalgar-day/423458/4 "2007-10-21T13:41:58Z")
[QUOTE=Derleth] “England expects that every man will do his duty.” For the longest time I thought that was a dirty joke. [/QUOTE] Yeah, kinda paired up with the instruction to women, “Lie back and think of England.” ---
**Author:** ![3acresandatruck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/3/e79b87/32.png) [@3acresandatruck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/3acresandatruck)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2007, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-trafalgar-day/423458/5 "2007-10-21T13:56:08Z")
[QUOTE=Derleth] “England expects that every man will do his duty.” [/QUOTE] I think the first time I heard that quote was from my great-uncle, when he had taken me to Trafalgar Square. And he told me how bold Admiral Lord Nelson had been (I always thought that it was so right that they use ‘Admiral Lord’ rather than ‘Lord Admiral’)…anyway, he told me how bold Nelson’s attack on the enemy fleet was. My uncle said that Nelson intended to destroy the enemy fleet at whatever cost to himself and his own fleet. We talked about Trafalgar and the Spanish Armada and the Battle of Britain…just a couple of guys from Missouri seeing a little bit of the world. ---
**Author:** ![Mk\_VII](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Mk\_VII](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mk_VII)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2007, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-trafalgar-day/423458/6 "2007-10-21T20:30:16Z")
I doubt anybody in this country even thought of it ---
**Author:** ![slaphead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9bcb4/32.png) [@slaphead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slaphead)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2007, 12:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-trafalgar-day/423458/7 "2007-10-22T12:35:27Z")
[QUOTE=Mk VII] I doubt anybody in this country even thought of it [/QUOTE] Yeah. On “Losing The World Egg-Chasing Cup” Day, historic sea battles are very low on the priority list, especially when it coincides with “Being Pipped At The Post In The Driving Round And Round World Championship” Day ---
**Author:** ![scareyfaerie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scareyfaerie/32/3135_2.png) [@scareyfaerie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scareyfaerie)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2007, 12:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-trafalgar-day/423458/8 "2007-10-22T12:45:25Z")
Yay! We watched the sea cadets and stuff in Trafalgar Square yesterday. Was fun. ---
**Author:** ![Hypno-Toad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b2d939/32.png) [@Hypno-Toad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypno-Toad)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2007, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-trafalgar-day/423458/9 "2007-10-22T12:52:26Z")
I remember being over in England two years ago for the bicentennial of the battle. I even went to Portsmouth for the celebration. Taking the tour of HMS Victory was very cool even though I couldn’t take pictures. I even stood on the spot where Nelson was shot. At St. Pauls Cathedral there were ceremonies and even a Nelson impersonator strolling around. ---
**Author:** ![yojimbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yojimbo/32/232_2.png) [@yojimbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yojimbo)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2007, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-trafalgar-day/423458/10 "2007-10-22T13:00:25Z")
The actual message that Nelson wanted was “England CONFIDES that every man will do their duty” Confides didn’t have a signal though and would have had to be spelt out so the signaller substituted “expects”, with Nelson’s permission, as there was a signal for that. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2007, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-trafalgar-day/423458/11 "2007-10-22T15:53:20Z")
His last instruction, ‘Engage the enemy more closely’, is still the RN’s signal #1 IIRC. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2007, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-trafalgar-day/423458/12 "2007-10-22T16:08:54Z")
“Kiss me Hardy.” - “Only if you wash it first.” ---
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2007, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-trafalgar-day/423458/13 "2007-10-22T18:24:50Z")
I only think of Trafalgar when I have to spell it. Frequently. We couldn’t have found a home on something simple like Maple Lane or Park Street? No, we had to find one on a dang tongue-twister. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2007, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-trafalgar-day/423458/14 "2007-10-22T20:43:39Z")
[QUOTE=Hypno-Toad] I remember being over in England two years ago for the bicentennial of the battle. I even went to Portsmouth for the celebration. Taking the tour of HMS Victory was very cool even though I couldn’t take pictures. I even stood on the spot where Nelson was shot. At St. Pauls Cathedral there were ceremonies and even a Nelson impersonator strolling around. [/QUOTE] Why no pics? ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2007, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-trafalgar-day/423458/15 "2007-10-22T21:05:12Z")
[QUOTE=Boyo Jim] Why no pics? [/QUOTE] Possibly because there were ‘interesting’ warships in the background; more likely, they wanted to make money off selling pictures and postcards. ---
**Author:** ![Spavined\_Gelding](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/958977/32.png) [@Spavined\_Gelding](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spavined_Gelding)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2007, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-trafalgar-day/423458/16 "2007-10-22T21:45:59Z")
[QUOTE=Quartz] Possibly because there were ‘interesting’ warships in the background; more likely, they wanted to make money off selling pictures and postcards. [/QUOTE] We went to Portsmouth to see _The Victory_ three or four years ago – train from Waterloo station, very pleasant trip. Same deal. You could take all the pictures you wanted outside the ship by no photos were permitted once aboard. I assume this was for commercial reasons. If you have any interest in British or naval history the trip is well worth the effort. As for the “England expects…” message, the fleet’s general reaction was either “When have we not done our duty” or “I wish he’d quit with the signals and let us get to it.” Napoleon was sufficiently impressed that he ordered a similar inscription on French warships – “France (or the Emperor) expects….”