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Oct 23 - Battle Of Trafalgar Marks 213th Anniversary

23 October 2018

The Act of Remembrance was held within the Trafalgar Cemetery to mark the 213th anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar. 

Commander Mark Savage Royal Navy, Commanding Officer Royal Navy and Commander Stuart Lawrence Royal Navy Commanding Officer Joint Support Unit placed wreaths on the graves of those who died as a result of the Battle.

Fabian Picardo said: "For over two centuries the Fleets of the Royal Navy have gathered at Gibraltar for exercise and training in time of Peace.  Here in time of War, the ships have assembled before sailing to face the dangers of the seas and the violence of the enemy."

 

Commodore Tim Henry Royal Navy said: “Many have heard about the unorthodox tactics where the British sought to break the enemy’s line. It was a tactic high in risk – those lead ships forced to endure repeated broadsides without answer, their commanders knowing that a crippling blow might, at any time, stunt the advance of the entire formation. But the risk was a calculated one; balancing the enemy’s poor seamanship and lack of battle experience against the ability of their British counterparts to rapidly achieve fire superiority once they could bring their guns to bear. And a risk that brought with it huge reward once the British returned fire down the length of the French and Spanish ships, gun by gun as they came to bear, with devastating consequences to opposing ships and crews alike…We have chosen to come together in this place and pause our hectic lives to reflect on, and remember, the deeds of people we have never met but whose stories we think we know. To remember those individuals from 58 nations that fought that day, to acknowledge the sacrifice of the 6000 or so that lost their lives on the day or in the days and weeks that followed. Most were committed to the deep from the ships in which they served; two of those that perished are buried here in this cemetery. Many more, like the veterans of today, carried the memories and, for some, the physical and mental scars of the battle for the remainder of their lives. Memories that can endure for a long time; such as for Joseph Sutherland, a young sailor in Nelson’s Fleet, aged 16 at Trafalgar, who died 85 years after the battle.”



 

 



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