*Ø* Blogmanac October 21, 1805 | "Kiss me, Hardy": The death of Nelson
Horatio Nelson (September 29, 1758 - October 21, 1805) triumphed over the Spanish and the French under Admiral Villeneuve at the Battle of Trafalgar, but lost his own life on the deck of his flagship Victory, mortally wounded by a sniper from the French ship Redoutable. A bullet entered his shoulder, pierced his lung, and came to rest at the base of his spine. Famous even while alive, after his death Nelson was lionized like almost no other military figure in British history.
Famous last words?
There is no definitive account of Nelson's last words, although many books say that he said “Kiss me, Hardy”, or else “Kismet [fate] Hardy”. Both versions are speculative and there's no primary record of anyone present at his death reporting either of them.
However, the artist, Arthur Devis spent three weeks aboard the Victory, making sketches and talking to men present at Nelson´s death in order to create an authentic image of the actual scene on the afternoon of October 21, 1805.
According to Devis’s informants, Nelson said: “Take care of my dear Lady Hamilton, Hardy, take care of poor Lady Hamilton.” He paused then said – very faintly – “Kiss me, Hardy.” Hardy knelt and kissed his admiral on the cheek. Nelson then whispered, “Now I am satisfied. Thank God I have done my duty.” Hardy rose, paused silently, then knelt again and kissed Nelson’s forehead.
The famous signal
The story of Nelson's famous flag signal to his men at the Battle of Trafalgar, “England expects every man to do his duty” was told by the signaller who arranged the coded flags. Captain Pasco, Nelson's flag-lieutenant said that Nelson told him to hoist the message “England confides that every man will do his duty”. Nelson ordered him to be quick as he had another signal to put up. Pasco said that, because there was the word “expects” in the flag code, but that the word “confides” would have to spelled out, the quicker message would be the words we know so well today.
Tapping the admiral
Nelson's body was preserved first in a cask of brandy lashed to the mainmast and guarded day and night by a marine sentry. On December 4, 1805, Victory bearing Nelson's body arrived at Spithead, England. Nelson's body was removed from its cask and an autopsy was performed, followed by entombment in St Paul's Cathedral. It has been suggested that on arrival in England, the cask was less than full – the sailors of Victory had sampled the Nelson vintage.
From this incident, some claim, the antique phrase ‘tapping the admiral’ arose. British sailors formerly said ‘tapping the admiral’ for drinking rum out of a coconut shell; later the phrase was used for surreptitiously drinking from a cask through a straw.
Drake’s Drum
Sir Francis Drake’s drum is said to beat at times of danger for England. The drum, which hangs in his Devon home, Buckland Abbey, was heard at Trafalgar in 1805, Scapa Flow in 1918 and at the Dunkirk evacuation in 1940. Some said it was even heard when Germany surrendered in 1918.
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Horatio Nelson (September 29, 1758 - October 21, 1805) triumphed over the Spanish and the French under Admiral Villeneuve at the Battle of Trafalgar, but lost his own life on the deck of his flagship Victory, mortally wounded by a sniper from the French ship Redoutable. A bullet entered his shoulder, pierced his lung, and came to rest at the base of his spine. Famous even while alive, after his death Nelson was lionized like almost no other military figure in British history.
Famous last words?
There is no definitive account of Nelson's last words, although many books say that he said “Kiss me, Hardy”, or else “Kismet [fate] Hardy”. Both versions are speculative and there's no primary record of anyone present at his death reporting either of them.
However, the artist, Arthur Devis spent three weeks aboard the Victory, making sketches and talking to men present at Nelson´s death in order to create an authentic image of the actual scene on the afternoon of October 21, 1805.
According to Devis’s informants, Nelson said: “Take care of my dear Lady Hamilton, Hardy, take care of poor Lady Hamilton.” He paused then said – very faintly – “Kiss me, Hardy.” Hardy knelt and kissed his admiral on the cheek. Nelson then whispered, “Now I am satisfied. Thank God I have done my duty.” Hardy rose, paused silently, then knelt again and kissed Nelson’s forehead.
The famous signal
The story of Nelson's famous flag signal to his men at the Battle of Trafalgar, “England expects every man to do his duty” was told by the signaller who arranged the coded flags. Captain Pasco, Nelson's flag-lieutenant said that Nelson told him to hoist the message “England confides that every man will do his duty”. Nelson ordered him to be quick as he had another signal to put up. Pasco said that, because there was the word “expects” in the flag code, but that the word “confides” would have to spelled out, the quicker message would be the words we know so well today.
Tapping the admiral
Nelson's body was preserved first in a cask of brandy lashed to the mainmast and guarded day and night by a marine sentry. On December 4, 1805, Victory bearing Nelson's body arrived at Spithead, England. Nelson's body was removed from its cask and an autopsy was performed, followed by entombment in St Paul's Cathedral. It has been suggested that on arrival in England, the cask was less than full – the sailors of Victory had sampled the Nelson vintage.
From this incident, some claim, the antique phrase ‘tapping the admiral’ arose. British sailors formerly said ‘tapping the admiral’ for drinking rum out of a coconut shell; later the phrase was used for surreptitiously drinking from a cask through a straw.
Drake’s Drum
Sir Francis Drake’s drum is said to beat at times of danger for England. The drum, which hangs in his Devon home, Buckland Abbey, was heard at Trafalgar in 1805, Scapa Flow in 1918 and at the Dunkirk evacuation in 1940. Some said it was even heard when Germany surrendered in 1918.
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