The Story of The Trafalgar Way

Trafalgar Squared

Immediately after The Battle of Trafalgar, as Lord Nelson lay dead on the orlop deck of HMS Victory, the new Commander in Chief Admiral Collingwood was faced with the challenge of his career as a hurricane swept in, threatening to turn victory into catastrophe. It was days before he could even think of communicating news of what had happened - and when he did the only ship he could spare for this vital task was a seventy three foot schooner, HMS Pickle. Tasked with taking despatches to London her captain soon found himself in a race for glory with another officer who saw a chance to force himself into the history books.

The story of The Trafalgar Way highlights how things were done at the beginning of the 19th Century in terms of communications at land and sea. It brings startlingly to life the intense zeal and competitiveness of British officers of the day and vividly brings to life the utter chaos of a major sea battle that is then immediately hit with a violent storm. So thrilling is this story that its legacy lives on today at thetrafalgarway.org - and organisation dedicated to raising awareness of this sea and land adventure.

This podcast tells the whole story in remarkable detail. Hear about the rescue of a completely naked woman from the French ship Achille during the raging storm, how the messenger came within a hairs breadth of sinking with the loss of all hands, and the immortal words he spoke as he entered the Admiralty Board Room at 1AM on the 6th November 1805.

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