Battle of Trafalgar

Bloody battle on stamps

Royal Mail UK is particularly proud and excited to launch this impressive fleet of commemorative items marking the bicentenary of the Battle of Trafalgar.
In 1805 when the Napoleonic wars were reaching a climax, the bloody Battle of Trafalgar took place and changed the course of history. Not only did it become Britain’s most decisive naval triumph, it also claimed the life of our greatest naval hero - Admiral Lord Horatio Nelson.

Admiral Nelson

In that year on October 21, Admiral Nelson was preparing to battle the combined forces of the Franco-Spanish fleet. Under his command were 27 battleships and hundreds of men who faced their more numerous French and Spanish adversaries off Cape Trafalgar on the Spanish coast.
Boldly defying custom, Nelson chose the unusual strategy of ordering his ships into two columns rather than structuring his fleet into the parallel battle lines which had been practiced for centuries. This brilliant plan confused and undermined General Villeneuve and his men and caused a series of smaller single combats of bloody ferocity. Firing began just before noon and within five hours, it was all over.

Victory at Trafalgar

Victory at Trafalgar put an end to Napoleon’s long-held ambitions to invade and conquer Britain. But success came at great cost. Piercing the coat and lodging near the spine of Admiral Nelson was a single bullet from a French sniper. Sadly, the nation had lost its greatest commander whose dying words immortalised his resolve and transformed him into a national hero.
Great Britain, October 21, 2005