AMENDED COPY - THE SONS AND DAUGHTERS OF TRAFALGAR

22 Jun 2005 01:15 PM

On Sunday 26 June nearly 200 'Sons and Daughters of Trafalgar' - descendants of the officers and sailors who fought at the Battle on 21st October 1805 - will assemble in HMNB Portsmouth for a unique and historic gathering.

The event is sponsored by the Royal Naval Museum in Portsmouth. Those participating have all had credentials checked by the 'Sons and Daughters of Trafalgar' organisation to make sure they are bona fide descendants of original crew members.

'Most of those attending are great, great, great grandchildren or grand nephews/nieces', says Julian Thomson from the RN Museum. 'Many have personal possessions belonging to their ancestors and all have stories to tell.'

Descendants have travelled from as far as Canada, Australia and the Middle East to be part of this event, which will be marked by a group picture alongside HMS Victory scheduled for 5.30pm.

17 of the British ships that took part in the Battle are represented. Among those present will be Mrs Anna Tribe, Nelson's closest living relative, as well as other descendants of the Nelson family and those of his second in command, Vice Admiral Cuthbert Collingwood. Also represented are Captain Blackwood, Nelson's leading frigate captain, and Lieutenant Lapenotiere, who carried the news of the Battle back to England in the schooner, HMS Pickle.

The 'Sons and Daughters' will be signing a commemorative register and watching a tabletop re-enactment of the Battle and enjoying a champagne tea party.

There will also be a re-creation of the image of the 1806 Benjamin West picture, 'The Death of Nelson', using descendants of the original characters in the picture who are identifiable through a key provided by West at the time.

Editor's notes

1. This event has been made possible by the recent publication of the Ayshford Trafalgar Roll, a database containing information on the 18,000 men in the British Fleet at Trafalgar. The Roll was put together as a hobby by Pamela and Derek Ayshford and took over 20 years to research.

2. Copies of the Ayshford Trafalgar Roll can be purchased on CD-Rom. Visitors to the Royal Naval Museum in Portsmouth Historic Dockyard can use a special display version to see if they had an ancestor at Trafalgar. The Royal Naval Museum Information Service will respond to written enquiries from people who think they may have had an ancestor at Trafalgar. Please write to The Information Service, Royal Naval Museum, HM Naval Base (PP 66), Portsmouth PO1 3NH

3. The Sons and Daughters of Trafalgar Register is being kept open throughout 2005 and certificates are available. Descendants should first check their eligibility by logging on to www.ageofnelson.org or writing to Julian Thomas, Royal Naval Museum, HM Naval Base (PP 66), Portsmouth PO1 3NH