Thirty-one questions about Nelson
Q: Where was Nelson born?
A: In the parsonage house at Burnham Thorpe in Norfolk
Q: When was his birthday?
A: 29 September 1758
Q: How old was Nelson when he first went to sea?
A: 12½ (March 1771)
Q: What was the name of his first ship?
A: The Raisonnable, 64 guns
Q: Who said 'What has poor Horace done who is so weak that he above rest should be sent to rough it out at sea'?
A: His uncle, Captain Maurice Suckling
Q: Who commanded the Arctic expedition in which Nelson served?
A: Captain The Hon. Constantine J Phipps
Q: Which was Nelson's ship on this expedition?
A: The Carcass, Captain Skeffington Lutwidge
Q: Name the first ship Nelson commanded as a Post Captain?
A: HMS Hinchinbrook
Q: Where did Nelson first meet Lady Hamilton?
A: At Naples, in September 1793
Q: Who were the Band of Brothers?
A: Nelson's name for the Captains who fought under him at the battle of the Nile in 1798
Q: What motto was added to Nelson's Coat of Arms as a result of the battle of the Nile?
A: Palmam qui meruit ferat – Let him wear the palm who has deserved it.
Q: Who bestowed on Nelson the Dukedom of Bronte?
A: Ferdinand, King of the Two Sicilies
Q: At the siege of Calvi in 1794, Nelson lost the sight of one eye, which one?
A: His right eye.
Q: In what collection is the bullet that killed Nelson?
A: The Royal Collection at Windsor Castle
Q: What was the name of the surgeon who attended Nelson at the battle of Trafalgar?
A: Sir William Beatty.
Q: Did Nelson wear an eye patch?
A: Nelson lost the sight of his right eye in 1794, but since the eye was not removed and appeared externally normal, there was no need to cover it with a patch. After 1801, he wore a green eye shade above his eyes to shield the good eye from sunlight. Contemporary portraits of Nelson generally show him with both eyes uncovered and none show a patch over his sightless eye.
Q: Which artist portrayed Nelson wearing a hat with a green eye-shade attached?
A: William Devis
Q: Which artist painted the only known portrait of Nelson out of uniform?
A: Heinrich Friedrich Fuger
Q: Who modelled the Nelson effigy in Westminster Abbey?
A: Catherine Andras
Q: Before which action did Nelson proclaim 'Before this time tomorrow I shall have gained a Peerage or Westminster Abbey'?
A: At the battle of the Nile 1798
Q: When did Nelson use the battle cry of 'Westminster Abbey or Glorious Victory'?
A: At the battle of Cape St Vincent 14 February 1797
Q: What rather macabre gift, later to be used by Nelson, did Captain Benjamin Hallowell present to him after the battle of the Nile?
A: A coffin made from a portion of the main mast of L'Orient, in which Nelson was buried in 1806.
Q: What was the exact wording of Nelson's famous signal at Trafalgar?
A: England expects that every man will do his duty
Q: Where could Nelson's funeral carriage be seen until 1845?
A: At the Painted Hall in Greenwich
Q: Who designed the statue on Nelson's column in Trafalgar Square?
A: Edward Hodges Baily
Q: Who reported the news of Trafalgar to the Admiralty?
A: Lieutenant John Lapenotiere of the Pickle, schooner.
Q: For which victory did Nelson and his captains not receive gold medals?
A: The battle of Copenhagen 1801.
Q: Where did Nelson meet the Duke of Wellington?
A: In the Waiting Room of the Colonial Office in Downing Street
Q: What, according to Sir William Beatty, were Nelson's dying words?
A: 'Thank God I have done my duty'.
Q: What rank did Nelson finally obtain?
A: Vice Admiral of the White
Q: What orders and medals were awarded to Nelson?
A:
- Knight of the Most Honourable Order of Bath 1798
- Knight of the Ottoman Order of the Crescent 1798
- Knight of the Sicilian Order of St Ferdinand and Merit 1798
- Knight of the Order of St Joachim 1802
- Large (Flag Officer's) gold medal for St Vincent 1797
- Large (Flag Officer's) gold medal for the Nile 1798
- Large (Flag Officer's) gold medal for Trafalgar (to his family) 1805
The originals were stolen from the Painted Hall, Greenwich on 9 December 1900 and were never recovered. The embroidered copies of the Orders which were sewn to Nelson's uniforms are in the Museum's collection together with the Sash and Cross of the Order of St Ferdinand.