Nelson, Navy, Nation

This is the coat Vice-Admiral Horatio Nelson was wearing when he was killed at the Battle of Trafalgar. The bullet hole from the fatal musket shot is visible in the left shoulder.  

Made from blue wool cloth, this elaborate coat is adorned with Nelson’s four orders of chivalry: Knight of the Bath, Order of the Crescent, Order of Ferdinand & Merit and Order of St Joachim. 

Filled with activity, this scene captures the excitement surrounding the launch of the Cambridge in 1755. The warship can be seen to the left of the painting, decorated with five flags. To the right of the work, the intricate stern of the Royal George – the Royal Navy’s flagship – rises dramatically above a ceremonial barge. 

During this period, the Royal Dockyard at Deptford was a key centre of maritime and naval activity. The painting was created by marine artist John Cleveley, who worked in the dockyard as a shipwright. 

Born in America during the War of Independence, Billy Waters became a seaman in the Royal Navy. However, his career came to a sudden end when he fell from the rigging of a warship and lost his leg. 

Seafaring involved a high risk of injury. In 1694, Greenwich Hospital (today’s Old Royal Naval College) was founded to look after injured and retired seamen. 

After his accident, Billy took his career in a new direction. He became one of London’s most successful street entertainers, known for his fiddle playing. 

Nelson was wearing this golden betrothal ring when he died. Designed to look like two clasped hands, it was one of a pair of rings exchanged by Nelson and Lady Emma Hamilton. 

Nelson and Emma’s love affair was regarded as scandalous: Nelson was a national hero, and both were already married. In 1801, Emma gave birth to a daughter, which the lovers named Horatia. As HMS Victory sailed into action at Trafalgar, Nelson amended his will, imploring the nation to provide for Emma and their child. 

This poignant document is thought to be Nelson’s first letter written with his left hand. In 1797, Nelson was hit by a musket ball during an unsuccessful attack on Tenerife. Bleeding profusely, he was taken back to his ship where his right arm was amputated – without anaesthetic. 

This letter, written two days after the incident, gives an insight into Nelson’s anguished mental state. He writes: ‘I am become a burden to my friends and useless to my Country.’ Just ten months later, Nelson was back in the thick of battle. 

From towering clouds of smoke to flailing figures in the water, this painting captures the terror and destruction of naval warfare. 

It depicts the climax of the Battle of the Nile, a conflict between British and French ships that occurred in 1798. At the centre of the painting, the British battleship the Swiftsure surges through the waves, complete with billowing sails. To the left, the French flagship L’Orient is ablaze following an explosion, a column of fire erupting from the vessel. 

The blast killed most of L’Orient’s crew: both sides were so shocked by the devastation that fighting ceased for several minutes. 

This painting was made by artist George Arnald in the mid-1820s.