2005 was designated the UK's Year of the Sea. Under the heading of SeaBritain 2005 numerous organisations came together to celebrate our maritime heritage, and our coastline.

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Naturally many events concentrated on the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar. We knew that many National Trust groups were having commemorative dinners etc, but  we thought that we would like to mark this in our own way.

We decided to concentrate on Trafalgar's Dorset connections* and to stage an event in co-operation with The Purbeck School, which is the main secondary school in the area.

The event was an afternoon/evening affair, consisting of a wide range of displays. There were ship models, pictures and artefacts provided through our members. The school students had prepared such things as experiments with flotation and cannons, and displays of the typical sailor's diet. There were two opportunities to hear a talk by local historian Elizabeth Baker, a member of the 1805 Club, and the evening culminated with a drama written and produced by the school students.

Regrettably I haven't tracked down any pictures of the event, but you can get a flavour by looking at the programme.

Lots of people put lots of work into this and it's invidious to start naming them, but particular thanks must go to Douglass Austin, then Vice-chair of the association, who was the driving force behind the whole event.

*One hundred and eighty six men from Dorset are known to have served at the battle of Trafalgar. There were men from Dorset on board every ship in the fleet apart from the tiny schooner HMS Pickle, which found fame when she brought the news of the victory back to Britain. No less than four of the thirty three British ships at Trafalgar had Dorset captains, all distinguished themselves. Captain Bullen pushing the slow and obsolete HMS Britannia as fast as it could go in his haste to be in action, Captain Digby of HMS Africa taking on the largest ship in the enemy fleet with the smallest ship of the line in the British fleet, Captain Grindall of HMS Prince destroying the Achille and, above all, Captain Hardy of HMS Victory.

Despite the number of men involved, only two men from Dorset were killed in the battle, Lieutenant Francis Roskruge from Lyme Regis and Robber Carter from Bothenhampton, both of whom were on board HMS Britannia. In addition ten men were wounded, of which only one Private Quiller Brown of HMS Royal Sovereign was disabled seriously enough to be discharged the service. (He lost a finger on his left hand - for which he received a lump sum payment of £20 and a pension).

This information is taken from a Dorset County Council webpage