Remarkable Collection of Vice-Admiral Lord Nelson’s intimate letters displayed for first time this Trafalgar Day

Celebrating Trafalgar Day on 21 October, rare intimate letters and documents penned by Vice-Admiral Lord Nelson at the peak of his fame, many of which have never been displayed, feature in a temporary display that gives voice to Nelson’s own words. Nelson In His Own Words: Treasures from the Aikaterini Laskaridis Foundation is now open at the National Museum of the Royal Navy, Portsmouth Historic Dockyard and will be on display until 16 April 2023.

Nelson: in His Own Words focuses on some 30 rare and unpublished documents from the Foundation’s Nelson collection, which includes 15 personal letters, displayed alongside other personal items from the museum’s own collections including a betrothal ring given by Nelson to Emma Hamilton, miniature portraits, and a meat platter from HMS Victory.

Trafalgar Day is the most important day in the calendar of the oldest commissioned warship in the world, and Nelson’s flagship, HMS Victory. This year marks the 217th anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar, a battle which changed the course of our history as a nation, and which sealed British dominion of the seas for a hundred years. It is a vital day which not only celebrates the United Kingdom’s proud maritime history, but also helps to retain the memory of HMS Victory and Vice-Admiral Lord Nelson for generations to come.

The new display heralds the start of work with the Greek cultural institution, the Aikaterini Laskaridis Foundation, marking the first tangible expression of the partnership. The letters are each fragile survivors which give a unique insight into Nelson’s life and preoccupations, written in different places and situations, and give a fascinating snapshot of his life.

In one letter to Emma Hamilton in the days leading up to the birth of their daughter, Nelson writes: ‘My Dear Lady Hamilton, When I consider that this day 9 months was your birthday, and that although we had a gale of wind, yet I was happy and sung ‘Come Cheer up Fair Emma’ even the thought compared with this day makes me melancholy, my heart somehow is sunk within me …’ *

Written with his left hand, after losing his right arm at the Battle of Santa Cruz, the letters are peppered with fascinating insights from everyday gossip and anecdotes to historic events, and breaking news of the Battle of the Nile. The letters take the reader through Nelson’s relationship with Emma Hamilton to just a few days before his death at Trafalgar on HMS Victory, all of which can be seen and visited from the gallery.

Sheldon, Executive Director of The National Museum of the Royal Navy said: “The letters were written in the turbulent and troubled years which were the peak of Nelson’s fame. They might be sent from the middle of the Atlantic or the Mediterranean; be written when rushing to get his furniture onboard HMS Victory or when chasing the French Fleet. We can imagine them being signed and sealed, despatched by boat, carried by ship and coach to the tables of his friends and family.

“Through the letters we can hear Nelson’s voice in his own words; his emotions and energy always near the surface, as he jumps from the personal to the professional all in one sentence.”

Panos Laskaridis, President of the Aikaterini Laskaridis Foundation said: “During my postgraduate studies at the Royal Naval College in Greenwich, the only civilian student amongst Royal Navy officers, I quickly became infatuated with Nelson. The Laskaridis Nelson Collection aims to bring to light Horatio Nelson not just as a dedicated officer and great leader of men at sea in peace and war; but also, as a man in love, with personal feelings and anxieties, that do not diminish by any measure his being one of the greatest naval heroes of all times.”

The display is featured in the Nelson Gallery of the National Museum of the Royal Navy. Packed full of Nelson artefacts and memorabilia the gallery explores the colourful, action-packed, and short life of one of the most complex characters in history and one of Britain’s greatest heroes. The gallery charts all aspects of Nelson’s life from his birth in Norfolk, his unconventional private life, the major battles he fought in and his untimely death at the Battle of Trafalgar.

Visitors will be able to use the touchscreen to listen to extracts of the papers or read them in full. These documents are part of a larger archive, and the full catalogue has been published on the exhibition website www.nmrn.org.uk

Visitors to the National Museum of the Royal Navy can also experience Victory Live: The Big Repair, which offers a once-in-a-generation chance to see how experts have been working on the ship. An ever-evolving decade-long project, every time a guest visits the museum, they will experience new updates and changes. Those making a visit over the October Half Term and beyond will be able to climb aboard the scaffold that surrounds the ship and meet some of the shipwrights and conservators seeking to protect her for the future. A programme of talks and presentations will give visitors a chance to learn about the incredible efforts they are going to to stem the tides of time on the ship including the fight against the death watch beetle and how you perform archaeological ‘surgery’ on a patient built to last only 35 years!

Andrew Baines, Project Director, HMS Victory said “Victory Live: The Big Repair is a unique experience for visitors to the National Museum of the Royal Navy allowing them to don a hard hat and climb aboard the scaffolding to explore the internationally ground breaking work being done throughout this decade long project to conserve HMS Victory. This is a hugely complex and innovative project, and we are excited to give visitors the chance to see some of the incredible and painstaking work taking place and hear from the expert team fighting to protect her. A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity which is not to be missed.”

Entry to the Nelson gallery and HMS Victory is included with a ticket to Portsmouth Historic Dockyard, which is jointly operated by the National Museum of the Royal Navy and the Mary Rose Trust. The Ultimate Explorer Ticket is the best value option for 12-month entry to all the attractions at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard including the galleries and exhibitions of the National Museum of the Royal Navy, HMS Victory and the Mary Rose and starts from £39 per adult and £29 per child. It is valid for multiple entries throughout the year, with family tickets available. Book online at www.historicdockyard.co.uk. Entry onto the 12-acre historic area of the Dockyard is free with a Historic Quarter Pass, which is issued at the Visitor Centre between 10am and 4:30pm.