Hats off to the Worcester man who fought beside Lord Nelson

It was May 11, 1803, and little did the Worcester man know when boarding HMS Victory that he was to fight on the very same ship and alongside legendary Admiral Horatio Nelson, making history that would change Britain's future.

For Smith was about to fight the bloody Battle of Trafalgar, which saw 18,000 sailors in a flotilla of 27 ships - led by HMS Victory under the orders of Nelson - crushing the combined French and Spanish forces, keeping Napoleon off the beaches of England.

It was October 21, 1805, almost 200 years ago, that Nelson's ships confronted Franco-Spanish vessels off the south west coast of Spain - killing 1,200 men, including the heroic leader Nelson, and leaving countless others seriously wounded, many of whom needed legs and arms amputating.

Smith was one of the 763 sailors on board HMS Victory, out of 820, who survived the blood bath - but just 13 days later, he met with his death.

It isn't completely clear how Smith came to play such an important part in the history of these islands.

But his role is something being meticulously researched and archived by Bruno Pappalardo, a

military specialist at the National Archives, which has just brought to light astounding details of the sailors that served in the most famous naval battle in history.

"It's tragic that William Smith, who had the rank as an ordinary sailor, survived the battle but then died so quickly afterwards," said Mr Pappalardo.

"There was an almighty seven-day storm after that, which again he survived. I can tell you that he died in Gibraltar hospital from wounds received in action, possibly the battle, and interestingly, that's the place where Nelson's body was taken to as well."

Life aboard 19th Century ships was brutal, hazardous and utterly miserable, with men being flogged if they shirked their duties, especially if they fell asleep on deck or ignored orders.

In fact, they were often beaten with the end of a rope simply to signal the start of their shift.

Unsurprisingly, not all men shared a desire to sign up - so many were press-ganged, as was William Smith.

"I can't really comment on

exactly what happened tohim," said Mr Pappalardo.

"You hear ghastly horror stories about men being wrenched from their families and some may never have seen their loved ones ever again, which may have happened to William.

"He may have had a wife and family who would have starved without money and been forced to beg."

William Smith was not the only Worcester man to meet with such misfortune.

William Loft, aged 24, of Worcester was also press-ganged into the Navy, boarding HMS Utrecht on April 16, 1803. A month later he was aboard HMS Victory and served as an ordinary seaman until January 15, 1806, surviving the battle of Trafalgar.

But his fate was not going to follow that of William's. Next he was transferred to HMS Galykheid and then HMS Ocean, until March 19, 1806, when he fled at Portsmouth and went on the run.

Thomas Cownly, a 23-year-old private from Bewdley, was also aboard HMS Victory from April 17, 1803 until he was discharged, fully paid, at Chatham HQ on January 15, 1806 - nearly three months after victory at Trafalgar.

Similarly, John South, aged 26, from Kidderminster, was also a private aboard HMS Victory from April 18, 1803, again surviving the battle to be discharged at Chatham on January 15, 1806.

The National Archives has also traced a further 22 men from Worcestershire who were on various boats during the Battle of Trafalgar.

One of them, John Parry from Worcester, was just 14 years old when he went aboard HMS Royal Sovereign. Boys were known to go to sea as young as 10, becoming professional sailors by 16 - if they survived,

There was a great danger of disease including scurvy, which was caused by a lack of vitamin C and could be fatal.

It inevitably cost most below-deck sailors their teeth. Dysentery and typhus were avoided by a near-obsession for cleanliness onboard.

As part of the 200th anniversary celebrations of the Battle of Trafalgar, which saw ships from 35 nations in the Solent this week, the National Archives has now included a free database at www.nationalarchives.gov.uk where you can search for ancestors who may have served in the historic event.

Mr Pappalardo is working on building up the database, to include in-depth personal details about each sailor, and what became of them.

"I want to dispel the myth that the Navy back then was essentially British," he said.

"If you take HMS Victory, there was men from Africa, America, Italy, China, turkey, and even the French, for goodness sake.

"All the attention is focused on Nelson, but he couldn't have done it without the good men of Worcestershire for example.

"I'm sure Nelson would want that acknowledged too, I think these things need to be put into perspective."

l If you think your relative served in the Battle of Trafalgar, e-mail bruno.

pappalardo@nationalarchives.gov.uk

They were there, too

l Thomas Baker, 28, from Worcester, a quarter-gunner on HMS Agamemnon.

l John Barton, 24, from Kidderminster, seaman on HMS Entrepenante.

l John Clows, 27, from Worcester, an able seaman on HMS Colossus.

l Benjamin Dandy, from Droitwich, an able seaman on HMS Entrepenante.

l John Dethridge, 24, from Worcester, an able seaman on HMS Sovereign.

l John Dunn, 22, from Kidderminster, a landsman on HMS Africa.

l Walter Freeman, 39, of Worcester, an able seaman on HMS Agamemnon.

l Edward Hawkins, 36, of Worcester, an able seaman on HMS Temeraire.

l William James, 33, of Upton Warren, a landsman on HMS Temeraire.

l William Landon, 27, of Worcester, an ordinary seaman on HMS Euryalus.

l William Lloyd, 21, of Worcester, a landsman on HMS Colossus.

l Isaac Miles, 21, of Worcester, an able seaman on HMS Conqueror.

l Robert Miller, aged 31, of Bewdley, an able seaman on HMS Defence.

l Henry Pennygrove, 22, of Worcester, ordinary seaman on HMS Agamemnon.

l William Price, aged 27, of Worcester, an able seaman on HMS Defiance.

l John Smith, of Kidderminster, 29, ordinary seaman on HMS Pickle.

l Joseph Taylor, aged 21, of Worcester, a landsman on HMS Agamemnon.

l Richard Turner, aged 27, of Hanbury, a landsman on HMS Conqueror.

l John Ward, aged 28, of Worcester, a quarter-gunner on HMS Revenge.

l Anthony Washburn, aged 29, of Worcester, an ordinary seaman on HMS Defiance.

l George Wells, aged 41, of Worcester, an ordinary seaman on HMS Leviathan.

l Thomas Williams, aged 34, of Upton-upon-Severn, an able seaman on HMS Ajax.

when nelson went shopping in worcester

HORATIO Nelson has several ties to Worcester.

He was made a freeman of the city in August 1802, when he toured Royal Worcester Porcelain - falling in love with a hand-painted breakfast, dinner and tea set and ordered it straight away.

The following Wednesday, The Berrow's Journal reported Lord Nelson had declared on his visit that 'he had seen none equal to the productions of their manufactory: in testimony of which opinion he left a very large order.'

But Nelson was killed at Trafalgar three years later, before having a chance to pay Royal Worcester for his wares. Only the breakfast service, featuring his arms and insignia, was completed by the time he died.

At a special ceremony this May, some of Lord Nelson's descendants handed a cheque to the porcelain company for £3,750 - today's equivalent to the £120 order - and finally paid off the seafaring hero's debt, 200 years later.

Nelson's mistress, Lady Emma Hamilton, was never given the Navy pension

Nelson wanted her to receive and died in poverty, unable to settle his debts.