The Trafalgar Captains’ Memorial

In early 2003 The 1805 Club decided that in order to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar it would locate, record, and where necessary, restore all the graves and memorials of the commanding officers and admirals who fought with Nelson on 21 October 1805.

Nelson's fame has almost completely overshadowed the memory of those who served with him. With the exception of a few famous names such as Captain Hardy and Vice Admiral Cuthbert Collingwood, most of the other commanding officers are now virtually unknown. The Trafalgar Captains' Memorial rescues these heroes from obscurity and celebrates their achievements. The Memorial involves thirty-eight men: three admirals, twenty-nine captains and six lieutenants. Seven graves we found to be at risk and in urgent need of conservation.

The third and final stage of the project is now underway with the conservation of the memorials to Admiral Sir Thomas Bladen Capel and Admiral Sir Henry William Bayntun.

Thanks to the efforts of a large number of members the 1805 Club was able to locate and record the sites of theses graves and memorials. Subsequently, the Club commissioned professional photographer Matt Prince to produce the unique visual record, and Chatham Publishing published the superb book The Trafalgar Captains: Their lives and Memorials featuring many of these pictures as well as providing individual biographies and moving descriptions of the graves and monuments, all written by members of the Club. The book offers readers the most complete record available of the service of the men who commanded at Trafalgar and pinpoints where they are memorialised.