TRAFALGAR DAY - a national disgrace!

[BUTTERBALL]

Arguably one of the most important historical anniversaries of this proud nation - the 200th anniversary of Nelson's victory and ultimate death - today should have been a public holiday. This victory achieved against incredible odds was one of the nations proudest moments.

Celebrations have been muted and have passed most by without a second thought. The queen is dining on board HMS Victory tonight - big deal!

If we had not won that battle, who knows what would have happened?

This simply would not have happened in any other country and I am both annoyed and extremely disappointed that this once proud nation cannot recognise it's magnificent achievement.

 

[Yorkie]

There have been several things going on but not shown on tv.
St Pauls Cathedral where his grave is, bell ringing in Norfolk where he was born, ceremonies in Pompey dockyard on the Victory and in Spain at Cape Trafalgar (no doubt Cadiz Seagull can tell us more about that)

I would have loved to have watched some of these things on tv instead of news bulletins.

 

[Mellor 3 Ward 4]

100% Agreed.

Battle that changed History.

Gave Britain 100 years of Naval supremacy and thus much of her Empire.

 

[Wardy]

An extra holiday would have been nice. Though i guess it as been overshadowed by the events of Tuesday night.

 

[Yorkie]

An extra holiday would have been nice. Though i guess it as been overshadowed by the events of Tuesday night.

I have maintained for years that we need a bank holiday in October between August and Christmas. Trafalgar Day would be ideal.
We get fewer bank holidays than most countries in Europe.

 

[Wardy]

I have maintained for years that we need a bank holiday in October between August and Christmas. Trafalgar Day would be ideal.
We get fewer bank holidays than most countries in Europe.

I agree labour laws in general in this country tend to favour the buisiness instead of the worker.

 

[Lord Bracknell]

Have to disagree.

I've just returned from the top of Firle Beacon, where hundreds of people braved gale force winds and horizontal rain to celebrate this anniversary with a huge bonfire - visible for miles - and a splendid firework display.

Marvellous scenes.

The celebrations continue tomorrow with a village party and on Sunday with a Trafalgar Anniversary Church Service.

 

[ShorehamGull]

I agree 100% with what Butterball and Yorkie say and everyone else come to that. This day should be a national holiday, something to be proud of, also a celebration of Nelson's life.
I was only saying to my family last week about the need for an extra hoilday and a trafalgar day would be ideal.

TRAFALGAR DAY 21st of October

 

[RexCathedra]

Evacuation Day.

An extra holiday would have been nice

have maintained for years that we need a bank holiday in October between August and Christmas.

Each March 17th, we Bostonians are given the day off from school and work to commemorate General Howe's precipitous 1776 departure from Boston to Halifax.

Only Suffolk County in Massachusetts has this holiday -- and not one citizen of the county in ten can tell you why he has it.

We would like to thank General Howe for his far-seeing decision to hightail it out of town on St. Patrick's Day.

Sometimes when you celebrate it is more important than what you celebrate.

 

[London Irish]

If we had not won that battle, who knows what would have happened?

We might have got rid of the monarchy in the early 19th century and ended up a democracy far quicker?

 

[clapham_gull]

He has got the most famous statue in London and a square named after the battle.

What more does the bloke want ?

 

[33057 Seagull]

When I pick my wife up later, hopefully they will have Trafalgar Ale on in the pub. I know Harvey's & a few other local breweries normally knock out a celebratory ale at this time of year.

If the yanks can celebrate Independence Day then we should have a national holiday for Trafalgar.

 

[HampshireSeagulls]

Weather didn't help, but Pompey Dockyard had a queue almost half a mile long waiting to get in before 10 this morning. There's actually a load going on, but you needed to be watching BBC24 to really see it.

What you missed were things like the Victory broadside, the running up of the signal message at 0800, the RM band, etc, etc. There were 5 BBC OB units around the Victory, loads of radio plus independent media, it was pretty well covered.

I think that centrally they were still a bit embarassed that it comes across as boasting that we beat them. Triumphalism has never been a key point on a New Labour manifesto! It was a key victory for many reasons, not least because it was a revolutionary change in Naval warfare tactics which allowed a smaller, less armed force to defeat a much larger, heavier armed unit. It also proved that Naval gunnery was the best in the world (they could load and fire their guns within 90 seconds, the French and Spanish took up to 5 minutes).

LI - Sod democracy, we would have ended up eating snails, wearing stupid berets, and having to shout "Zut Alors" whenever Colin Le Kazim De Richards missed a sitter.....and "Who Ate All Les Escargots" just doesn't scan.....

 

[GermanShepherd]

i dunno, i cannot cope with military parades and stuff. a decent little anniversary celebration would have done it, but this whole marching with pomp and music etc is not appropriate, IMO.

it was a war, and like any other war, people on both sides died. there are no winners, just losers.

prob. we have a different approach to those anniversaries. usually a decent commemoration, but no military parades, marching music etc.

a proud nation does not need parades to remember their achievements, and tell itselves they are still great. a world-power, that "rules the waves", which it doesn't.

you might see it different, but i have no time for "celebrations" like these, no matter what country or nation.

 

[¡Cereal Killer!]

Traffalger, whats all this about then??









only joking, just didnt relize it was today till my girlfriend forced me to watch Corrie (which is sooooooooooo shit btw i could have slit my wrists)

 

[London Irish]

LI - Sod democracy, we would have ended up eating snails, wearing stupid berets, and having to shout "Zut Alors" whenever Colin Le Kazim De Richards missed a sitter.....and "Who Ate All Les Escargots" just doesn't scan.....

Gotcha, so we'd have ended up eating much better food and we'd have had a certain stylish "je ne sais quoi" about our fashion and probably way more French players like Carole and Frutos playing for us

 

[Lord Bracknell]

"je ne sais quoi"

No-one on NSC ever believed a day would come when you, of all people, would post that, LI.

 

[clapham_gull]

Gotcha, so we'd have ended up eating much better food and we'd have had a certain stylish "je ne sais quoi" about our fashion and probably way more French players like Carole and Frutos playing for us

I'd be generally disatisfied with the toilets however.

 

[Raphael Meade]

well there's SOMETHING going in on birmingham as there's a load of admirals (or whoever has the stripes on the arms innit) in their dj's in my hotel bar.

i saluted. doing my bit innit

 

[ben andrews' girlfriend]

i dunno, i cannot cope with military parades and stuff. a decent little anniversary celebration would have done it, but this whole marching with pomp and music etc is not appropriate, IMO.

it was a war, and like any other war, people on both sides died. there are no winners, just losers.

prob. we have a different approach to those anniversaries. usually a decent commemoration, but no military parades, marching music etc.

a proud nation does not need parades to remember their achievements, and tell itselves they are still great. a world-power, that "rules the waves", which it doesn't.

you might see it different, but i have no time for "celebrations" like these, no matter what country or nation.

I completely agree with you