Book read: Trafalgar the biography of a battle by Roy Adkins

I always feel I do not read enough history, and I was lent this book. I had tried reading other books around this era (Napoleon, and the Great Game) and this book describes the battle of Trafalgar where the Spanish and French combined fleets were defeated.

It was a surprisingly emotional read, describing both the battle, some of the characters, and the death of Nelson. Although Nelson knew this was his last battle at sea the book gives the impression he knew he was not to return to England alive.

The author gives a detailed description drawn from various accounts of the battle. Some of the signals such as the famous "England expects" are described in detail. Nelson had wanted the signal to sound like a personal message so had wanted to have "confides" but the flags were too complex!

Life at sea was very brutal and conditions were harsh on board ship. However it gave some extra comforts as life back in England was also not good for the average person. The author uses a good technique of tracing the death of some of the participants years after the battle, their obituaries often made national news.

Mention also goes to Collingwood who stayed at sea to enforce the blockade of ports. He died some years later, but never set foot on land after the battle.