BATTLE of TRAFALGAR
21 October 1805

NELSON’s LEGACY
Nelson gave to the Royal Navy his imaginative strategic and tactical naval doctrines which encouraged individual officers to think for themselves. His flair and forcefulness as a commander in battle were decisive factors in his two major victories - the battles of the Nile and Trafalgar. In the former, he destroyed the French fleet upon which Napoleon Bonaparte based his hopes of Eastern conquest, and in the latter he destroyed the combined French and Spanish fleets. Nelson, as Vice Admiral of the White and C-I-C, ordered that the battle of Trafalgar to be fought under his squadron's White Ensign.
On 21st October, 1805, with his officers and sailors, suffering great loss of life, they succeeded in destroying the combined French and Spanish fleets, off Cape Trafalgar on the Spanish coast.
This victory protected England and ensured Royal Navy supremacy of the high seas for the next 100 years.
Australia, in 1805, had a 17 year old settlement at Sydney Town with Hobart Town just formed and the Newcastle convict settlement established. The rest of Australia was wide open to other foreign claims.
Nelson and his Band of Brothers’ outstanding bravery and battle success resulted in a unique gift - a gift of 100 years of relative peace watched over by the Royal Navy who retained supremacy of the high seas - a foundation building block for the future nationhood of Terra Australis.
This enabled Australia to develop relatively peacefully into six British colonies, without other foreign settlements, resulting in the Commonwealth of Australia being formed in 1901 together with its foundation Australian Naval fleet.
In 1864, the RN adopted Nelson's White squadron ensign as its only ensign, to be flown by all its ships from that time.
Let us never forget that through Nelson and his men’s great sacrifices at this naval battle, British Naval supremacy of the oceans was achieved for a century of time.
Australia's sovereignty has subsequently been maintained through the sacrifice of many who served in our Royal Australian navy with many dying in world and regional wars during the 20th Century.
LEST WE FORGET