Nelson's Trafalgar coat, CC BY National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London, Greenwich Hospital Collection
This is the coat worn by Admiral Lord Nelson, the head of the British Navy at the battle of Trafalgar.
Britain and France had been in competition for control of the oceans for a long time when Napoleon Bonarparte, Emperor of France, planned to invade Britain in 1805 with the help of Spain. A great sea battle was fought off the coast of Trafalgar in southern Spain and even though they had fewer ships, Lord Nelson led the British Navy to victory against the French and Spanish fleets. The battle cost Nelson his life, on the coat you can see the bullet hole near the left shoulder. Nelson was famous for wearing a very distinctive uniform so that his men could always spot him and be inspired to fight, even though it made him more visible to the enemy.
Things to think about:
- There are some large medals on the coat. What do you think they might be for?
- Why do the Navy and Military give medals?
- Do you think you would be a good leader of a team?
- What do you think life on a war ship would have been like?
Royal Museum's Greenwich have a wealth of resources relating to Lord Nelson and the Battle of Trafalgar. This A-Z of Lord Nelson from the National Maritime Museum helps to
explain why he is still a source of fascination, admiration and
This Teachers Resource links the Battle of Trafalgar to KS2 English and History.
If you wanted to discuss the Battle of Trafalgar within the wider context of the Napoleonic Wars you can find a number of resources and teachers notes on the Waterloo 200 website.
- The coat worn by Nelson at the Battle of Trafalgar. There is a bullet hole on the left shoulder from the shot that killed him. There are blood stains on tails and left sleeve, which is probably that of Nelson's secretary, John Scott, who had also been killed. You can see the honours given to Nelson on the front of the coat.
- This is the coat worn by Admiral Lord Nelson, the head of the British Navy at the battle of Trafalgar.