Frequently Asked Questions
How do I know that it’s really Victory oak?
The second Sea Lord, the present Captain of HMS Victory and the Head of Disposals for the M.O.D. have all authorised the material and every piece carries a deed of provenance.
How did The Famous Tree Company obtain the material?
Originally the M.O.D. offered the material for tender. Our supplying company made the successful bid and now owns the total oak and copper recovered.
Is there any of HMS Victory left?
HMS Victory's original weight was 2,164 tons. 30 tons of scrap material was removed during her restoration which is only 1.25% of her total weight.
What were Nelson's last words?
There has been much speculation about this question, possibly fuelled by the many theatre pieces after his death at Trafalgar, and also the nature of sailors claiming to have been by his side at the end, but the one that carries most weight for me and also rings true to Nelsons character is the report by Doctor Beatty, his last relevant words on his life were to his private secretary Scott, “I have not been a great sinner, remember I leave Lady Hamilton and my daughter Horatio as a legacy to my Country.” He then went quiet for a while then said quite clearly “Thank God I have done my duty.” He repeated this phase quieter and quieter until he was silent and Doctor Beatty pronounced he was dead. Trafalgar was won, the threat of invasion by the French gone, Nelson's victory on Victory and his death sharing a moment in time forever.
What was Nelson's last message to the fleet before The Battle of Trafalgar?
People generally believe that ‘England expects’ was the last signal, but in truth it was not really a signal, more to amuse the fleet, a kind of Shakespearian war cry, Nelson's words to signal officer Pascoe were, ”I will now amuse the fleet, hoist this signal - ‘Nelson confides that every man will do his duty” Lt’ Pascoe informed Lord Nelson that there was no flag for Nelson or for confides, which would mean every letter had to be different flags and the French guns were almost in range. He suggested to Nelson that he inserted England and expects instead to make more haste, Nelson replied “Make it so.” and one of the most famous war cries was born. The last signal was then hoisted which was the favourite signal of Nelson, ‘Engage the enemy more closely.’
When I visited HMS Victory the guide told me that the red paint in the surgery was to stop the sailors seeing the blood - is this true?
In my opinion the guides aboard HMS Victory are much the same as any other group of people some tall, some small, some clever, some bored, I think they invent stuff for there own amusement, and the ones who can’t think for themselves just repeat the same stories. Let us look at the likely hood, the surgery is on the orlop deck previously known as the overlapping deck, it is below the water line and lit with tallow candles, no colour would be distinguished and at all events the Georgian Navy was not run for sailors sensibilities. These men had looked down the bad end of French cannon before, they were made of sterner stuff.
I have seen paintings of Lord Nelson with an eye patch, how accurate is this?
Nelson did own an eye patch but there is no evidence that he wore it. A glass eye was made by an entrepreneurial Welshman, though Nelson never lost the eye, just the vision. The false eye is on display in the Nelson museum in Monmouth
What colour were Nelson's eyes, I have seen paintings of him with different coloured eyes, blue, brown and even green?
With reference to the glass eye, we know that the maker was very meticulous about the colour and the false eye is pale blue. Nelson also refers to the colour in a letter to Fanny his wife, explaining how he received the wound to his eye at Calvi, Nelson wrote 'There is no disfigurement, but the blue bit, I don't know what it's called, is cloudy'
I heard that the sailor who shot Nelson claimed he used a button from his tunic as he was out of musket balls?
There was a French man who made such a claim, he went on to earn a fine living in Theatre. I find it difficult to believe that from the rigging of a moving ship the air filled with cannon smoke the confusion of battle and the difficulty of aiming a musket at anything other than a general target that Lord Nelson was picked out, more likely a general rain of fire to clear Victory’s decks and then to board and capture was the plan. Not just Nelson but almost every one on the quarter deck was hit. So the first part of this story is very doubtful, the second part is balls - musket balls that is! At the autopsy the musket ball was removed by Doctor Beatty, and given to Captain Hardy who had it mounted in crystal, with serge and gold from Nelson’s uniform included, he later presented it to George the third, it is still in the present Queen’s possession and was on display during the bicentenary celebrations.
