Page 16 - The Cormorant 2018

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Trafalgar Night Dinner Commander Maryla Ingham
ON 12 OCTOBER 2017, the students of ACSC were hosted by the Senior Service for the first Mess Dinner of the academic year to
commemorate the Battle of Trafalgar and the death of Admiral Lord Horatio Nelson. ‘Trafalgar Night’ is a formal occasion celebrated
across the Fleet, both on shore and at sea and is an important milestone in the history of the Royal Navy. Following the Battle, the French Navy were never able to threaten the British at sea again,
of the International
“
...a proportion
Officers are now firmly resolved to include singing
in their dinner nights when they return home. ◆◆◆
marking the start of a period of Naval Supremacy for the British that lasted for the next 100 years, thus allowing British trade and her Empire to flourish.
The attendees gathered in the Forum to witness the Royal Marines Corps of Drums give an impressive performance in front of Commodore Blunden LVO RN, the senior Naval Officer present. It was also
an opportunity to see the vast array of colourful uniforms on display from the Army contingent, although a number of personnel from all Services remained suspiciously erect and seemed concerned about the forthcoming meal due to the tight nature of their Mess Kits, many of which have been in
the possession of their wearers since Dartmouth,
Sandhurst and Cranwell and perhaps were better suited to their 20 year old selves! The traditional parading of the beef accompanied by local Sea Cadets started the feast and vignettes from the Battle were read throughout the course of the meal to set the scene for the speech from the Guest of Honour Dr James Davey, Lecturer in Naval and Maritime History University of Exeter and formally Curator of Naval History, National Maritime Museum (Greenwich). The seated Loyal Toast, the enthusiastic destruction of the chocolate galleons and the singing of sea shanties seemed to bemuse a number of non- Naval Personnel but a proportion of the International Officers are now firmly resolved to include singing in their dinner nights when they return home.