An 11-year-old at Trafalgar

A REMARKABLE series of unpublished letters written by an 11-year-old midshipman who was at the Battle of Trafalgar has been acquired for the nation.

The vivid eyewitness account of George James Perceval, who served on HMS Orion, a 74-gun battleship that played a key role in the closing stages of the battle, has been purchased by the National Maritime Museum.

In more than 40 letters, many written to Lord and Lady Arden, his parents in London, George painted a portrait of life aboard ship during the Trafalgar campaign, as well as the battle on October 21 and the death of Admiral Nelson.

In a letter dated October 13, he wrote to his mother: “I expect to come home to eat a Christmas Dinner with [you] if my head is not knocked of [sic] in any action”. . .

Perceval died in 1874 aged 79 . . .

He rose to become an admiral in 1863.

Posted by David on October 20, 2005 5:59 PM