From his humble birth in the village of Barnham Thorpe, Norfolk, Horatio Nelson rose to the highest ranks in the Royal Navy and became a national hero in his own lifetime.

Nelson joined the Royal Navy at the age of 12 and became a captain at the age of 20. He served in the Baltic, the West Indies and Canada before marrying in 1787 and returning to England to spend the next five years in shore posts.

In 1793 Britain entered the French Revolutionary Wars and Nelson was given command of the Agamemnon. He helped to capture Corsica and whilst engaging in battle at Calvi he lost the sight in his right eye. Later, in 1797, he lost his right arm at the Battle of Santa Cruz de Tenerife. 1797 also brought victory against the Spanish off Cape Vincent and the following year, Nelson defeated Napoleon s fleet at the Battle of the Nile.

At the Battle of Copenhagen in 1801, Nelson famously disregarded a direct order to cease action '...I have only one eye. I have a right to be blind sometimes', and, raising his telescope to his blind eye, 'I really do not see the signal'.  he never actually said I see no ships. . 1801 also saw the birth of Nelson s only child, his daughter with Emma Hamilton, Horatia.

The 21st October 1805 saw the signal England expects that every man will do his duty  raised on HMS Victory, before engaging with the French fleet at Cape Trafalgar. At about a quarter past one that afternoon, the Captain of the Victory, Hardy turned and saw Nelson on his knees on the quarterdeck. Nelson fell onto his left side and as a sergeant-major of marines and two seamen lifted his shoulders Hardy knelt beside him.

They have done for me at last, Hardy  Nelson told him My backbone is shot through.  The Admiral had been hit in the shoulder by a sniper s bullet from the Redoubtable. Nelson was carried down to Victory s lower deck where he told the surgeon that there was nothing that he could do for him. When Nelson died at 4:30 that afternoon the English victory at Trafalgar was assured and Britain was saved from threat of invasion by Napoleon.