The Battle of Trafalgar by J. M. W. Turner (oil on canvas, 1822–1824) shows the last three letters of this famous signal flying from the Victory.

"England expects that every man will do his duty" was a signal sent by Admiral Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson from his ship HMS Victory as the Battle of Trafalgar (1805) was about to commence. Trafalgar was the decisive naval engagement of the Napoleonic Wars. It gave the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland control of the seas, removing all possibility of a French invasion and conquest of Britain. Image File history File links LinkFA-star. ... Image File history File links J_M_W_Turner-La_bataile_de_Trafalgar. ... Image File history File links J_M_W_Turner-La_bataile_de_Trafalgar. ... The Battle of Trafalgar The Battle of Trafalgar was painted by J. M. W. Turner in 1824. ... Self portrait, oil on canvas, circa 1799 Joseph Mallord William Turner (born in Covent Garden, London on April 23, 1775 (exact date disputed), died December 19, 1851) was an English Romantic landscape artist, whose style can be said to lay the foundations for Impressionism. ... This article is about the late 18th century ship of the line HMS Victory. ... The system of international maritime signal flags is a way of representing individual letters of the alphabet in signals to or from ships. ... Lord Nelson Nelson redirects here; for other uses, see Nelson (disambiguation). ... This article is about the late 18th century ship of the line HMS Victory. ... Combatants United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland First French Empire, Spain Commanders The Viscount Nelson † Pierre Charles Silvestre de Villeneuve Strength 27 ships of the line, 4 frigates, 2 others France: 18 ships of the line, 8 others Spain: 15 ships of the line Casualties 449 killed; 1,214... Combatants Allies: • Great Britain/United Kingdom, • Prussia, • Austria, • Sweden, • Russia • France • Denmark-Norway • Poland Casualties Full list Full list The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars fought during Napoleon Bonapartes rule over France. ... Royal motto: Dieu et mon droit (French: God and my right)1 Capital London Head of State King or Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland Head of Government Prime Minister Parliament House of Commons, House of Lords This article is about the historical state called the...

Signals during the battle

As the British fleet closed with the opposing combined fleets of France and Spain, Lord Nelson signalled all the necessary battle instructions to his ships. However, aware of the momentousness of events to come, Lord Nelson felt that something extra was required. He instructed his signal officer, Lieutenant John Pasco, to signal to the fleet, as quickly as possible, the message "England confides [i.e. is confident] that every man will do his duty." Pasco suggested to Nelson that expects be substituted for confides, since the former word was in the signal book, whereas confides would have to be spelt out letter-by-letter. Nelson agreed to the change (even though 'expects' gave a less trusting impression than 'confides'). Thus, at 11:45 on October 21, 1805 the most famous naval signal in British history was sent. The system of international maritime signal flags is a way of representing individual letters of the alphabet in signals to or from ships. ... Royal motto (French): Dieu et mon droit (Translated: God and my right) Englands location (dark green) within the United Kingdom (light green), with the Republic of Ireland (blue) to its west Languages None official English de facto Capital None official London de facto Largest city London Area – Total Ranked... October 21 is the 294th day of the year (295th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 71 days remaining. ... 1805 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ...

Nelson's famous signal, relayed using the Popham numeric code.

The signal was relayed using the numeric code devised by Sir Home Popham. This code assigned the digits 0 to 9 to ten signal flags. These flags in combination represented code numbers which were assigned meanings by a code book, distributed to all Royal Navy ships and weighted with lead for disposal overboard in case of capture. The code numbers were hoisted on the mizzenmast, one after another, with the "telegraph flag" also being flown to show that the signals employed Popham's code. The word "duty" was also not in the codebook and had to be spelt out, so the whole message required twelve "lifts". (The word "duty" was coded as shown due to the numbers 1-25 standing for the letters A-Z, without J. Moreover, in the alphabet of that time V preceded U.) This is believed to have taken about four minutes. A team of four to six men, led by Lt Pasco, would have prepared and hoisted the flags onboard Lord Nelson's Flag Ship H.M.S. Victory. Image File history File links Nelsons signal at Trafalgar. ... Image File history File links Nelsons signal at Trafalgar. ... Lord Nelson Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson (September 29, 1758 – October 21, 1805) was a British admiral who won fame as a leading naval commander. ... The system of international maritime signal flags is a way of representing individual letters of the alphabet in signals to or from ships. ... Sir Home Riggs Popham (1762 - September 20, 1820), was a British admiral who saw service during the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars. ... Sir Home Riggs Popham (1762 - September 20, 1820), was a British admiral who saw service during the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars. ... The Royal Navy of the United Kingdom is the senior service of the British armed services being the oldest of its three branches. ... General Name, Symbol, Number lead, Pb, 82 Chemical series poor metals Group, Period, Block 14, 6, p Appearance bluish white Atomic mass 207. ... The mast of a sailing ship is a tall vertical pole which supports the sails. ...

The message "engage the enemy more closely" was Nelson's final signal, sent before a single British cannon had been fired at the enemy ^[1]. This message was signalled using flags 1 and 6. Nelson ordered this signal hauled up and kept aloft. It remained up until shot away during the battle. In honour of Nelson, this specific signal is retained as a code in the NATO Allied Tactical signals publication, though it has no relevance in modern naval warfare. NATO 2002 Summit in Prague The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, the Atlantic Alliance or the Western Alliance, is an international organisation for collective security established in 1949, in support of the North Atlantic Treaty signed in Washington, DC, on 4 April 1949. ...

After the battle

Souvenir plaque commemorating Nelson's famous signal.

The phrase has become well known in England because of Lord Nelson's fame and the importance of the Battle of Trafalgar in British history. Generations of English schoolchildren have been taught about Trafalgar, alongside other seminal moments of English / British history such as the Battle of Hastings, Magna Carta, the Gunpowder Plot, and the Blitz. The phrase is known so widely in England that it has entered the English popular consciousness. Today "England expects…", as an abbreviated version of the phrase, is often adapted for use in the media, especially in relation to the expectations for the victory of English sporting teams. Image File history File links Photograph of a souvenir plaque commemorating Nelsons famous signal. ... Image File history File links Photograph of a souvenir plaque commemorating Nelsons famous signal. ... The History of Britain, until the last few hundred years, was one of struggle and competition between the separate nation-states that occupied various parts of the island of Great Britain. ... Combatants Normans, supported by Bretons,Flemings&French Anglo-Saxons and Danish mercenaries Commanders William of Normandy, Odo of Bayeux Harold Godwinson† Strength 7,000-8,000 7,000-8,000 Casualties Unknown, thought to be around 2,000 killed and wounded Unknown, but significantly more than the Normans The Battle... Magna Carta Magna Carta (Latin for Great Charter, literally Great Paper), also called Magna Carta Libertatum, was an English charter originally issued in 1215. ... A contemporaneous sketch of the conspirators The Gunpowder Plot of 1605 was a desperate but failed attempt by a group of provincial English Catholics to kill King James I of England, his family, and most of the Protestant aristocracy in one attack by blowing up the Houses of Parliament during... German bomber over the Surrey Docks, Southwark, London The Blitz was the bombing of the United Kingdom by Nazi Germany between 7 September 1940 and 16 May 1941, during World War II. It was carried out by the Luftwaffe across the UK, but their attack was concentrated on London. ...

Almost immediately, the signal began to be misquoted. A number of ships in the fleet recorded the signal as "England expects every man to do his duty," (omitting "that" and replacing "will" with "to"). This version became so prevalent that it is recorded around the base of Nelson's Column, on his tomb in St. Paul's Cathedral, and on the memorial built in 1807 by his friend and agent, Alexander Davison. However, the Victory's log and the accounts of signal officer John Pasco and Henry Blackwood (captain of the frigate Euryalus), both present at the preparation of the signal, agree on the form given here. Nelson on his column Nelsons Column is a monument in the centre of Trafalgar Square in London, England. ... St Pauls Cathedral is a cathedral on Ludgate Hill, in the City of London in London, and the seat of the Bishop of London. ... Davisons obelisk celebrating Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson, at Swarland, Northumberland A relatively obscure memorial to Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson, victor of the Battle of Trafalgar, is situated by the old A1 (the great road between Morpeth and Alnwick, according to an 1868 gazetteer [1] ), at Swarland in... This article needs to be wikified. ...

The signal is still hoisted on the Victory at her dry dock in Portsmouth on Trafalgar Day (21 October) every year, although the signal flags are displayed all at once, running from fore to aft, rather than hoisted from the mizzenmast in the order actually used in the battle. U.S. Navy submarine USS Greeneville in dry dock following collision with a fishing boat. ... Portsmouth is a city of about 196,000 people located in the county of Hampshire on the southern coast of Great Britain. ... October 21 is the 294th day of the year (295th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 71 days remaining. ...

Similar signals

Nelson's famous signal has been imitated in other navies of the world. Napoleon ordered the French translation, "La France compte que chacun fera son devoir", to be displayed on French vessels. Also, before the Battle of Tsushima, Japanese Admiral Togo (who had studied naval science in England from 1871 to 1878) signalled to his fleet: "The fate of the Empire depends upon today's battle: let every man do his utmost". Napoleon I of France, by Jacques-Louis David. ... Combatants Japan Russia Commanders Heihachiro Togo Zinovi Rozhdestvenski Nikolai Nebogatov Strength 4 battleships, 27 cruisers, in addition to destroyers and auxiliary vessels 8 battleships, 3 coastal battleships, 8 cruisers Casualties 117 dead, 583 injured, 3 torpedo boats sunk 4380 dead, 5917 injured 21 ships sunk, 7 captured, 6 disarmed {{{notes... Admiral Togo at the age of 58, at the time of the Russo-Japanese War Tōgō Heihachirō (東郷 平八郎 Tōgō Heihachirō, January 27, 1848 - 30 May 1934) was a Japanese admiral and one of Japans greatest naval heroes. ...

References in popular culture

• James Joyce's Ulysses contains numerous repetitions of Nelson's message, including several that are deliberately fragmented or misquoted. Nelson, and the statue of him in a Dublin square, were viewed by the Irish as symbols of British oppression.

• In chapter 43 of Martin Chuzzlewit, Charles Dickens wrote: ..."as the poet informs us, England expects Every man to do his duty, England is the most sanguine country on the face of the earth, and will find itself continually disappointed."

• In Lewis Carroll's The Hunting of the Snark, the Bellman says:

For England Expects — I forbear to proceed:

'Tis a maxim tremendous, but trite.

• England Expects is the name of a BBC One television drama. [2]

• In the 1991 TV movie Ironclads, the captain of the CSS Virginia said to his crew before the first battle of Hampton Roads: "The Confederacy expects every man to do his duty". In the next scene, on board the USS Congress, the captain said to his crew "The Union expects every man to do his duty".

• An episode of BBC comedy show Rutland Weekend Television claimed that Nelson had ordered the signal to be "England expects that every man will do his duty, including all the carrots" but they had no flag for carrot and so left that bit out.

• United States Secretary of the Navy Gordon England wears a tie with the flags reading out the famous quote when he visits naval vessels.

• In John Birmingham's Axis of Time, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill quotes Nelson, saying that "England expects that every man, and woman will do their duty" to Captain Karen Halabi, RN

• British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher famously referenced the message when she attempted to appease those rioting over the implementation of the Poll Tax. Her "England expects..." speech tried, and failed to convince the demonstrators to respect the sovereignty of Parliament and accept the legislation.

James Augustine Aloysius Joyce (Irish name Séamas Seoighe; 2 February 1882 – 13 January 1941) was an expatriate Irish writer and poet, widely considered to be one of the most influential writers of the 20th century. ... Ulysses is a 1922 novel by James Joyce, first serialized in parts in the American journal The Little Review from 1918 to 1920, and published in its entirety by Sylvia Beach in 1922, Paris. ... Martin Chuzzlewit is a novel by Charles Dickens, considered the last of his picaresque novels, which was written and serialized in 1843-1844. ... Charles Dickens was a prolific writer who was almost always working on a new instalment for a story and rarely missed a deadline. ... Lewis Carroll. ... Lewis Carrolls The Hunting of the Snark (An Agony in 8 Fits) is a nonsense poem about a group of adventurers hunting a legendary beast. ... Viewing Figure History BBC One (or BBC1 as it was formerly styled) is the oldest television station in the world. ... A television movie (also TV movie, TV-movie, made-for-TV movie, etc. ... CSS Virginia was an ironclad warship of the Confederate States Navy during the American Civil War (built using the remains of the scuttled USS Merrimack). ... ... The fourth USS Congress of the United States Navy was a sailing frigate like her predecessor, surviving into the American Civil War, where she was destroyed by the ironclad CSS Virginia. ... The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is the largest publicly-funded radio and television broadcasting corporation of the United Kingdom (see British television) and the world. ... RWT logo. ... Flag of the United States Secretary of the Navy. ... Secretary Gordon R. England Gordon Richard England is an American businessman who (as of 2004) serves as the United States Secretary of the Navy. ... John Birmingham (born 1964) is an Australian author. ... The Axis of Time trilogy is a series of novels written by Australian journalist John Birmingham. ... Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, KG, OM, CH, TD, FRS, PC (30 November 1874 – 24 January 1965) was a British politician and author, best known as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. ... Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher, LG, OM, PC, FRS (born 13 October 1925) was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990. ... A poll tax, head tax, soul tax, or capitation is a tax of a uniform, fixed amount per individual (as opposed to a percentage of income). ...

References

• ↑  Iron Admirals, Ronald W Andidora, page 5. ISBN 0313312664.

External links

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