What kind of leader was Lord Nelson? © 2011 thetravelguru ©

It is 21st October 1805 at Cape Trafalgar, off the South Western coast of Spain. You are Lord Nelson, in charge of the flagship HMS Victory. © 2010 Emma, Michael and Elway's Excellent Adventures ©

Question 1 – Decisions need to be made so that the battle can begin. Do you …? a)Work out everything on your own. What do those idiots know? You are famous after all! b)Hold a meeting with lots of men from your ship. After all, they might have some interesting ideas. c)Not bother with plans. Instead just make it up on the spot and one way or the other things will work out. ©

Question 2 – You need to make sure all of the men know what they are doing and that they know the plan. Do you …? a)Give them a long and complicated speech, telling them every little detail of your plan. b)Make sure your instructions are short and clear, then get each team leader to explain it to their men and have each team leader sign a document saying they understand. c)Write down every possible outcome of each decision and send it out to the men on the ship, giving them a couple of hours to read it through. ©

Question 3 – There are 821 men on board HMS Victory. They live a hard life and discipline is tough. How do you keep them in line? a)Anyone who steps out of line will be thrown into the sea. b)Bring them into your office for a good telling off! c)The people who do not do their job will be whipped up to 36 times in front of the other men to warn them not to misbehave. ©

Question 4 – The Battle has started. Your captain (who is lower in rank than you) has advised you to not wear your uniform, hat and medals as they will clearly show the enemy that you are an important leader, and they will try to kill you. Do you...? a)Wear the uniform of a lower soldier so as to not draw attention to yourself. BUT you still have your reservations. What is a ship without its commander? b)Go out in your full uniform. You are proud of your medals and want the men to see that you are going out to battle with them. c)Take the medals and hat off. You still have your officer’s jacket on, but you will draw less attention to yourself that way. ©

Question 5 – You must cage in or destroy the French ships. You wanted to attack them in three different places, but you are only left with two thirds of the ships you thought you would have. Do you...? a)Sail right towards the enemy so that you can get close to the weakest part of the ships. b)Keep your distance. Wait for them to make their move and try to trap them in. c)Wait for back up – hope that more British ships will turn up. ©

Nelson is shot! During the fight with the French ship Redoubtable, Nelson is mortally wounded by musket fire. He is carried below deck, where he learns that the Fleet have taken 15 enemy ships. He has won the Battle of Trafalgar. Nelson dies. ©

Question 6 – Nelson dies in battle. You want to get him back to England in one piece for his funeral. To keep his body preserved, do you …? a)Wrap him in a cloth, and keep him in a closed room away from anyone else. b)Put his body in a huge barrel of alcohol to stop it from rotting. c)Make a coffin out of wood left over from the battle and keep him there for the journey home. ©

Question 7 - You are the person in charge of deciding how to remember Nelson and the Battle of Trafalgar. Do you...? a)Create a large statue so that people will remember him forever. b) Name a key area in London after his huge victory. c)Hold a huge funeral in the centre of London, and a big celebration of his victory. d)Publish articles in all the newspapers in England saying how amazing he was and that everyone should remember him. ©

Answers ©

Answer: b. Hold a meeting with lots of men from your ship. After all, they might have some interesting ideas. Nelson believed in making all of his crew members a part of the decisions made, in order to motivate them to fight. Nelson would even celebrate a win with the sailors on board – something unheard of at the time! Question 1 – Decisions need to be made so that the battle can begin. Do you …? ©

Answer: b. Make sure your instructions are short and clear, then get each team leader to explain it to their men and have each team leader sign a document saying they understand. Nelson wanted to make sure his plans were as clear as possible so that no silly mistakes would be made. He knew that it would be better to leave the explaining to team leaders, and to give them some responsibility by having them sign a document. Question 2 – You need to make sure all of the men know what they are doing and that they know the plan. Do you …? ©

Answer: c. The people who do not do their job will be whipped up to 36 times in front of the other men to warn them not to misbehave. A sailor could be flogged (whipped) and given as many as thirty-six lashes for drunkenness, arguing, rudeness or not carrying out his duties. Another punishment was being put in leg irons (chains) on the deck, all day and in all weathers. Question 3 – There are 821 men on board HMS Victory. They live a hard life and discipline is tough. How do you keep them in line? ©

Question 4 – The Battle has started. Your captain (who is lower in rank than you) has advised you to not wear your uniform, hat and medals as they will clearly show the enemy that you are an important leader, and they will try to kill you. Do you...? Answer: b. Go out in your full uniform. You are proud of your medals and want the men to see that you are going out to battle with them. Nelson wanted his men to know that he would lead them into battle and fight alongside them, unafraid, and he showed this by wearing his full uniform. However, this made him a big target for the enemy. ©

Answer: a. Sail right towards the enemy so that you can get close to the weakest part of the ships. Nelson was a creative man. He decided to try a different style of attack which meant sailing straight up to the enemy ships. Nelson’s vessel would be under heavy fire from the enemy ship’s guns and would not be able to shoot back, but it would reach the enemy ship’s weakest part (the front), and be able to make a full attack on it. The fact that the enemy did not expect it meant that it was a very successful tactic. Question 5 – You must cage in or destroy the French ships. You wanted to attack them in three different places, but you are only left with two thirds of the ships you thought you would have. Do you...? ©

Answer: b. Put his body in a huge barrel of alcohol to stop it from rotting. Nelson’s body was put into brandy as alcohol keeps it from rotting as they wanted his body to be taken back to England in as good a condition as possible. Preservation of bodies in liquor was fairly common practice in the early 1800s. Question 6 – Nelson dies in battle. You want to get him back to England in one piece for his funeral. To keep his body preserved, do you …? ©

Answer: a, b, c and d! Nelson was seen as a hero and one of England’s greatest commanders of all time. He was given a huge funeral, which the government paid for. Trafalgar Square was named after his victory with a tall statue of Nelson. All of the newspapers mourned his death with great sadness. Question 7 - You are the person in charge of deciding how to remember Nelson and the Battle of Trafalgar. Do you...? ©