By the time this issue of J-dex is circulated very few people will be unaware of Admiral Lord Horatio Nelson or The Battle of Trafalgar. 2005 celebrated the 200th anniversary of this incredible, decisive sea battle and the death of a popular hero, Admiral Lord Nelson.

The battle and his death elevated Nelson to ‘Super Hero' status, removed the very real threat of a French invasion of Britain and plunged the nation into a mixture of elation at the victory and grief at Nelson's death.

The victory came about through a combination of factors, Nelson was a charismatic leader, respected by his officers and crew, a brilliant and innovative tactician. His insistence on training and teamwork, his use of the best traditional skills and new materials and technologies he was able to lay his hands on or wring from the Admiralty.

The British fleet were sea and battle hardened having spent years at sea with little time ashore and used live ammunition for frequent gunnery practise. In contrast the French and Spanish ships had spent much of the time blockaded in harbours by our fleet. The ever present threat of invasion of Britain by the French made the British sailors more determined to bring the French to battle, win and stop the French and Spanish ships escaping into the English Channel to support the French army poised in Normandy.

The issue of The Trafalgar Medal embodies much of the same careful planning, teamwork and skill use ideologies, albeit on a humble scale compared to that of Nelson and Trafalgar.

The beginning of this Trafalgar Medal was the focus of the 200th Anniversary of the Battle and a man by the name of Sim Comfort. Sim Comfort, of Sim Comfort Associates, publishers of nautical works and technologies originally written in the late 18th and early 19th Centuries, has a deep interest in naval ships and affairs of the period. He is also a serious and respected collector of nautical medals from The Armada to the end of the 19th century.

He could find no high quality commemorative medal or similar work planned to mark this important anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar.

He had purchased, the recently discovered, posthumous oil sketch of Admiral Lord Nelson painted on 21st December 1805 by Arthur William Devis. He also owned one of the ‘Parma' medals produced in 1991 by Malcolm Appleby. The idea for the Trafalgar Medal was born. Sim contacted Malcolm, also ‘egging the bread' with the fact, from the muster lists, that there were three Applebys at Trafalgar, one an ordinary seaman on board HMS Victory. The joint venture was underway.

Malcolm's ‘Parma' medal was designed and produced to commemorate the 60th anniversary of his father's voyage with Alan Villiers on the clipper ship Parma. Malcolm's grandfather was a shareholder in the Parma.

The outline for the ‘Parma' medal is a silhouette of the shape of Malcolm's father's head. With discussion between Sim and Malcolm the design was created. The medal outline shape is based on the outline shape of the Devis/Nelson portrait.

Malcolm's well deserved reputation as a master engraver with lots of that extra ‘something', plus artistic and metalworking skills comes to life in the design and engraving of the medal.

The obverse shows HMS Victory under full sail at noon on 21st October 1805. The famous ‘England Expects' signal has been hoisted, Nelson's command flag flies from the jib stay as she bears down in light winds into a wall of broadside fire from the French and Spanish fleets.

The reverse depicts the battle at 1.45pm with Victory, Le Redoutable and Temeraire locked broadside on in mortal combat. Nelson had fallen, but before he died knew that the victory was won. In reality the ships would have been invisible, obscured by smoke and fire. Artistic license of a ‘cat's paw' of wind has been summoned by Malcolm to clear the sterns of the ships allowing the combat to be seen

In addition to Nelson's death the ‘butcher's bill' was 104 dead and 178 wounded on the two British ships and 490 killed and 81 wounded on Le Redoutable which sank in the storm following the battle. The atmosphere and scene on the ships must have been far in excess of every persons visions of purgatory and hell. So much for Health and Safety and Employment law………..

With the master engraved Malcolm contacted Brian Shadbolt at Niagara Falls Castings (UK) Ltd. NFC had produced the moulds and castings for the ‘Parma' medal and for all Malcolm's cast work for many years. Sim Comfort visited NFC at Warwick in October 2005 to discuss the feasibility, costing and production of the medal. The issue was to be 500 medals in silver, 10 in 18 carat yellow gold and one in 950 platinum.

Niagara Falls Castings started work on the project on the battle date of 21st October. To produce up to 511 fine castings of the medal retaining all the integrity and definition of the original would call on all the skills, technology and teamwork that NFC are known for. Ten moulds were made initially, to minimise wear, these were checked and compared to ensure accuracy and quality of shape and detail. More will be needed to complete the issue. Trial castings were produced, inspected, then cut to check internal integrity. The first silver castings were delivered to Malcolm in November. Malcolm and Sim's approval received, NFC has continued casting and supplying batches of the silver medals. Although, at the time, no orders for the gold or the unique platinum medals had been received, NFC trial cast these metals to ensure success for orders. One 18ct. gold medal has now been ordered and that together with a platinum casting appears in the magazine cover photograph.

The medal makes a fitting tribute to the memory of Admiral Lord Nelson and the commemoration of the 200th Anniversary of The Battle of Trafalgar.

The medals are hallmarked, hand finished, numbered and signed by Malcolm Appleby. They are boxed and priced at £300 plus postage and packaging.

The Gold issue of 10 and the unique Platinum medals are price on application.

Medals and further information are available through;

Sim Comfort Associates.
Tel; 0208 944 8747

www. Simcomfort.demon.co.uk
Email; sim@simcomfort.demon.co.uk

There will be a major exhibition of Malcolm Appleby's work at Goldsmiths' Hall during May/June 2006. Work on display will include Silver and Goldsmithing, engraving, Sporting Guns and Medals. A treat not to be missed.

Malcolm may be contacted for The Trafalgar Medal and information on his work and for commissions on ;
tel. 01887 848484
Email; swap@dircon.co.uk

Niagara Falls Casting (UK) Ltd produces the finest castings in Platinum Gold and Silver and is an ISO9001:2000 registered company for quality. The Company continues to invest in research and development for materials and equipment to ensure the best product for their clients. They have recently upgraded their Rapid Prototyping system.

Contacts;
Brian Shadbolt, Philip Roberts, Liz. Colledge, Tel. 01296 496258

www. nf-castings.co.uk
Email; sales@nf-castings.co.uk

The Nevis/Nelson portrait is on loan to the Royal Naval Museum, Portsmouth.

It was unveiled at 11.00 on 21st December 2005 in Nelson's Great Cabin on HMS Victory, 200 years to the day that it was painted in that same cabin. At that time HMS Victory was at anchor in the Thames off Sheerness. Nelson's body was washed and dressed in uniform with his sea coat and transferred to the coffin made from the mainmast of the French ship L'Orient. Nelson's officers paid their last respects then the coffin was rowed up the Thames in a ship's boat to Greenwich to lie in state, until the state funeral in January 1806.