214 years ago, the Royal Navy fleet under the command of Vice-Admiral Viscount Horatio Nelson, Duke of Brontë, KB, engaged and defeated the combined French and Spanish fleet off Cape Trafalgar. England was facing invasion by Napoleon, and Nelson knew he had to neutralize the threat, no matter what the cost may be. Outnumbered and outgunned, the Royal Navy defeated the enemy is one of its finest victories in its history; no British ships surrendered during the battle and 21 enemy ships were captured and one sank. But during the battle, Nelson was struck by a bullet from a French sharpshooter and he would not live to see his victory.
Prior to the Battle, is it recorded that Nelson was found praying in his cabin and he recorded the following prayer:
May the great God, whom I worship, grant to my country and for the benefit of Europe in general, a great and glorious victory: and may no misconduct, in any one, tarnish it: and may humanity after victory be the predominant Feature in the British fleet.
For myself individually, I commit my life to Him who made me And may His blessing light upon my endeavours for serving my Country faithfully.
To Him I resign myself and the just cause which is entrusted to me to defend Amen. Amen. Amen.
The following prayer from the Book of Common Prayer was probably said by the sailors on board prior to battle:
O most powerful and glorious Lord God, the Lord of hosts, that rulest and commandest all things: Thou sittest in the throne judging right, and therefore we make our address to thy Divine Majesty in this our necessity, that thou wouldest take the cause into thine own hand, and judge between us and our enemies. Stir up thy strength, O Lord, and come and help us; for thou givest not alway the battle to the strong, but canst save by many or by few. O let not our sins now cry against us for vengeance; but hear us thy poor servants begging mercy, and imploring thy help, and that thou wouldest be a defence unto us against the face of the enemy. Make it appear that thou art our Saviour and mighty Deliverer; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
And a prayer I wrote last year for today, but slightly revised (added a section on elections in Canada, since it is also occurring today (if you haven’t voted yet, do so please)):
Almighty God, who rulest the raging of the sea, have mercy upon us. Protect thy servants upon the high seas, on land, and in the air from the dangers of the weather and the enemy.
Protect the Queen, her Dominions, and her governments, so they may continue to serve thee and honour thy glory.
Guide and direct, we humbly beseech thee, the minds of all those who are called at this time to elect fit persons to serve in the parliament of Canada. Grant that in the exercise of their choice they may promote thy glory, the welfare of this nation, and the democratic values which we cherish. Protect those that protect and preserve our government and our rights and freedoms, and we remember all those who have laid down their lives who have done so.
We remember today Lord Nelson and all those who fell with him, both friend at foe, at the Battle of Trafalgar, and we pray that there will one day be no more war, pain, or suffering and we will all live as humble servants of God, worshipping and praising thy name, through Jesus Christ, our Saviour. Amen.
The traditional toast at a Trafalgar Day Dinner, said after the Loyal Toast: “The Immortal Memory.”
High Anglican Haligonian 