Unpicking the 'Identity Parade'-the battle with Trafalgar

On the day which marks the 216th anniversary of Admiral Nelson’s victory off Cape Trafalgar, Tracy DW share’s her perspective and reflects on the work that is being done to identify ‘individual achievement’ and not just the ‘collective contribution’ of the African presence in Britain’s history.

I chose today 21st of October to write this article for two reasons: firstly in honor of my father’s birthday and secondly it is the same date that we in Britain remember one of the greatest victories in our maritime history; the Battle of Trafalgar (1805).

Obviously, I will call my father later today to wish him many happy returns but the focus of this article will be to contemplate the latter.?In my podcast episode ‘The Victory behind Horatio Nelson’ I discuss through my own perspective how the British Navy had a diverse profile of men (and sometimes women) who came from a range of ethnicities and nationalities. Although many of these figures have not been widely written about or referred to in British history, they were certainly an integral part of Nelson’s crew and therefore, central to Britain’s victory over France and Spain.

Now that there is a growing culture toward the acknowledgement of the presence and contribution of African and other ethnic groups in British history, is it time to view 21st October as a day within BHM that could also acknowledge this??If we could name this day, what could we call it? ‘Trafalgar Memorial Day’ or possibly ‘George Ryan Remembrance Day’ in honor of the African portrayed in the iron cast on the plinth of Nelson’s column in Trafalgar Square.

Although it is said that this man could possibly be identified as George Ryan, he could be any of the nine West Indians recorded on Nelson’s ship HMS Victory; could he have been John Francois or Johnathan Hardy? It is anybody’s guess. Nevertheless, George Ryan has become an embodiment of the contribution of Africans who fought for the Royal Navy, not just at Trafalgar but throughout the entire Napoleonic Wars (1803-1815). This is an example of how the depiction of Africans and those of other ethnic backgrounds in Britain’s history presents a two-fold problem: ?the need to ensure an accurate representation of Africans while also establishing individual identity.

In the present day, how are we addressing this two-fold problem within our own learning journey’s as well as within our formal curriculum? As I look back over my career as a primary school teacher, I can certainly say that we have made some progress toward creating a History curriculum for our primary schools that, at the very least, recognizes the need for more inclusive and diverse content to reflect the representation and identities of people from African and other ethnicities. In my own borough of Hackney, a working party of teachers from diverse backgrounds have put together a ‘Diverse Curriculum’ which clearly identifies individuals?who were Africans or of African descent, placing them firmly within the chronology of British history. Education Authorities in Wales have made it mandatory to teach Black British History in their schools while most schools and Education Authorities throughout England have or are in the process of reviewing their curriculum to reflect diversity and representation in some way.

?In my own school setting, we have certainly made a start by including a diverse range of writers to link with topic work, enhance our book corners and diversify our ‘author focus’ texts for each term. Our pupils will read and study the works of Atinuke (Nursery) Divya Srinivasan (5-6yrs) Zanib Milan (8-9yrs) and I’m very proud to say, John Agard for our 10-11 year olds. We also made the decision to review our icons for BHM and focus on British figures rather than their obvious American counterparts. Even in my position as a key decision maker I still contemplate how much further we have to go in showing awareness in acknowledging African identities as well as African contributions as a school, local authority and nationally.

Celebrating and acknowledging the collective contributions of Nelson’s diverse crew rather than individual achievement has always been easier. This was due to the fact that it was difficult to identify in most cases, who these Africans and sailors of other ethnicities where. Why was this? The problem was the inconsistent record keeping of logbooks on board many of the ships: The Royal Navy did not differentiate between Africans and Indians often referring to them as ‘Black’ or ‘Coloured.’ On the ship which Nelson directly commanded (HM Victory) as many as 22 ethnicities were recorded in its ship ?logbook and combined records show that out of the 1400 non-British crewmen, a third of these were of African or ethnic background.?

However, the names of some African seamen have been recorded and their memory lives on: There were at least ten crewmen from African backgrounds aboard HMS?Bellerophon?at Trafalgar. One of these was a 24 year-old from Jamaica called Samuel Marlow. Others also named were John Hackett a young 22 year-old and Magnus Booth. Many of these men would have been press ganged into serving on board and this gives some indication of their circumstances as well as their predicament. They were often picked up off the coast of the West Indies, South and North America and they were either freed or enslaved who sometimes went willingly due to the prospect of recognition through victory in combat, freedom if they weren’t already free and the reward of a small wage or pension. In reality, their post-Navy careers often resulted in finding little to no work, poverty and homelessness

Other sources (such as portraits and family records) had to be relied upon as historical sources for identification. However, some of the most reliable sources were parish records and possibly the most significant was the Record of the Black Pensioners at Greenwich Hospital, which kept a record of retired sailors between 1692 and 1869. These records show the age, DOB, length of service and service details of the ships name on which they served, the type of injury sustained as well as place of residence and marital status. 20 thousand pensioners were interred at Greenwich Naval Hospital old burial ground. When the Hospital closed in 1875, their remains were moved to East Pleasaunce Park in East Greenwich with a memorial built on the original burial ground.?

In a look at how far we have come and how much further we have to go, let’s celebrate this day within BHM as these places and recorded sources serve as reminders of the identities as well as the contribution of African seamen. A celebration of their bravery and fortitude which?at a time in British history, not only helped to stave off Napoleon’s threat of invasion but also enabled Britain to become the world’s most dominant sea power throughout the course of the following century.

Tracy DW (Tracy Williams) is a school leader working in London UK. Her interest in the British Empire & Britain’s colonial past inspires her work to help older children and young adults (9-14yrs) learn more about this topic. Visit her profile or storiestobetolled.com for her publications, multi-media learning platform and podcast series ‘Stories to be tolled-the podcast series.’