Nelson's famous signal - "England expects that every man will do his duty"
The 21st October 2005 is the bi-centenary of the Battle of Trafalgar and it holds a particular significance in the island's maritime heritage.
In 1798 the Isle of Man, then only with a population of 28,000, provided more than 3,000 seamen to the British service and more than 60 Manx sailors of all ranks served at Trafalgar. The most famous of these was John Quilliam who was a First Lieutenant on board HMS Victory at Trafalgar. Other Manxmen known to have been at Trafalgar include William Callow, John Cawle, John Corgeage, William Corkhill, Daniel Crutch, Thomas Gawne, John Lace and of course more than one Kelly from the Isle of Man. In 2006 a memorial stone was erected on Douglas Head in their memory and if you're interested in genealogy or simply curious, follow the link to Trafalgar Ancestors.
In 1815 Quilliam finally retired from the navy and returned to live at the "White House" in Kirk Michael. He served as a member of Tynwald, the island's parliament, at that time located in Castletown where he and his wife built a townhouse in the square. Sadly this fine Georgian building looks rather shabby these days and is apparently much neglected by the current owners as evidenced by the peeling paint and rusting balcony.
Update as of 01/11/16. The house has been restored, new owners perhaps.
Captain Quilliam died aged 58 on 10th October 1829 and is buried in St Columba's churchyard, Kirk Arbory, Isle of Man where there is memorial to him placed at his tomb by the 1805 Club. Inside the church is a tablet erected to his memory by his wife Margaret Christian.
The starting point: From this Prospect outside his house, Nelson, with John at his right, has a clear view to (The) Trafalgar.
To get to the first port-of-call travel from the starting point on a south easterly course for about 340 metres to a symbol of Manx maritime heritage. Enjoy the view, examine your surroundings, note the two sets of numbers "abcd" "efghij" on the heritage symbol and chart the next part of your journey.
To "Engage the enemy more closely" you must weigh anchor and journey to N54 AB CDE W004 VW XYZ where:
A=d B=a
C=g D=h E=j
V=e-c W=g + i
X=b+g Y=f Z=j-g
...where you should have little trouble to find the cache.