That which is attached to my Log Book will help you to find my hiding place. Note well where the thin cord leads for it will lead you to where I rest.
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Do/Pull A Nelson: (1) to decisively defeat a numerically greater/better equipped foe through superior morale and a flexible battle plan resulting in overwhelming tactical advantage, such as Nelson achieved through night attack at Abu Qir and diplomacy at Copenhagen. First Sea Lord Jacky Fisher stated in 1908 that if the Imperial German Navy continued to grow he would "do a Nelson and shut them up in Kiel". (2) to persevere undaunted by adversity and stand firm. A London catch phrase during the Blitz referring to Nelson's statue in Trafalgar square: "knowing whatever may befall, as upon Nelson on his column in Trafalgar Square, one will like him be there tomorrow." Laurie Atkinson, 1948 (3) to laugh as an expression of schaudenfreude like Nelson Muntz (a character in TVs The Simpsons).
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Some commentators have suggested that to do a Nelson is to undertake a reckless action with little regard to your own or those under your commands' well being; a death or glory action which will either succeed spectacularly or fail with great loss of life. Any sober assessment of Nelson's maritime career does not bear this out. While Nelson could be reckless on land, such as at Tenerife where he lost his arm, or in his liaison with Emma Hamilton, at sea he was a master tactician and ruthless commander. He demanded discipline and dedication from from his crew and they in turn delivered. Onboard a British Georgian warship everyone knew their battle station and roll and could perform their duties with a precision that astounded both their enemies and land based artillery. In a contemporary account of a land action where naval gunners served along side army artillery the Artillery officer reported that the naval gunners could fire nine times an hour while his own men could do no better than one third this rate. At Trafalgar Admiral Collingwood noted that at the start of the engagement the gun crews were firing a broadside every minute, although this rate could not be sustained one round every four minutes could. And when one considers that at Trafalgar even Nelson's under armed fleet commanded over four times the firepower of Wellington and Bluchers combined army atr Waterloo one has some idea of the terror a naval engagement at close quarters; Victory and Redoutable fought 15 metres apart with their rigging entangled.
Nelson's tactics were not rash but designed to minimise his own casualties while bringing about a rapid surrender of his enemy. In a classic encounter between between two fleets in where the men of war lay off each other in line of battle and pounded each other to submission made no sense against the larger combined French and Spanish Fleet. Instead leading the windward column the Victory broke through the French line at 13 knots with each of the 50 guns on her port side (double and triple loaded with grape shot) firing controlled raking shots through the stern windows of Admiral Villeneuve's flagship Bucentaure, killing an estimated 400 seamen on the her gun decks, dismasting her so that after the first few minutes Bucentaure was lost; while the British engaged the combined fleet on on two flanks while they themselves were only exposed to close quarter fire one resulted in 449 dead and 1241 wounded to the combined fleet's 4408 killed and 2545 wounded, a ratio of 1:4. The British lost no vessels while 17 of the the combined fleet's men of war were taken, 6 were destroyed in battle and 4 were wrecked, with 20,000 prisoners taken; in the following week the French recovered 2 ships, had 4 more taken by the British and a further 4 destroyed.
The Great Fransham Obelisk was built by John Droster, the master of Curd's Hall in 1814 to commemorate both the peace and Nelson's victory at Trafalgar. The Obelisk faces east-southeast to the main front of Curd's Hall, which was demolished in the 1930's. The large field to the east formed part of an emparked estate with an avenue of trees framing the vista from the Hall to the Obelisk (which is just across the parish boundary in Little Dunham). Little is known about John Droster (a name of German origin equivalent to the English Steward/Reeve) but there have been Drosters in Suffolk since the mid 16 century. The Curd (or Crudd) family who built the hall were Lords of the Manor from the time of Henry III until the mid 1700s when the final heir died "without issue", their final years were tragic including one death in the hurricane of 1703 and a lunatic son, Samuel, who lived in Curd's Hall in the reign of Charles I. The manor was bought by William Nelson of Little Dunham who was the elder brother of Edmund Nelson Horatio's grandfather. John Droster appears to have acquired Curd's Hall from the estate of William Nelson who died in 1775. The Nelson family were living in the Little Dunham, Sporle, Scarning area from 1593 when William's great great grandfather (also a William) came here from London by way of Loddon, South Norfolk where his oldest son was born in 1576. Two generations further back the Nelsons were living in Mawdsley, Lancashire which with North Yorkshire and County Durham is the heartland of the Nelson surname which can be traced back to the Norse Niallson (son of Nial/Neil) which has its hearth in southern Sweden.
The approaches from Great Fransham and Little Dunham offer a variety of ways in and out and the footpaths are generally good except where they are also bridleways. However the route from Little Fransham on the A47 is not recommended as, despite appearing shorter, it is long, muddy and offers little of interest. Thomas the Tank Engine fans may appreciate the walk from Great Fransham, going in an anticlockwise route from the parking area. Nelson fans may wish to approach from the car park at the Black Swan, Little Dunham which was bought by William Nelson in March 1764 and still offers refreshment to weary travellers.
