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For the second time this year I have to start my dispatch with more than a tinge of sadness, owing to the untimely death of David Harris. David was a wonderful man, a friend, a great supporter of The 1805 Club, a marvellous Treasurer and former editor of the Trafalgar Chronicle. Stephen Howarth has written a splendid and moving obituary for this issue, which not only serves to underline how much we shall miss David, but also highlights the debt we owe to him.
Lieutenant Commander David Harris MBE Royal Navy was the 95th Commanding Officer of HMS Victory, between 1991 and 1993. There is no more illustrious warship name in British naval history than HMS Victory, which is inextricably linked with Admiral Lord Nelson, the Battle of Trafalgar and today’s Royal Navy – as the oldest commissioned warship in the world and flagship of the Second Sea Lord and Commander-in-Chief Naval Home Command. She is more than just timber and tar. She is, to use the late Colin White’s phrase, ‘the beating heart’ of the Royal Navy and its standards and traditions; an icon for all those who have served and continue to serve. She is a potent reminder that Britain is a maritime country and as such we should never lose sight of the worth of our Navy in securing the nation’s freedoms and democracy. The sea should be at the heart of our defence. The standards can be damaged when, as Nelson once wrote to Lady Hamilton, “Government don’t care much for us”.
