{{Use British English, date=December 2017 New Trafalgar Dispatch at Lyme Regis

The New Trafalgar Dispatch was part of the bicentenary celebrations of Lord

Nelson Nelson may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Nelson'' (1918 film), a historical film directed by Maurice Elvey * ''Nelson'' (1926 film), a historical film directed by Walter Summers * ''Nelson'' (opera), an opera by Lennox Berkeley to a lib ...

's famous and momentous victory at the

Battle of Trafalgar The Battle of Trafalgar (21 October 1805) was a naval engagement between the British Royal Navy and the combined fleets of the French and Spanish Navies during the War of the Third Coalition (August–December 1805) of the Napoleonic Wars (180 ...

, in 1805. The prolonged and multi-focal ceremony took place between July and September 2005. An actor, Alex Price, played the central role of Lieutenant Lapenotiere and recreated the delivery of Vice Admiral Collingwood’s original dispatch (report) to the Admiralty. The original dispatch was carried by HMS ''Pickle'' from the fleet off Cape Trafalgar to Falmouth. From there, Lapenotiere travelled by post chaise to

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

, in the very fast time of 37 hours. In the re-enactment, the specially built replica post chaise visited various points, between Falmouth and London, many of them on the original route. Individual ceremonies were re-enacted with the post chaise at some of the 'stops', including Falmouth,

Truro Truro (; kw, Truru) is a cathedral city and civil parish in Cornwall, England. It is Cornwall's county town, sole city and centre for administration, leisure and retail trading. Its population was 18,766 in the 2011 census. People of Truro ...

Fraddon Fraddon is a village in mid-Cornwall, England, United Kingdom, in the parish of St Enoder (where the 2011 census population was included). It is roughly midway between Newquay and St Austell and is south of the linked villages of St Columb Ro ...

, Bodmin, Launceston,

Okehampton Okehampton ( ) is a town and civil parish in West Devon in the English county of Devon. It is situated at the northern edge of Dartmoor, and had a population of 5,922 at the 2011 census. Two electoral wards are based in the town (east and west) ...

, Exeter,

Honiton Honiton ( or ) is a market town and civil parish in East Devon, situated close to the River Otter, north east of Exeter in the county of Devon. Honiton has a population estimated at 11,822 (based on mid-year estimates for the two Honiton Ward ...

Axminster Axminster is a market town and civil parish on the eastern border of the county of Devon in England. It is from the county town of Exeter. The town is built on a hill overlooking the River Axe which heads towards the English Channel at Ax ...

Bridport Bridport is a market town in Dorset, England, inland from the English Channel near the confluence of the River Brit and its tributary the Asker. Its origins are Saxon and it has a long history as a rope-making centre. On the coast and wit ...

, Dorchester,

Lyme Regis Lyme Regis is a town in west Dorset, England, west of Dorchester and east of Exeter. Sometimes dubbed the "Pearl of Dorset", it lies by the English Channel at the Dorset–Devon border. It has noted fossils in cliffs and beaches on the Heri ...

Salisbury Salisbury ( ) is a cathedral city in Wiltshire, England with a population of 41,820, at the confluence of the rivers Avon, Nadder and Bourne. The city is approximately from Southampton and from Bath. Salisbury is in the southeast of ...

, Andover, Bagshot, Staines and London, at each of which was read the specially drafted message, emphasising the sacrifice and courage of the participants of both sides, in that famous battle. Alex Price also delivered the same message without the post chaise but with a historic mail coach at Lifton,

Bridestowe Bridestowe () is a civil parish and village in the district of West Devon, Devon, England. The parish is surrounded clockwise from the north by the parishes of Bratton Clovelly, Sourton, Bridestowe and Sourton Common, Lydford, Lewtrenchard a ...

, Sticklepath, Crockernwell, Tedburn St Mary, Nadderwater, Clyst Honiton, Wilmington and Kilmington. The ceremonies also included the unveiling of permanent commemorative plaques to inaugurate and mark The

Trafalgar Way The Trafalgar Way is the name given to the historic route used to carry dispatches with the news of the Battle of Trafalgar overland from Falmouth to the Admiralty in London. The first messenger in November 1805 was Lieutenant John Richards Lape ...

External links

The New Trafalgar DispatchCollingwood's original messageThe ''Pickle'' replicaThe Lord Nelson Training Ship
Trafalgar 200