Nelson: The Essential Hero by Ernle Bradford [rare books]

Horatio Nelson is one of the most inspiring and perplexing characters in British history. He carried inside him a mixture of sheer professionalism and genius, and of vanity and courage. He also carried a dedication to sacrifice despite his human weaknesses.

Just as the Battle of the Nile had occurred at a moment when the nation’s spirits were at a low — as it faced the new Napoleonic Europe and the threat to India — so Trafalgar put fresh heart into a Britain that was confronted by disaster upon the Continent.

Napoleon’s forces had overwhelmed the Austrians at Ulm. The Third Coalition was shattered, and once more Britain faced the land mass of Europe totally dominated by the Corsican genius.

Naval warfare of the period, and Nelson’s battles in particular, are shown in vivid detail; the author describes the strategies, the tactics, the ponderous bombardments and the terrifying injuries caused by flying splinters. The author also details Nelson’s policy of annihilation of the opposing fleet, making the point that Nelson regarded the escape of a single enemy ship as a failure.

This brilliant biography by Ernie Bradford, himself a military historian and sailor who navigated most of the seas that Nelson knew, reads like a thriller. The narrative is full of characters who are daring in the name of king and country, and who man the English vessels against the enemy French.