Admiral Nelson

 Admiral Nelson - British Hero

Horatio Nelson was a famous admiral. In 1805 he had a victory over the combined French and Spanish fleets at Trafalgar. It was the greatest hard victory in British history.

Nelson was born in England. His father was a priest. He was a small and not very strong child. But he loved the sea very much. He decided to become a sailor. He spent much time on the river near his home.

When he was 15, he joined the navy. He took part in an expedition to the Arctic Sea in 1774. When he was 21, he became a captain. 

In 1793 Nelson became the commander of a warship and he became an admiral a year before the war with Napoleon. On one of the battles he was wounded. The doctor cut his arm in a small boat. Later he lost hia eye in another battle.

In the battle at Trafalgar the British fleet did not lose a single ship but it destroyed more than half of French and Spanish ships. Before the battle Nelson gave his famous command: "England hopes that every man will do his duty." Nelson was wounded in that battle and died on his ship. His last words were: "Thank God. I've done my duty."

There is a monument to Nelson in Trafalgar Square in the centre of London.