In October each year, the Lodge devotes its meeting to a talk relating to Admiral Lord Nelson, Masonry and the Battle of Trafalgar. Following this, the ‘Festive Board’ [the fun side of the proceedings] is run along the lines of a Royal Navy Trafalgar Night Dinner with a good number of members dressing up in “rig o’ the day” of the period. There is always some form of entertainment relating to aspects of the life in the Service, both then and now, with a ‘sods opera’ played out by a number of the members. Many ribald comments from the floor add to fun of the occasion and a rendition of the Owers Light Shanty rounds the evening off! This meeting is always well attended with around 75 members and guests enjoying the light hearted banter and entertainment.
First Nelson’s Column
Pictured, for interest, is the first and original Nelson’s Column situated at Portsdown Hill overlooking Portsmouth and the harbour. This monument, from which the adjacent Fort Nelson takes its name, was built in 1807-08 to the memory of Admiral Lord Nelson and was funded by donations of two days’ pay from all who served at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805 and from naval prize money. A commemorative ceremony is held at the monument on 21st October every year to mark Trafalgar Day. The Nelson Monument is 28.3m high (92ft 10½in) and is owned and maintained by the Ministry of Defence and the Royal Navy.
HMS Victory – Model Presentation
On 23rd November 2018, an encapsulated model of HMS Victory was presented by W Bro Stephen P. Way to the Lodge after giving a brief history of the thirty year alliance between the Owers Light Lodge No. 7756 (Province of Sussex) and the Duke of Connaught Lodge No. 1834 (Province of Hants and Isle of Wight). This alliance was first started by two Masonic friends W Bro Brian Way TD PPrGSwdB (of Owers Light Lodge) and W Bro Douglas Orsmond PPrGReg (of the Duke of Connaught Lodge).
W Bro Stephen explained how it all started and how it has been transformed into the present format of ‘Trafalgar Night’ for the past fourteen years by W Bro Bob Dixon. Each year ‘Trafalgar Night’ grows in popularity and strength and long may it continue.
Pictured [left] is W Bro Mark Orsmond and [right] W Bro Stephen Way – sons of the original brethren who started the tradition of visiting between the Duke of Connaught Lodge and Owers Light Lodge.
Admirals Lord Nelson & Sir George Murray
A joint statue of Admirals Lord Horatio Nelson and Sir George Murray has been erected and proudly stands in North Street, Chichester. Sir George Murray became Mayor of Chichester in 1815. Further details are shown on the information board situated next to the statue. 
City of Nelson – South Island – New Zealand
Captain Arthur Wakefield (19 November 1799 – 17 June 1843) was born in Essex and, from the age of eleven, served with the Royal Navy before joining his brother, Edward Gibbon Wakefield, in founding the new settlement of Nelson, New Zealand in 1841. In 1858 Nelson became a city when Queen Victoria made it the seat of an Anglican bishop. An English settlement, Nelson is named after the British naval commander Admiral Lord Nelson. The city has many names that make a nod to the mother country and to Nelson’s sea battles – including Albion Square and Britannia Heights. The main street is Trafalgar Street named after the 1805 battle in which Nelson died. His final words were reputedly ‘Kiss me Hardy’. Thomas Hardy was the flag-captain and a close friend of Nelson’s. Fittingly the city of Nelson has a Hardy Street which runs at right angles to Trafalgar Street.
Pictured below is a sculpture gifted to the city of Nelson, New Zealand, to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar and the death of Admiral Lord Nelson.
