1905 Victory Shield
On 21 October 1805, the Royal Navy fleet of Admiral Lord Horatio Nelson met and defeated the combined French and Spanish fleets off Cape Trafalgar, Spain. Nelson was killed during the battle, but Napoleon’s naval power was smashed and never recovered. This victory left Britain as ruler of the world’s seas and led to the eventual end of the Napoleonic Wars.
1905 marked the centenary of Trafalgar. One major preparation for the centennial year, however, was the restoration of HMS VICTORY, Nelson’s flagship. Funds 
were raised for the many special activities and events of the centennial by selling memorabilia (medals, medalets, badges, busts, etc.) made using VICTORY’s recycled copper hull sheeting.
“Victory Shields” such as mine were made available to schools in Britain and Canada (at a cost of £5, 5s each) by the British & Foreign Sailors’ Society (B.F.F.S.), to be awarded annually to a successful student, or “Warden”. The copper is from VICTORY, as the main inscription indicates. Included is a depiction of the vessel and the famous signal that Nelson sent before the battle: “England Expects That Every Man Will Do His Duty”. King Edward VII was a great supporter of the centenary project and allowed his name to be included on the shields.
I have had a long-standing interest in British naval history, and so bought this item at the estate sale of an elderly Harwood neighbour over forty years ago. I have no idea how my neighbour came to have it, but I speculate that it came from the old Harwood Public School and that he was the last “Warden” of the shield and kept it. There was no name in the slot when I purchased it, so this may or may not be the case.
I think of this Victory Shield as a direct connection with one of my favourite historical eras – one that is full of larger-than-life characters and world-changing events. Thus, it is a great “souvenir” for a historian.
By: Don Willcock The Peterborough Museum & Archives, 300 Hunter St E, Peterborough, 705-743-5180
www.peterboroughmuseumandarchives.ca
