On 13th May 2026 almost eighty Glovers and guests made their way to the south coast for the final instalment of the Master’s tribute to his hero Admiral Nelson, and to Nelson’s most valiant captain; Hardy. The Master was inspired in part by the fact that Hardy was born in the village in which he lives.
On board HMS Victory
There is no better place to celebrate Nelson than the splendid surroundings of the Victory Gallery in Portsmouth Historical Dockyard. The Glovers and their guests dined below the astonishing gilded barge in which our hero made his last journey along the Thames to his resting place.
Before the meal, our party was divided into groups for a private tour of HMS Victory. From the outside, the mighty ship looked a little forlorn, shrouded in scaffolding and stripped of her masts as part of a long, painstaking effort to renovate and preserve her for the future. For many visitors, seeing this work up close added to the experience as we were shown around the ship. Only the hard-hearted could remain unmoved standing where Nelson fell, or where he took his final breath after saying goodbye to Hardy.
Before the visit and dinner many of the Glovers took the opportunity to spend the day at the museum and to view some of the collection of gloves held by the museum.
At dinner, the Master welcomed Lt Cdr Cass, Commanding Officer of HMS Victory, who had already had a busy day entertaining the Second Sea Lord and several admirals. The Master compared Victory with our affiliated boat, HMS Artful, which ten Glovers had recently had the privilege of visiting, noting that both vessels represented the cutting edge of technology in their time. He then retraced, in reverse, Nelson’s final journey: the Glovers had visited Greenwich Naval College, where Nelson’s body rested on the night before his funeral; seen the barge above our heads that carried him along the Thames and visited his tomb in St Paul’s. Lt. Cdr. Cass responded with gracious and informative speech, providing further insight to the extensive restoration project.
Though some Glovers had to leave to take trains home, many lingered after dinner to enjoy a nightcap on the mezzanine floor of the gallery, looking out over HMS Victory and surrounded by memorabilia from the time when Britain truly ruled the waves.
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