Battle of Trafalgar, Fragments of flag said to have flown from HMS Victory

BATTLE OF TRAFALGAR--HMS VICTORY

Fragments of flag believed to have flown on HMS Victory at Trafalgar

comprising four separate fragments of hand-woven woollen bunting: two small square panels of two joined strips, one of red and white (discoloured), c.135 x 115mm, the other blue and white (discoloured), c.132 x 115mm; also two narrow slithers, one red and white (discoloured, c.120 x 30mm, the other blue and white (discoloured), c.115 x 30mm; each panel with the separate colour sections overlapping and stitched together with two rows of stitching (except for the slither with red and white which has one row), mounted together in a modern frame (232 x 182mm); threads loose at sides, as cut on all edges, except for the two panels with red and white, which both have the original selvedge edge on the white narrow end of the slither, and the long vertical side on the larger panel, coarsely woven with bands of thinner and thicker threads

The St George's Ensign and Union Jacks that had flown from HMS Victory at Trafalgar were intended to be folded and placed on Nelson's coffin at the culmination of his state funeral at St Paul's Cathedral on 9 January 1806. However, the 48 sailors and marines who formed part of the funeral procession tore numerous fragments off the flags and kept them as mementos. Similar fragments are found in the National Maritime Museum and elsewhere, and others have appeared at auction in recent years (e.g. Bonhams, 28 September 2004, lot 117; Sotheby's, 17 December 2009, lot 9), whilst a much larger piece was also recently sold in these rooms (17 January 2018, lot 116, £297,000).

The current fragments come with the following note of provenance: "This is a piece of the Union Flag which was flying on HMS Victory at the Battle of Trafalgar. The Flag was carried by specially selected seaman of the ‘Victory’ at Lord Nelson’s funeral in St Paul’s Cathedral. When the flag was about to be lowered into Lord Nelson’s grave the seamen who assisted in the ceremony cut it into pieces so that each could preserve a fragment. This piece of the flag was formerly owned by the Museum of the Royal United Services Institution in Whitehall and has been certified by them as being authentic. It was presented to Commander J[ohn] R[eginald] Lidgey DSC, RD* RNR." According to family tradition, the fragment was presented to Commander Lidgey (1888-1970) between 1945 and 1948, but it is not possible from the surviving records at RUSI to confirm this provenance.

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