Dundee's Lord Provost joins the Woodland Trust at Tree Planting Ceremony to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar and Dundee's naval past on 21 October 2005
Dundee’s Lord Provost, John R. Letford JP, will join representatives from the Woodland Trust Scotland (1) and Friends of Camperdown House (2) in Camperdown Park, Dundee on Friday 21 October (tomorrow), to plant an oak tree to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar and Dundee’s important role in this historical occasion with special regard to Lord Nelson’s naval mentor, Admiral Adam Duncan (3).
The Friends of Camperdown House will also dedicate a memorial bench next to the famous Camperdown Elm. Following the dedication, a new film, about the development of Camperdown Estate, the building of Camperdown House and its subsequent occupants, will be shown in the City Chambers.
Event: Planting of Trafalgar memorial tree by Dundee’s Lord Provost
Venue: Camperdown Park, Dundee, adjacent to the Camperdown Elm (300 yards to the south west of Camperdown House)
When: 3.00pm on Friday 21 October 2005 (tomorrow)
The Battle of Trafalgar in 1805 is one of the most famous naval victories in British history. 58 members of the Trafalgar fleet crew came from Dundee, including able seamen, landsmen and a ship’s corporal. Their ages ranged from teenagers to men in their late fifties.
Amongst the younger crew members from Dundee were: Charles Stewart, a boy 3rd class on HMS Polyphemus who was 15 years old at the time of the Battle of Trafalgar; John Crammond, an ordinary seaman on HMS Orion, who was 18 years old; John Hartless, a landsman on HMS Phoebe, who was 19 years old; and Peter Creighton, an ordinary seaman on HMS Agamemnon, who was 19 years old. Dundee’s Lord Provost, John R. Letford JP, said: “Dundee has very close links with the battle, both through Dundonians who served with the fleet and the jute sails that were made in the city, so it is very fitting that we are marking the contribution the city made.”
John Picton from the Friends of Camperdown House, added: “We hope that all those who are interested in the heritage of Dundee will see our new film on Camperdown House and join the friends to support us in our endeavours to turn this beautiful empty house into a Scottish Maritime Museum.”
Scotland has a strong maritime past and contributed significantly to the Battle of Trafalgar. Five of the 27 Captains of the Fleet were Scottish. In addition, Scotland’s industry contributed through timber products, sails from Baxter’s of Dundee, iron cannons from Falkirk and, most importantly, crewmembers, with almost 30% of the 18,000-strong crew hailing from Scottish towns and fishing villages. Nelson’s doctor and the woman who embalmed his body when he died were Scottish. In addition, children as young as 10 years old served as crew during the Battle – the youngest being a cabin boy from Leith, Edinburgh.
Trees played a vital role in the Battle of Trafalgar. The fleet of 27 war ships contained timber from around 50,000 oaks, representing roughly two million years of oak tree growth. Nelson himself acknowledged the importance of trees to the success of the British navy and, in 1803, wrote to Parliament calling for more trees to be planted to safeguard ship building timber supplies.
Andrew Fairbairn, Development Manager for the Woodland Trust Scotland, said, “Our aim is to highlight the important role timber played in British Naval history. We want to get people thinking about just how pivotal timber was then, and remains today – not only to the navy but also in everyday life. Scotland’s trees are as important now as they were 200 years ago, and we can all do our bit to protect them, and to plant new ones.”
Perhaps the most important way the Woodland Trust Scotland is marking the bicentenary of the Battle of Trafalgar is through the creation of a new woodland at Clatto Park, Dundee, which is within the original Camperdown Estate. The woodland recognises the influence and stature of Admiral Adam Duncan, who was born in Dundee’s Seagate, and is regarded as Lord Nelson’s Naval mentor. Three hundred local school children will help plant this wood on Thursday 03 and Friday 04 November and the public are invited to help with the planting on the Sunday 06 November. Members of the media are welcome to attend.
The Trafalgar Woods Project is part of the Tree for All campaign, the largest children’s tree planting initiative Scotland has ever seen, which provides a range of online educational resources to support schools planting a hedge or copse in their school grounds. Community groups can also organise their own events and register them with the Woodland Trust Scotland. The campaign’s vision is that every child should have the chance to plant trees. Two million trees will be planted across Scotland over the next five years as part of the campaign – two for every child under the age of 16. More information can be found at: www.treeforall.org.uk/trafalgar
Media Contacts:
• Andrew Fairbairn, Development Manager, Woodland Trust Scotland:
Tel: 01764 662554, Mob: 07770 482939, E-mail: andrewfairbairn@woodland-trust.org.uk
• Nancy Kane, Dundee City Council:
Tel: 01382 434195, E-mail: nancy.kane@dundeecity.gov.uk
• John Picton, Friends of Camperdown House:
Tel : 01334 474545, E-mail: john.picton@tesco.net
• Stan Blackley, Portable PR:
Tel: 08700 742449, Mob: 07770 742449, E-mail: stan@portablepr.com
Notes to Editors:
1. The Woodland Trust
The Woodland Trust is the UK’s leading woodland conservation charity. It has 300,000 members and supporters. Established in 1972, the organisation now has over 1,000 sites in its care covering approximately 20,000 hectares (50,000 acres). In 1984, the Trust acquired its first wood in Scotland. Today the Trust owns 80 sites across Scotland covering 8,100 hectares. Further news can be accessed at: http://www.woodland-trust.org.uk/
2. Friends of Camperdown House
The Friends of Camperdown House was established in 1997, subsequent to the celebrations surrounding the 200th Anniversary of the Battle of Camperdown. The organisation is involved in a campaign to restore Camperdown House into a Scottish Maritime Museum. See: http://www.camperdownhouse.org.uk/
3. Admiral Adam Duncan
Admiral Adam Duncan (1731-1804) was born in Lundie, Angus. He joined the Royal Navy aged 14 and is famous for his victory over the Dutch at Camperdown in 1797. He was Nelson’s mentor, who kept a miniature of Duncan in his cabin while at sea. Part of his family estate forms Camperdown in Dundee, which is now a large park and nature reserve well-loved by citizens of Dundee.
