Nicolas was a marine lieutenant on the ‘Belleisle’, a ship which had been captured from the French in 1795. He later remembered the enthusiasm of the crew before the battle, but also their realization that not all of them would survive the action. During the Battle of Trafalgar, the ‘Belleisle’ was badly damaged in action with the ‘Fougueux’. Despite being completely dismasted, she refused to surrender. A Union Jack was hung from the end of a pike and held up and an ensign was strapped to the stump of the mainmast to show that she remained unconquered.

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Paul Harris Nicolas, 2LT, Royal Marines, letter to his brother J Toup Nicholas, giving an account of the Battle of Trafalgar, HMS 'Belleisle', with plan of battle