- His resilience despite physical and emotional difficulties- e.g. at the Battle of Santa Cruz, horrifically wounded, and without the use of his right arm, he climbed up the side of the Theseus unaided.
- The way he used humour to cope with his physical difficulties- e.g. when the landlady of ‘The Wrestler’s Inn’ asked if she could change the name to ‘The Nelson Arms’, Nelson joked that it ‘would be absurd, seeing as I have only one!’
- His honesty about himself, and his acknowledgment of his own flaws- e.g. he admitted to being ‘warm’ (hot-tempered), ‘conceited’ and glory-hungry; apologising to a subordinate after a heated moment.
- How he always did what he believed was right, regardless of what others might have thought or said- e.g. enforcing the laws restricting British trade with America, while most others turned a blind eye; ignoring Admiral Parker’s signal to withdraw at the Battle of Copenhagen.
- The way he ‘seised the happy moment’ and took advantage of all opportunities- e.g. having just captured the San Nicholas, he leaped from its decks to immediately capture the next ship, the San Josef, at the Battle of Cape St. Vincent.
- He went the extra mile in the name of duty- e.g. personally escorting troops up the river San Juan, even though his orders were merely to land them safely at the mouth of the river.
- His willingness to help others and to tend to the needs of those under his care- e.g. personally seeing and paying, from his ow pocket, for two men who had been accused of faking insanity to be seen by the fleet’s physician; giving his own Nile medal to the wife of a naval officer who had died in the action; working tirelessly to obtain fresh fruit and vegetables and good quality working clothes for his fleet.
I tag, Maria, Anna and Pearl of Tyburn-Longbows and Rosary Beads!