Trafalgar 200

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The mayor of Penzance taking part in the re-enactment of the announcement of the death of Nelson from the Union Hotel.
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The mayor of Penzance taking part in the re-enactment of the announcement of the death of Nelson from the Union Hotel.

Trafalgar 200 is a series of events in 2005 held mostly in the United Kingdom to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar, where a Royal Navy fleet led by Admiral Nelson (who died in the battle) destroyed a joint Franco-Spanish fleet during the Napoleonic Wars. During the summer of 2005 there was the International Fleet Review, the first since 1977. Dinners and other commemorations focus on Trafalgar Day 21 October at HMS Victory, Trafalgar Square and other locations. In an apparent effort to avoid giving offense to anybody, at the Fleet Review the fleets in the mock battle were called simply "Red" and "Blue" which led to much sardonic commentary in the news media on this silly political correctness. This originates from the military map convention in which enemy positions are marked in red, and friendly (or allied) positions in blue. The phrase "blue on blue" refers to an attack on ones' own forces in a "friendly fire" encounter.

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