There is an English coin which was minted by the colony of Gibraltar in 2005. It is a crown coin with Her Majesty Elisabeth II, the year and Gibraltar embossed on one side. On the reverse side is a small detail of the oil painting by Richard Westal which hangs in the National Maritime Museum in London which depicts Admiral Nelson, injured during an attack on Tenerife in 1797.
Only two figures appear on the coin: a seriously injured Nelson and supporting him from behind, his step-son, Lieutenant Josiah Nisbet. The minting of this coin was in commemoration of an English military victory, the bi-centenary of the Battle of Trafalgar (1805-2005) when the British hero, Sir Horacio Nelson lost his life. For unknown reasons, an image of the Admiral injured in battle was chosen for this occasion. He lost his right arm as a result of a well-aimed shot from a tiger cannon in his first and only defeat in 1797, in an attack on Santa Cruz de Santiago de Tenerife..
On the 25th July, the city celebrates this heroic deed – the battle which liberated the city from the siege of the English, led by Admiral Horatio Nelson, and which was the cause of the area being nominated as a “free town”, with its own Town Hall, Coat of Arms and with the titles of Most Loyal, Noble, Undefeated, Most Benevolent City, Port and Square of Santa Cruz de Santiago de Tenerife.
The unshakeable appetite for perfection of the English Admiral, Sir Horacio Nelson, the most powerful figure on the high seas, helped him to create the idea of controlling the Canarian archipelago and, with this intention, he set sail with his armada from the Bay of Cádiz on the 15th July, 1797 and arrived in the Canary Islands on the night of the 21st July.
Following two unsuccessful offensives on the garrison of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, on the night of the 24th/25th he managed to off-load his troops in various different zones, himself and a large team of troops arriving on land via the harbor of the main square.
Courageously assisted by the people of Tenerife, and under the command of General Juan Antonio Gutiérrez, the troops put up such a strong defense that the English were forced to surrender after suffering over 200 fatalities and hundreds of casualties, amongst which was the Admiral who lost his right arm.
In a quest for peace, the local people dedicated themselves to the benevolent task of looking after the enemy casualties. A local peasant, who had spent the entire night tirelessly fighting the invaders, came across an English officer who was dying. He politely tended to him, removed his doublet and tore it into strips to bandage the man’s wounds, then with great mercy and decorum, and with tears in his eyes he said, “Look, Sir, at what has happened here. Why did his lordship not stay back in his own land?”
There are various pieces of memorabilia remaining from this historic event – the tiger cannon which was responsible for the injuries suffered by Nelson, the two flags taken from the English which are kept as priceless items of treasure in the Church of the Conception in the Canarian capital, and the city’s insignia with the coat of arms which King Charles IV awarded by Royal Decree on the 28th August, 1803 in recognition of the outstanding military action.
Written by Jesús Castro
Translated by Rachael Harrison
Sponsored by www.costaluzlawyers.es
