Nelson's first sea voyage was to the Caribbean, where he experienced his first ailment – dreadful seasickness, which he suffered for the rest of his life.
Indian Ocean, 1775 Nelson suffered his first attack of malaria, which was so severe that he nearly died. During his delirium he had the famous vision of a radiant, guiding orb and a premonition that: ‘I will be a hero’.
June 1777, during recruiting and impressments duty for the Lowestoffe in Portsmouth, Nelson collapsed with another attack of malaria.
Nicaraguan jungle, March 1780 Nelson was told that he was suffering from gout in his chest; this may have been a misdiagnosis of the recurrent malaria.
1780, San Juan, Nelson was suffering from dysentery, yellow fever, poisoning (a toxic fruit from the machineel tree had fallen into the water) and pains in his chest.
London May 1781, Nelson’s left arm and left leg were troubling him and the fingers of his left hand were white, numb and swollen. Bearing this in mind, it seems a shame that he would later lose his right arm.
In 1782, during a voyage over the Atlantic, Nelson and his crew came down with scurvy after having no fresh fruit or vegetables for weeks. The scurvy was a repetitive ailment and in Nelson’s later years he worked keenly to eradicate it amongst his crews.
West Indies 1784 a recurrent attack of malaria. The feverish sweating made Nelson's head so uncomfortable he shaved his hair off and wore a wig.
On the return voyage from the West Indies in November 1787 Nelson fell so ill with fever that a keg of rum was set by to preserve his body in if he died.
Bastia, May 1794, Nelson was almost killed when a huge shower of earth from a heavy shot landed on him. Only days later he was hit in the face by earth and rocks when a shell exploded. He wrote ‘I got a little hurt this morning’, when in fact he had been blinded in his right eye.
Santa Cruz in Tenerife, July 1797, Nelson received a musket ball shot just above his right elbow. He declares to his crew 'I am killed!' The ship’s surgeon amputated the dangling forearm and gave him opium for the pain. Half an hour later he was giving orders for the battle, dictating letters and trying out his new signature. A month later he was back in London with an infected stump that led to septicaemia, which can be fatal. Georgian medicine had no remedy for septicaemia, but fortunately Nelson survived.
1st August 1798, Aboukir Bay in Egypt, Nelson had a 'damned toothache' before battle, probably caused by his earlier problems with scurvy, which had made his gums soft and spongy and his teeth loose (Nelson had lost so many teeth that his face had partly caved in). During the battle, he was hit above his right eye by a fragment of shot, 'I am killed; remember me to my wife' he announces. Bleeding profusely, pale and concussed, he carried on with the battle. Immediately afterwards he came down with fever. He told people that his head was ‘splitting, splitting, splitting’ and proclaimed that ‘for 18 hours my life was thought to be past hope….I am weak in body and mind, both from this cough and the fever’. He suffered from blinding headaches for the rest of his life. He also (arguably) displayed some erratic behaviour and errors of judgement after this injury.
1799, Palermo, Sicily, Nelson was suffering from depression, headaches, sickness, indigestion, palpitations and breathlessness, which he believed to be heart attacks.
January 1801 Nelson’s doctor was concerned with Nelson’s habit of spending much of the day writing letters with only a candle for light and gave him a green eyeshade, made him bathe his eye in cold water each hour and forbade letter-writing and alcohol.
The Battle of Copenhagen in 1801 saw Nelson suffering from ‘heatstroke’ and vomiting; he was convinced that death was imminent. The illness was severe but not long-lasting.
Gibraltar, 1802, Nelson wrote to Emma that he was suffering from seasickness, toothache, dysentery, fever, a heavy cold and a numb left hand.
Chin up, head down
At 19, Rifleman Cyrus Thatcher was one of the youngest victims of the Afghan war. These letters - given to The Independent by his family - reveal the excitement of a teenager sent to fulfil his dream, and his maturity in confronting the possibility that he might not make it home.
In the spring of 2009, the 2nd Battalion, The Rifles deployed to Afghanistan. Halfway through the battalion's tour, it has lost nine soldiers, with dozens injured.
Of those to have given their lives, four were teenagers. Here Rifleman Cyrus Thatcher, who was 19 when he was killed by an explosion near Gereshk seven weeks ago, tells his own story, through letters home and the last letter he left behind to bid farewell to his family – his mother Helena, father Robin and brothers Zac, 21, and Steely, 17.
Following are the words of a proud soldier described by his officers as possessing "a rucksack full of potential", and by his friends as a rascal always cracking jokes and helping to keep morale high. Most of all, they are the words of a young son to his mum, dad and brothers.
Terri Judd
'Hello mum, this is going to be hard for you to read ...'
27 April 2009
Hello Mum
I've just got your bluey [letter] (the 1st one) yea you are right it does get fucking hot, I can't work out wether I'm tanned or just burnt to fuck!! I've spoke to you on the phone so you no what I've been doing. I'm well proud of you loosing all that weight. Suppose you've got a pretty good insentive. We'v had the same shit maybe a month now. Everyday a Monday out here. You kind of loose track of days. I cant quite work out if its going fast or slow. This pen is shit its doing my head in!!
Iv been thinking of loads of things and places to do, go and see. Me and Elliott are gonna go to Amsterdam after this. THINK WE MAY HAVE DESERVED IT!! It should be a good day (November 5th) [their homecoming parade]. On the 6th we can go Belfast Iv'e got loads of sad things I wanna buy ie Sky+ Big TV. Get the old man to help me rearange my room and help me fix my shelves. Im not the DIY type normally resort to celler tape or blue tack. HA HA HA. Hope everyones safe at home. Complete detox out here – water no drink. So my dance moves might involve a bit of stumbling when I return! Im coming home 2 weeks earlier now so that's kinda good, it might be worth Zac picking me up give me a bit of chill out time so I don't try stab a gobby civvi plus he's a good listener, sumtimes I wonder if he's listening or thinking of sumthing completely irrelivant.
Well pass this round the family so they can all admire my extream spelling (infantry eh!). Lots of love to all the nearest and dearest. Love Ya!! Xxxx
1 May 2009
Hey Mum + family
Ill always address my letters to you cuz I no your probley the only one who gets to the mail!! You'll have to let me no how quick these are getting you ill keep writing the date?? Everything is good up this way getting hotter, still moving at a million miles per hour (HA HA HA) I think Iv'e stopped burning Im slowly going brown and my hair is getting ridiculous just wait till I come home ill look like a fucking wooky?! I was gonna write to granny + grandad but to be honest with the few spare hours I get Id'e rather write home ey? BTW send my regards to Daphne, Joan, Brian etc. Let em no how Im doing?
Every so often we get old people and churches send us little gifts like baby wipes, razors, sweets and stuff so its quite a good bit of moral. Got some really good photos ill have to bring my camera back so we can get that Kosovo collage on the go, to bring back on the 5th of November. If you saw what and where Ive been sleeping you would be shocked!! So pictures will back me up!
Unfortunately 3 blokes died 2 days ago in an IED explosion in one of the FOBs [Forward Operating Bases] bout 2 kilometers away – we visited that FOB 2 days before the attack – fucking mental quite scary actually! We'v had a rest day so Im doing a bit of hand washing and fitness! God you'd be so proud Ha! Ha! Ha! We've still had spam, rice, beans and unflavoured noodles every day – promise me actually I promise you if I see spam in the house ill fucking destroy it!! Im getting pretty good at making flat bread and we bout a goat of a local for 200 dollars and we slaughtered it. I got a good video. Its either catch it, kill it, or make it out here or else you go hungry LOL!! The showers are also freezing whilst Im on the subject of moaning?? Id'e best go again BUT ill keep writing when I get the time + ill be home in a couple of months. Love you'zzz all don't worry bout me to much. Theres only 3 things that kill people over hear BULLETS, BOMBS + EGOS so I might go down with a bad case of swollen head!! Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha. Love ya xxxxx
