To commemorate the planting of Revenge Wood one of the celebratory Woods to mark
the 200th Anniversary since the Battle of Trafalgar (see Forestry Section), the
Estate has commissioned a book written by Robert Salisbury documenting the history
of the nine Royal Naval Ships which have borne the name Revenge.
A brief synopsis follows:
Some ships' names resonate down the ages, but there are few with as distinguished
a history as HMS Revenge. Robert Salisbury takes the reader through some of the
great naval battles of Britain's past. The early stories encompass the Revenge fighting
as Sir Francis Drake's flagship against the Armada and under Sir Richard Grenville
in the Azores. Sir Richard's single handed battle against the entire Spanish fleet
is considered by many to be the naval Rorke's Drift.
The main part of the narrative concentrates on the fifth Revenge, which fought so
heroically at the battle of Trafalgar. Here Mr Salisbury has unearthed many fascinating
facts from the number of gallons of beer that the Revenge took to sea (3,000) to
the cosmopolitan make up of her crew.
The Battle of Trafalgar itself is described in detail, relying on many first hand
accounts to give the reader the feel of what it would have been like to be at the
centre of that great battle.
The narrative goes on to detail the later Revenge ships, be they defending the country
against the Kaiser at Jutland, Hitler in 1940 or the Kremlin during the Cold War.
Although meticulously researched Robert Salisbury writes with an irreverent wit
and verve that truly brings the history of this fine battleship to life.