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Pickle Night celebrates arrival of Trafalgar news

BBC Half a dozen men and women, dressed in blue and white striped tops, red scarves, white trousers and wearing a hat, all sat around a long bench-style table, smiling at the cameraBBC
Those attending were asked to wear blue and white striped tops, white trousers and a straw boater

A 200 year-old celebration to mark HMS Pickle delivering news of the victory at Trafalgar has been held in Portsmouth.

Pickle Night took place on board HMS Warrior in the city's Historic Dockyard and was due to be attended by about 170 people.

Every November attendees, dressed in blue and white striped tops and straw boaters, gather to enjoy music, traditional sea shanties and storytelling.

Master at Arms Martin Jakeman said in 1805 HMS Pickle received a "mixed response" as it also brought news of the death of Admiral Lord Nelson.

Man standing in traditional 19th Century seaman dress, leaning against a large wheel on HMS Warrior
The event was hosted by Master at Arms Martin Jakeman

He said: "Pickle was a very small ship, I give her the nickname of 'Lickle Pickle,' because she really is small.

"She's nice and speedy, so she could really dart from Trafalgar with all the dispatches and the news straight back to England."

He said that when the news was received it was a "mixed bag" of responses.

"Supposedly King George III said that the country had lost more than it had gained," he said.

"It's fantastic new, we have a great victory on our hands but we also have the loss and the sad death of course of Lord Nelson."

National Museum of the Royal Navy A painting of HMS Pickle, the fastest ship at Trafalgar, speeding through the water. The boat was a stopsail schooner of the Royal Navy. It is brown with cream-coloured sails and different flags on the top. The water is choppy. National Museum of the Royal Navy
HMS Pickle was "a very small ship", Mr Jakeman said

The attendees got to eat hearty stew and sing songs, and the evening ended with Lord Nelson's prayer.

One said: "To be here on this deck, it's amazing."

Another told the BBC they were "here for the history, about what pickle night was all about".

Half a dozen men and women, dressed in blue and white striped tops, red scarves, white trousers and wearing a hat, all sat around a long bench-style table, smiling at the camera
People attending ate stew and sung songs

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