A bloodied hero of Trafalgar

When Harry Hargood died in March 1932, at the age of 89, he was described as one of the most prominent and best-loved residents of Worthing.

He left £1,500 in his will for the construction of an exhibition gallery, called the Hargood Room, at Worthing Museum.

Harry's uncle, Admiral Sir William Hargood, commanded the warship Belleisle at Trafalgar.

Sir William was born in 1762 and entered the Royal Navy in 1773 at the age of 11.

He took part in a series of actions and was captured by the French in 1793 while in command of the frigate Hyaena.

Sir William escaped, only to be tried for the loss of his ship. He was acquitted after the court martial heard how the Hyaena had been heavily outnumbered by a flotilla of enemy vessels.

Trafalgar was undoubtedly the finest moment of his distinguished career.

The Belleisle was at the vanguard of the attack and suffered severely, with 33 killed and 93 wounded.

She ran alongside the French warship Fougueux and both vessels fought each other to a standstill.

Sir William was injured and his ship reduced to a floating hulk. But he survived to the age of 71, dying in 1839.

Today, Worthing Museum is the proud possessor of some remarkable Hargood family heirlooms, including Sir William's solid gold Trafalgar medal and a ceremonial sword presented to him by King William IV, known affectionately as Sailor Bill, who was a close friend and former shipmate.

Sir William's grandson, also called William, died at Lucknow in 1858 during the Indian Mutiny.

Harry, who lived at North Lodge, Worthing, was very proud of his family history, hence his donation to the museum.

His life was spent entirely in the service of the community and there was great sorrow in the town when he passed away.

He was a JP and president of various organisations, including Worthing Swimming Club and Worthing Sports Club.

He was also a leading light in the Royal National Lifeboat Institution, having taken over the reins from his father, who successfully campaigned for a lifeboat in the town after the Lalla Rookh disaster, when 11 fishermen drowned going to the aid of the storm-ravaged East Indiaman.

Thousands attended Harry's funeral at Broadwater Cemetery.

A fascinating account of the Battle of Trafalgar, recorded by a teenager who served alongside Captain Hargood on HMS Belleisle, survives.

This is an edited version of the story of Paul Harris Nicholas, a lieutenant in the Royal Marines: "I was scarcely 16 when I embarked for the first time, in the Belleisle of 80 guns, and joined the fleet off Cadiz, under the command of Lord Nelson, in the early part of October, 1805.

"On the 19th of that month the appearance of a ship under press of sail steering for the fleet and firing guns, excited our attention, and every glass was pointed towards the stranger in anticipation of the intelligence which the repeating ships soon announced, that the enemy was getting under way.

"Our advanced ships got sight of the combined fleet the next morning, and in the afternoon of the 20th they were visible from the deck.

"Every preparation was made for battle; and as our lookout squadron remained close to them during the night, the mind was kept in continual agitation by the firing of guns and rockets.

"As the day dawned the horizon appeared covered with ships. The whole force of the enemy was discovered standing to the southward, distant about nine miles, between us and the coast near Trafalgar.

"There was a light air from the north west and a heavy swell.

"The Victory, Lord Nelson's ship, was leading the weather line, and the Royal Sovereign, bearing the flag of Admiral Collingwood, the second in command, in the lee line.

"The officers now met at breakfast, and though each seemed to exult in the hope of a glorious termination to the test so near at hand, a fearful presage was experienced that all would not again unite at that festive board.

"About half-past eleven the Royal Sovereign fired three guns, which had the intended effect of inducing the enemy to hoist their colours, and showed us the (French) tricoloured flag intermixed with that of Spain.

"The drum now repeated the summons, and Captain Hargood sent for the officers. "'Gentlemen', said he, 'I have only to say that I shall pass close under the stern of that ship; put in two round shot and then a grape, and give her that.

"The shot began to pass over us and gave us an intimation of what we should in a few awful minutes undergo. An awful silence prevailed, only interrupted by the commanding voice of Captain Hargood, 'Steady, starboard a little, steady so!'

"A severe contusion on the breast now prostrated our Captain, but he soon resumed his station.

"My eyes were horrorstruck at the bloody corpses around me, and my ears rang to the shrieks of the wounded and the moans of the dying. At this moment, seeing that almost every one was lying down, I was half disposed to follow the example and several times stooped for the purpose, but - and I remember the impression well - a certain monitor seemed to whisper, 'Stand up and do not shrink from your duty.'

"Turning round, my much esteemed and gallant senior fixed my attention; the serenity of his countenance and the composure with which he paced the deck, drove more than half my terrors away; and joining him I became somewhat infused with his spirit.

"It was just twelve o'clock when we reached their line.

"Our energies became roused, and the mind diverted from its appalling condition by the order of "Stand to your guns!" which, as they successively came to bear were discharged into our opponents on either side; but as we passed close under the stern of the Santa Ana, of 112 guns, our attention was more strictly called to that ship.

"The firing was now tremendous, and at intervals the dispersion of the smoke gave us a sight of the colours of our adversaries.

"At this critical point, while steering for the stern of L'Intomptable (our masts and yards and sails hanging in the utmost confusion over our heads), which continued a most galling raking fire upon us, the Fougueux being on our starboard quarter, and the Spanish San Juste on our larboard bow, the Master earnestly addressed the Captain. 'Shall we go through, sir?' 'Go through by . . . . . . .' was his energetic reply.

'There's your ship, sir, place me close alongside her.'

"At about one o'clock the Fougueux ran us board the starboard side; and we continued thus engaging until the latter dropped astern.

Our mizzemast soon went, and soon afterwards the maintopmast.

"At two o'clock the mainmast fell over the larboard side. I was at the time under the break of the pool aiding the carronade, when a cry of 'Stand clear there, here it comes!' made me look up, and at that instant the mainmast fell over the bulwarks just above me.

"This ponderous mass made the ship's whole frame hake, and had it taken a central direction it would have gone through the poop.

"At half-past two our foremast was shot away close to the deck. In this unmanageable state we were seldom capable of annoying our antagonists, while they had the power of choosing their distance.

"We had suffered severely, and those on the poop were ordered to assist at the quarter deck guns, where we continued till the action ceased.

"Until half-past three we remained in this harassing situation, by which time we lay a mere hulk covered in wreck and rolling in the swell. At this hour a three-decked ship was seen apparently steering towards us.

"We had scarcely seen the British colours since one o'clock, and it is impossible to express our emotion as the alteration of the stranger's course displayed the white ensign to our sight.

"Soon the Swiftsure came nobly to our relief. It was near four o'clock when we ceased firing, but the action continued in the body of the fleet about two miles to windward.

"About five o'clock the officers assembled in the captain's cabin to take some refreshment.

"There sat a melancholy on the brows of some who mourned the messmates who had shared their perils and their vicissitudes for many years.

"Then the merits of the departed heroes were repeated with a sigh, but their errors sunk with them into the deep."