Marking the Right Spot of Lord Nelson's Touch

For the last 100 years, tourists visiting the spot on HMS Victory where Admiral Lord Nelson drew his last breath have been in the wrong place.

Since 1900, wording in gold leaf has marked the spot where Britain's greatest Naval hero passed away during the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. But by studying Arthur Devis's famous painting The Death of Nelson as part of a history thesis, Victory curator Peter Goodwin found people should look 25 feet to their right.

After examining the painting and the ship and reading contemporary documents, Mr. Goodwin pinpointed an area 25 ft. further forward on the same deck. It has taken 10 years to persuade Naval officials his evidence is right and a new monument is being made to mark the correct place.

Mr. Goodwin, 57, said yesterday: "History is not always what it appears to be. I think it's important to put the picture right."

We commend Goodwin for his valiant efforts over the years to fix this misconception. It sounds like "The Da Vinci Code" to us.

[Daily Mirror]