England expects: The flags and signals of the Battle of Trafalgar, 1805
On 21 October 1805, 27 British ships of the line sailed towards a combined French and Spanish fleet off Cape Trafalgar. What followed became one of the most famous naval battles in British history. Admiral Horatio Nelson's victory at Trafalgar secured British naval supremacy, but cost Nelson his life. It also produced perhaps the most famous flag signal in history: “England expects that every man will do his duty.”
