Page 223 - The Secret Museum

One of the lucky survivors from the Battle of Trafalgar was a man named John

Franklin. He later died in the Arctic, while looking for the Northwest Passage.
Opposite Nelson’s flag in the storage unit is a message balloon made from paper that
was used by a search party looking for Franklin and his team out on the ice. They
hoped the men were still alive and would see the balloons in the sky, or find their
messages once the balloons fell and realize they were going to be rescued. Sadly, this
was not to be.

On a cheerier note, the tiniest thing in the collection that is not on display is the
world’s smallest cannon. It can only be seen with a microscope. I had a look at it,

and it’s perfectly formed and tiny, but can’t actually fire cannonballs.

A Mr Towson made it for a bet in 1828. While he was creating it, his maid
opened the door, creating a blast of wind, which blew one of the cannon’s tiny
wheels on to the floor. Neither of them ever found it, so he had to make another. The
cannon was shown at the Great Exhibition, and then Queen Victoria took it for her
collection at Windsor Castle so she could look at it whenever she liked.

Eventually, it made its way to Greenwich, where it used to be on display.
However, being a military cannon, it didn’t fit the naval theme of the museum, so it
was finally put into storage.

Lots of people visiting the museum used to ask Barbara where it was. This hasn’t
happened much recently, as people have forgotten about it, but when it first went into

storage, Barbara said, ‘It had to be nearby so we could whip it out whenever anyone
wanted to see it.’

Unfortunately, the museum can’t do that with the huge and fragile flag. The iconic
treasure from Trafalgar will remain unseen.

They see where fell the Thunder bolt of war,
On the storm swollen waves of Trafalgar.
They see the spot where fell a star of glory,
The Finis to one page of England’s story.
They read a tale to wake their pain and pride,

In that brass plate engraved ‘HERE NELSON DIED’.

Branwell Brontë