March 3, 2022
"Look round, my boys, and view how beautiful the Rock appears by the light of the glorious fire.”
-George Augustus Eliott - at the end of the sortie, 27 November 1781.
We left Ronda by car, a map, and time on our hands. Our plan was to drive through this beautiful countryside and visit some of the many “White Villages” that dot the landscape.
We noticed the Rock of Gibraltar was near by and were curious about seeing such an iconic piece of geography.
This is for Stephen - Gibraltar is a monolithic limestone promontory composed of untold numbers of tiny sea creatures that compacted layer upon layer over 200 million years ago. It was formed when the teutonic plate of Africa collided with Europe . For a time, the Mediterranean basin was dry. Then, in the course of geologic time, the Atlantic ocean burst through the Gibraltar strait and flooded the area. The Mediterranean Sea was formed.
It is unusual driving up to the rock because the area around it is relatively flat so its 1000 plus feet height is startling to see. The British have controlled this highly strategic spit of land since taking it by force in 1704 in the War of Spanish Succession. Over the course of many years both Spain and France have tried to retake the area 14 separate times. Sieges became a way of life here hence its motto - Nulli Expugnabilis Hosti - it is Latin for "Conquerable by No Enemy”. Inside the rock . it is criss crossed with siege tunnels and military planning rooms that are in use still today. During WWII, Eisenhower and his partners planned the invasion of North Africa from here and its small single air strip was vital for fighter coverage with the campaign.
Britain has no intention of ever returning the area to Spain to the delight of the locals who call it home. ‘Brexit’ may change that status. When you visit the community, you definitely get the vibe of a military town. The architecture is boring, functional, and bland. It was never meant to be a tourist destination. You have to go through passport control to enter, because you are now going into the United Kingdom.
The many Brits who come here are trying to escape the dreary weather of England. However, the Brits, like many Americans, are profoundly ethnocentric people. They have no intention of assimilating with the locals, learning Spanish, or anything else that isn’t British. Around 30,000 live here full time and they have worked to create a mini UK here for themselves.
You will find iconic British stores here like Marks and Spencers, red phone booths, fish and chips, and no Spanish translations. Everything is labeled in the Queen’s English. Spaniards, for the most part, ignore the place. Street signs will not even refer to it until you are close and the immense rock is obvious.
John Lennon and Yoko Ono were married here along with Sean Connery.
There are two main things to do here; monkeys and going to the top of the rock.
Yes, there are monkeys here - they are called ‘Apes’ on local tour maps. They are actually tailless Barbary macaques. Macaques are a very common breed of monkey and we encountered them in India, Thailand, and Cambodia. They will walk right up to you without fear but it is a ruse. They can swiftly become very aggressive and will steal anything you have. We watched one go after a baby carriage and take a plastic bag with treats in it. Very foolish people try to sit next to big males to get a selfie. It is risky. Although they can act cute, they are often quite nasty. Think of a squirrel with big muscles, teeth, and opposable thumbs.
There is a cable car that allows easy ascension to the top of the Rock. We have been fortunate on this trip so far with mild weather and brilliant skies. Today as no different. From the top you could easily see the cost of Africa and Tengiers, Morocco just over the straight. You can clearly see the tear drop shape of the spit of land controlled by England and the two Spanish cities that share the bay.
We thought about taking the ferry to Morocco for the day. it is easy and not very expensive. However, Morocco has more stringent Covid requirements than the EU so we decided against it. So we took in the view and tried to step around the begging monkeys.
It was then that I realized where I was and what took place just a few miles North. There are many famous military adventures that have taken place here. There are few more famous or significant than the Battle of Trafalgar.
On the morning of October 21, 1805, Admiral Horatio Nelson sailed with his large fleet into the bay on the horizon in the picture below..
Nelson was already a legend by then. His place in history would be decided here on that day. he was not an imposing man. He stood all of 5’4” tall, Napoleon was taller at 5’6”. He was missing one arm and one eye he had lost in previous battles. Yet despite his odd appearance, he possessed a personal magnetism and authority that inspired men to follow him to their deaths.
He was in command of what was called a ‘Ship of the Line’ back then. These were essentially the battle ships of their day. There were large 3 masted sailing vessels that had multiple cannons on separate decks. His ship was the HMS Victory. Nelson had 27 of these vessels in his fleet. The French and Spanish combined fleets had more.
The way naval battles of this size were fought back then is that each side when line up parallel to bring the maximum quantity of cannons to bear for a massive broadside attack. Then, who ever shot best, usually won.
Each ship would have a detachment of Marines prepared to board the other ship or to climb up into the rafters as sharpshooters to pick off the opposing seamen.
Nelson would prevail that day by abandoning orthodoxy and driving straight into the opposing force like a colossal “T”. It would cause the opposing force to split up and not be able to line up properly for the shots and the British could then pick them off as smaller groups.
It was a risky move because before they could get to the French/Spanish lines the lead ships would suffer withering fire. However, Nelson had a had a habit of leading from the front. The Victory was in the lead group and would suffer considerable damage. However, the bold tactic worked. The French and Spanish fleets were thrown into disarray and suffered sever losses.
The British losses were considerably less save one. The Victory drew within 50 feet of an opposing warship. Nelson had been warned not to wear his full regalia since it would make him a target. He refused, “the men need to see me”. A sharpshooter was is in the rigging of the French ship 50 feet away, He fired his musket, a weapon notorious for unreliable aim but for deadly consequences if it struck home.
Nelson was hit behind in his shoulder, it passed through his chest collapsing his lung and lodged in his thoracic spine. Men found him at the base of a mast.
According to reports Nelson was awake and knew the wound was mortal. He was kept on the Victory and and lingered there for several hours. His last words were reportedly, “Thank God, I have done my duty”.
The Victory was towed to this harbor below the Rock where a cruise ship is now docked. In order to preserve the body. Nelson’s corpse was placed in a barrel of Sherry. It was later transferred to a lead coffin and taken home to be buried with honors at St Paul’s Cathedral in London.
The result of the battle would cement Britain’s reputation as the greatest navy in the world for the next century. Nelson would be enshrined as one of the greatest heroes of British history. Two members of the Victory are buried here in this small cemetery. The remaining 400 or so casualties were interned at sea.
All of this happened right here, on a sunny October day long ago.
There is much more to this place than monkeys.
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