Westphal, George Augustus |
| ADMIRAL (BRITISH NORTH AMERICA) |
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BORN 26 Jul 1785, Nova Scotia - DIED 12 Jan 1875, Hove, East Sussex GRAVE LOCATION Hove, East Sussex: St. Andrews Churchyard, Church Road (family vault) |
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George Westphal was the older brother of admiral Philip Westphal. He joined the Royal Navy in North-America when he was thirteen years old. In 1805 he was stationed as a midshipman on the HMS Victory during the Battle of Trafalgar on 21 Oct 1805. He was wounded in the head and was laid near the injured Nelson. Nelson's coat was used as a pillow for Westphal and for the rest of his life he kept a fragment that was bonded to his hair and cut away from the coat. He served in the West Indies afterwards and saw action on land during the invasion of Martinique in 1809. He was promoted to commander and served in North-America. In 1817 he married Alicia Chambers. He commanded the HMS Jupiter and was knighted in England. In 1834 his health no longer enabled him to do active service. He retired to Hove in East Sussex and during his retirement he was promoted to rear admira, vice admiral and admiral. At the time of his death in 1875 he was the last surviving officer from the HMS Victory crew during the Battle of Trafalgar. When Nelson's coat was bought by Prince Albert for the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich he was asked to authenticate it using his fragments and he his parts were indeed missing from the coat. |
| Images |
 The grave of George Augustus Westphal at St. Andrews Churchyard, Hove. Picture by Androom (17 Feb 2017) |
