Dignitaries, guests and members of the public raised a glass to commemorate Lord Admiral Collingwood and the role he played in the Battle of Trafalgar.
A large crowd turned out for the annual ‘Toast the Admiral’ event at the Collingwood Monument in Tynemouth on Monday (21 October).
This is the tenth year that North Tyneside Council has hosted the event, which took place at 12 noon – in recognition of the fact that midday was the time at which the first shot was fired in the Battle of Trafalgar on 21 October 1805.
North Tyneside has the greatest monument to the Admiral at Tynemouth looking out to sea which provided the setting for the Toast.
Cllr Wendy Lott, Chair of North Tyneside Council, opened proceedings before the raising of the blue ensign.
Commodore Phil Waterhouse ADC RN, Naval Regional Commander, Northern England, then addressed the crowd and invited guests to raise a glass of ‘grog’ or ale to the Admiral.
Cllr Lott said: “Admiral Lord Collingwood was a great hero not only in the eyes of the British people but around the world.
“We need to keep his memory alive because what he achieved throughout his time as a naval officer is second to none.
“I’m so proud that he was one of our own, here from the North East of England. To me, he’s a hero of mine and stands proud over the mouth of the Tyne and long may he stand there and be commemorated long after we’re all gone.”
Commodore Waterhouse added: “It’s truly humbling, particularly for me being a Royal Navy sailor of the north of England, to be asked to pass a few comments on how important a role Lord Collingwood played in the Battle of Trafalgar.”
Vice-Admiral Lord Collingwood
Born in Newcastle on 26 September 1748, Collingwood’s naval career through the American War of Independence and the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic wars was an outstanding example of duty and courage.
Admiral Collingwood was famously second in command to Admiral Nelson at the battle of Trafalgar. His ship, Royal Sovereign, was the first to fire upon the combined enemy fleet of French and Spanish ships and he was the most senior officer left standing when the battle had been won. Taking command of the British fleet, his skill as a seaman and commander ensured that no British ships were lost in the fierce storm that followed the action.
The respect that Collingwood earned was not confined to the British Navy, after Trafalgar he was able to negotiate with the Spanish at Cadiz to ensure that the wounded of all nationalities were cared for.
Admiral Collingwood was a highly skilled commander who saw action in the battle of the ‘Glorious’ first of June under Admiral Howe, the battle of Cape St Vincent under Admiral Sir John Jervis and, after Trafalgar, he took over the Mediterranean command from the fallen Nelson, only relinquishing when he was near death, five years later in 1810. Post Trafalgar he was instrumental in ensuring that the complexity of the Mediterranean command was handled with the various skills of a viceroy, a politician, a diplomat and of course a naval commander.
Commodore Phil Waterhouse ADC RN, Naval Regional Commander, Northern England
Commodore Phil Waterhouse was born in 1966 and grew up in West Yorkshire. Educated in Sherburn-in-Elmet, Pontefract and at Hull Trinity House Naval School, he joined the Royal Navy as a Junior Sailor in 1982. After initial training, he served in HMY Britannia and HM ships NAIAD and CORNWALL; he was promoted to the Officer Corps in 1988
Early appointments included logistics command posts in HMS BROADSWORD, HMS BULLDOG, HMS COVENTRY, HMS BEAVER and HMS EDINBURGH as well as seagoing staff appointments as Flag Lieutenant to the Flag Officer Surface Flotilla, as Personal Staff Officer to the Commander Amphibious Task Group and as the Logistics Officer to the Captain, Third Destroyer Squadron. Key shore appointments included being the Personal Staff Officer to the Naval Secretary and Deputy FLEET Logistics Officer on the Staff of Commander-in-Chief FLEET. He graduated from the Advanced Command and Staff Course in 2005 and, on promotion to Commander, took command of the Defence Maritime Logistics School.
Thereafter, he returned to sea as Commander Logistics HMS BULWARK. He joined the DE&S as Project Manager/Commanding Officer of the support chain enabling project MJDI in early 2010. Departing on the successful delivery of the project, he returned to Navy Command HQ as the Logistics Branch Career Manager where he commanded a small team responsible for appointing, promoting and career counseling of the 3,500 members of the Logistics Branch. Promoted to Captain in 2013, he moved within NCHQ to the Logistics Strategy and Capability directorate where he was responsible for all logistics support, platforms and future capability in the RN, RM and RFA, before enjoying 2 years as the Deputy Naval Base Commander, Devonport and The Captain, HMS DRAKE. On selection for Commodore, he assumed his current assignment as Naval Regional Commander Northern England and the Isle of Man in early 2017. Made an Aide de Camp to Her Majesty the Queen in January 2018, he flies his Broad Pennant from his HQ in Liverpool.
Commodore Waterhouse is a Fellow of the Institute of Logistics and Transport, a Fellow of the Institute of Hospitality and a Member of the Anchorites; he is a Younger Brother of Hull Trinity House. He holds a Master’s Degree in Defence Studies from Kings College London, an NVQ Level 5 from OCR and Diplomas from CILT(UK) and Inst AM. He is Chairman of the Board of Trustees for Alexandra House Nursery in Plymouth and sits as Naval Adviser to the Broughton House Ex-Serviceman’s Charity and the Battle of the Atlantic Memorial Charity. He is also President of the Manchester Naval Officers’ Association. His hobbies are centered on home life and an unhealthy obsession with Rugby League and cricket; he is a past Chairman of the Royal Navy Rugby League Association and Vice Chairman of Great Britain Armed Forces Rugby League and a practicing ECB Cricket Umpire. Commodore Waterhouse lives in Liverpool whilst conducting his Regional Command duties but travels to the family home in Devon as often as possible.