The Second Trafalgar



The new first day cover from Bletchley Park Post Office for Royal Mail's "Trafalgar" bicentenary stamp issue links two great sea battles. Whilst Nelson's 1805 victory is well known that of Admiral Cunningham at Cape Matapan in 1941 is less so. But historians call the Battle of Matapan the second Trafalgar because of its impact on the course of World War 2. The limited edition cover is only available direct from Bletchley Park Post Office at £12.50 plus £1.50 post and packing. The complete set of Royal Mail Trafalgar stamps has been added by hand and cancelled with a special "Trafalgar to Matapan" handstamp for the 18th October first day of issue.

In 1805 Nelson had to rely on signals from frigates, scouting brigs and on shore spies to report enemy movements. This was done using flags, flares and semaphore. Without precise information the combined French and Spanish fleet would have been lost in the Atlantic. Reappearing only to protect Napoleon's channel invasion fleet.

Cunningham faced a similar problem in the Mediterranean when in 1941 Hitler ordered the Italians to destroy Allied convoys. But the communications technology had changed to encrypted radio signals. At Bletchley Park a young code breaker named Mavis Batey noticed something unusual about one message. It was the convoy attack instructions for the Italian fleet. The information enabled Cunningham to locate and destroy the Italian fleet in the largest Mediterranean fleet action since Nelson at the Battle of the Nile in 1798.

The exclusive artwork on the cover provides the link between the two Admirals and the types of secret communication they dealt with. It can be viewed in the gallery at www.bletchleycovers.com. Further details can also be obtained from Bletchley Park Post Office, The Mansion, Bletchley Park, Milton Keynes, MK3 6EB UK or phone/fax +44 (0) 1908 631797.





The Second Trafalgar