25 October, Shipboard Life in Nelson's Navy 7:30pm
£12.00
Sunday 25 October 2026 7:30pm, Shipboard Life in Nelson's Navy
Martin Thomas returns to Landulph Festival with an illustrated talk on naval traditions and medicine in the age of sail. He explores the realities of life at sea, from harsh discipline for offences like insubordination and drunkenness to punishments such as flogging and keel-hauling used to maintain order.
The talk also examines the medical challenges sailors faced, including scurvy, typhus, and yellow fever, and how understanding of these diseases developed. Martin highlights the conditions of naval surgery, with examples from HMS Victory and the death of Admiral Nelson.
Blending historical insight with personal maritime experience, Thomas offers a vivid glimpse into a demanding and often brutal world. Be glad you live now and not then
Doors and bar open at 6:30pm, event starts at 7:30pm.
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