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Trafalgar Night Mess Dinner (November 2011)

On Friday 11th November 2011, Nelson House had the tremendous honour of welcoming Admiral Sir Trevor Alan Soar, Commander-in-Chief Fleet of the Royal Navy, to the 7th Annual Trafalgar Night Mess Dinner.

The night began with a very lively Nelson House as everyone moved about preparing themselves for the event. Walking around you were met with the sights of students ironing tuxedo shirts, adjusting bow ties and polishing shoes. Eventually, after the last of the grooming had taken place, all that was left was one last check in the mirror and then down to the common room. For many, including myself, this was the first time we had ever attended such a formal dinner, therefore it was quite a sight to behold as you walked into the common room to see 60+ students dressed in tuxedos and evening dresses. After some brief mingling and photos, Nelson House departed for the Quorum Club.

Upon entering the Quorum Club we were offered a glass of Buck's Fizz and had the opportunity to have yet more photos taken, this time with a bit more professionalism. Shortly into having our photos taken, Admiral Soar entered the room in his impressive mess dress along with Lady Soar who had both earlier arrived at the College via helicopter. Then, after a brief period of socialising we were all invited, to the playing of bagpipes, into the transformed Unwin Hall for the meal - suffice to say we were all very impressed and felt the part.

The Dinner itself consisted of 5 courses, all of which tasted delicious. I myself was particularly impressed with the serving of chocolate ships at the end of the meal, that not only were filled with maltesers but also had little masts and sails conveying the famous flag message 'England expects that every man will do his duty'. Throughout the meal there was a large amount of mess etiquette to remember, leading to an array of confused faces. Failure to abide by this etiquette led to forfeits at the end of the night, keeping everyone on their toes. In addition to general socialising throughout the meal there was also the opportunity to send anonymous messages – this turned out to be a great example of the infamous 'Welbeck banter'.

After everyone had finished their desserts, the much anticipated decanters of port were placed on the tables. This was then followed by numerous toasts and sea shanties which placed everyone in high spirits.

The Admiral then gave his speech, which I found to be very interesting and insightful. He talked mostly of Admiral Nelson, but in particular focused on his leadership capabilities and the characteristics of a good leader – something of great relevance to a room full of potential Officers. After the speech the final toast was made in honour of all those who fought and died in the Battle of Trafalgar and, according to tradition, this toast was made in silence making the occasion rather moving. We were then led back into the Quorum Club to commence the mess games and the dreaded forfeits.

The forfeits began with some rather impressive animal impressions by Matthew Hawton, and ended with a tear-jerking rendition of ‘You’re Beautiful’ sung passionately by our Head of House Sam Jellard and Deputy Head of House Jason D’Souza, which by the end transformed into a spontaneous waltz. Upon completion of the forfeits all that was left were the mess games which consisted of various platoon, gender, age and tutor group face-offs such as seated tug-of-war, pass the apple and build a bridge. All were very enjoyable to take part in and even better to watch and laugh at, bringing the night to an amazing end.

I believe I speak on behalf of all of Nelson House when I say that the whole evening was truly enjoyable and will be greatly remembered. I would also like to say a big thanks to Serena Martin for organising the event along with the catering staff for preparing a lovely meal, our House Staff and not to mention the Trenchardians for their wonderful waiting skills. But most of all, we would like to express our sincere thanks to Admiral and Lady Soar for gracing us with their presence at this very special occasion in the House calendar.

Matthew Crolla, Nelson 11E

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