4 The Magna Times, Thursday, March 14, 1991 Memories Perfect and Entire Devotion by W. Kent Goble Magna Times Feature Writer A Norfolk Lad It was the sea that ever called to him The wild and wondrous sea. Like the tides of life that ebb and flow 'Twas to shape his destiny As he slept before the mast at first And dreamt one day he d stand. Abaft the mast in an admiral s coat With a fleet at his command his-signa- Tho scarcely twelve when he ventured forth Out o 'er the storm tossed main, Twas a Norfolk lad who went out to sea But a man that came home again To the Falkland Isles and the Arctic seas As a sailor proud he roved. On The Seahorse and " The ing monument to the love his men Kent Goble. remembrance of Britains greatest and naval hero, Viscount (Lord) Horatio Nelson. He was mortally wounded October 21, 1805 at the Battle of Trafalgar. liiau ,t .m by-W- . In ad-mir- al PROLOGUE Little Horatia Victoria Atchison nestled comfortably in her mothers arms, oblivious to the excitement going on about her. At last she had arrived and all was well with mother and child. It was October 21,1 808, a special i day indeed for her parents, Rebecca Penfold Pasco and Commander John Pasco, R.N. and it was also the third anniversary of Englands greatest victory at sea, the battle of Cape Trafalgar iif which little Elizabeth's father, then Lieutenant John Pasco, had played an important role. But the hero of that battle had been Pasco beloved naval legend. Admiral Horatio Englands one-eye- d, one-arm- ed of the Nelson, commander-in-chie- f British fleet. For more than two years, Nelsons battleships had chased the French fleet, to the Caribbean and back, in the hope of forcing them to stand and fight. But it seems that the reluctance of the French to hove to and do battle was part of Napoleons larger plan to entice the English fleet away from England, making the British Isles vulnerable to invasion by his armies. Vanquish the ships of the Royal Navy and England would be his for the taking. WITH NELSON AT SEA John Pasco had become a lietenant in the Royal Navy on July 15, 1795 and he had sailed with Lord Nelson to the West Indies in pursuit of the French. THE WEDDING On September 1, 1805, Pasco married Rebecca Penfold, daughter of John Penfold. There was scant time for a honeymoon, however, as Lieutenant Pasco sailed once more with Nelson aboard his fleets flagship, The Victory, for the Mediterranean. THE CAPE OF TRAFALGAR The Cape of Trafalgar protrudes out The boldest measures are the Lord Nelson once declared. On October 21, 1805, his British fleet defeated the French and Spanish off Trafalgar with a bold attack. safest, CAPE SPARTEL Almost due south, a distance of some 30 miles, is Cape Spartel on the north coast of Africa. A half dozen miles further east along the coast is the fabled North African city of Tangier. Beyond, the shores of Spain and Africa draw together with scarcely eight miles of water separating the coastlines at the narrowest point. STAND AND FIGHT It was within sight of Trafalgars sandy sweep that Napoleon 'Bonapartes'' ' admiraJyijlneMeve. chose to stand and fight, having been frustrated in his attempts to decoy the English further. Admiral Nelson's flotilla of 27 ships was outnumbered by the 33 French and Spanish vessels, but October 21,1 805 would prove a fateful day for the attacking forces notwithstanding. ON THE BRIDGE On the bridge of the flagship The Victory, Admiral Nelson studied the manoeuvres of the advancing enemy. Turning to senior lieutenant John Pasco, his signal officer, the admiral directed that a message be communicated to all his battleships. FOR ENGLAND England expects that every man will do his duty, he declared and the message was unfurled to the fleet. A BOLD STRIKE Famous for his courage and fearless bravado. Nelson surprised the enemy with an unorthodox response to their attack: I am of the opinion, Nelson had once declared, that the boldest measures are the safest. Thus, without hesitation, he ordered his ships to advance rather than retire. OVERWHELMING VICTORY The startled French were taken aback by Nelsons bold move and the British battleships cut through the French battle line quickly, destroying or capturing more than half their formidable armada. A DEVASTATING BLOW But a sharpshooters bullet cut the down at the British commander-in-chie- f moment of his, and Englands, greatest triumph, inflicting a mortal wound to the spine. I HAVE DONE MY DUTY Lord Nelson died during the battle but he lived long enough to know that his men had prevailed and victory was assured. His last words have been immortalized in print as well as in stone. Thank God I have done my duty, he whispered with his dying breath. No doubt. Lieutenant Pasco was among those at his side as he fell, and must have subsequently signaled the tragic news that a hero had fallen. that connects the Atlantic PERFECT AND ENTIRE DEVOTION Poet Robert Southey wrote of Nelson, England has had many heroes. But never one who so entirely Ocean with the otherwise landlocked Mediterranean Sea. possessed the love of his fellow countrymen. All men knew his heart was as into the Atlantic, a barren sandy stretch of land on the southwest coast of Spain. It marks the northwestern approach to the Strait of Gibraltar, the narrow waterway ... ed fallen patriot. ' soft These words of a noble son, Thank God I have done my duty When he learned that the battle was won. l and his nation ... held for their belov- Hitchinbrook His love of the sea he proved But, like the wind o erhead in the maintopmast The years now swiftly fled. As an English lad turned admiral bold With fearless courage led Out beyond Gibraltars craggy slopes Near Trafalgars cape he sailed. Engaging the French and Spanish foe Til the Union Jack prevailed On his flagship called The Victory For England s cause he led. Those British ships through the fires of hell Til he fell amongst the dead But with final breath hed whispered humane as it was fearless ... that with perfect and entire devotion he served his country with all his heart, and with all his soul, and with all his strength. And therefore they loved him as truly and fervently as he loved England. THE NELSON MONUMENT A grieving but grateful nation honored their fallen hero. Trafalgar Square was established in London and a monument of stone, rising 185 feet above the square, was raised in his memory. A LIVING MONUMENT And precisely three years from his tragic death, the wife of officer, John Pasco, gave birth to a daughter, naming the child Horatia in Nelsons honor and Victoria in remembrance of his flagship, The Victory. The infant, his namesake, became a liv- POSTSCRIPT It was late October and the leaves were turning to shades of red and gold along the foothills of the Wasatch. Clusters of oakbrush, in particular, seemed to set the hills ablaze. I walked up the grass covered, sloping incline, alone with my thoughts, carefully pacing off the distance from the graveled lane to the point I sought. The air was warm with scarcely a hint of autumn chill except in the shadows cast by the spreading branches of the pine trees scattered amidst the leafy maples. After a moment I paused, satisfied that I had found the spot I was seeking, little more than a patch of grass with no headstone to mark the place where my second Mary Penfold Goble, had been laid to rest on that wintry day, December 12, 1856. Ted Case and varsity biathlon awards highlight Westview fireside Ted is a master teacher of mountain man skills. He understands that these lost skills were once basic and determined the very survival of those who used the skills. Today, life is much different but those same skills can teach a boy integrity, honesty, provide skills to help the scout get along with others, and add new and fun challenges for learning. Ted is currently serving . the Westview District as Varsity Huddle Commissioner, He gives of his time and talents to help strengthen the Varsity program an$I is a modem day hero to many boys. by Sharon Linschoten Magna Times Feature Writer Varsity Scouts, parents, and leaders listened to words of wisdom from Ted Case, guest speaker at Sundays Westview District Varsity Awards and Fireside. Ted reflected on his own scouting experiences he had while growing up in Magna. During his scouting years betTed had 31 scout ween ages leaders. A lot of scout lessons were learned from serving on the staff at summer scout camps. When Ted was a life scout and almost MVi years old, new scout leaders encouraged Ted to get his Eagle. Ted turned in his Eagle papers two days before his 8th birthday ... too close for comfort. Ted advised parents to encourage their sons to earn their Eagle rank, even if they have to push at times. He advised the boys to work towards their merit badges and rank advancements instead of playing basketball each week. Learn first aid because they may be tested at some time in their lives. Dont ever give up on yourself or your scout goals even if you have several leaders. 12-1- 8, Varsity Biathlon Awards were presented by Chuck Syme. Teams of four boys competed at Camp Tracy. Team efforts were tested as the boys skied down an obstacle course and shot rifles. The teams who won the 1991 Biathlon w.ere: 1st place in shooting went to 6476A, 2nd place 6801, and 3rd 6863A. Team 6746A was first in the skiing competition with a time of 1 1 minutes 41 seconds. Second went to Team 6664C with 14 minutes 31 seconds. Third went to Team 7197 with 15 minutes 39 seconds. 1 Magna Arts Council announces winners of literary contest Winning entries for the 1991 Literary Contest sponsored by the Magna Community Arts Council were announced this week. Prizes were presented at the monthly meeting of the Oquirrh Writers Group held February 21 at the months before her tragic Seven, Magna Library. death, she and her husband and Judy .Petersen, literary chair of the children had set sail from Liverpool for1 America aboard the sailing ship The arts council, was pleased by the response of the contest which is in its Horizon. fourth year and steadily increasing in Her daughter, Mary, records that as entries. The winners will be published Englands coast disappeared from in the annual publication of the sight, they stood watching, and sang Gazette, available to purchase Farewell My Native Land, at July 4th festivities at Magna Park. Farewell, tears flowing unchecked as Winners in the Short, Short Story are: 1st, Lois Lower, The Elm Tree ; they sang. 2nd, Theda Bassett, House Ghost ; Mary Penfold Goble loved her native third, Annette Weed, Metronome ; land, but she loved her family and her honorable mention, Jennifer Huffman, newly embraced religion as well and Mary Jane Davis, and Sandra Hall. she had chosen to follow her faith to In the Good (and Not So Good) Old Zion, a place she never lived to see. Days, winners are: 1st, Yulene AnderDeath claimed her first, as well as son Rushton, Under Suspicion ; 2nd, her son James and daughters Fanny and Floyd Jensen, 20th Century Trivia; baby Edith. Now I stood beside her third, Janeal Ahlstrom, Day at the grave contemplating the magnitude of Farm ; honorable mention, Stacey Case, her personal sacrifice. Youthful Adventures. In the category of Vignettes, the winners are: 1st, Carol Quist, Was He Our great-grandmoth- . Magna-Garfie- She was proud of her Penfold name and her seafaring legacy. For generations her people and her kin had gone out to sea or were wed to seamen and sailors, my heritage as well. But unlike kinsman John Pasco, her battle was private and unheralded. Nonetheless, her triumph was a remarkable personal accomplishment. She had died as the snowbound wagons of the Hunt wagon train struggled to make their way out of snow drifts into the valley of the Great Salt Lake, but she lived long enough to be assured that her surviving children would live to raise a posterity in the tops of the Rocky Mountains as she had hoped ... a noble victory indeed. For us, her posterity, she manifested a perfect and entire devotion. May God preserve her memory, for she, too, did her duty until death claimed her soul. ld Support the 1991 Magna Clean-U- p and help beautify the community! See story on page 1 psychologist offers advice on relieving childrens war anxiety U of U Weve all noticed it, the anxiety in our childrens eyes as they watch and listen to the news, to the reports of people being killed in the war. Weve heard the advice on how to allay their fears that they might be involved; that, somehow, they themselves might be hurt or even killed. But, for some children, those whose mothers or fathers, sisters or brothers have been called to duty in the Persian Gulf, the anxiety can be much deeper. They need help in dealing with the absence ot their loved ones and the possibility that they may not return home. This is particularly true for many Utah children, now that approximately 2,000 Reserve and National Guard troops have been ordered to active duty, many of them actually involved in the combat. For more information. Dr. Hammond can be reached at 581-226- 7. . Brother?; 2nd, Eva VanWagoner, Curse of the Shriveled Hand; third,' Hope Clark, Eternal Child; honorable mention, Floyd Jensen, Gone, and Sharon Linschoten, Treachery and Old Age. Sweepstakes Award for the most winning entries in the poetry categories went to Carol B. Quist, second place honors to Susanne Morley, third place to Hope Clark, and fourth to Theda Bassett. Information for the 1992 contest is available by sending a stamped envelope to: Literary Arts Contest, 2954 Ropner Circle, Magna, Utah 84044 .or by calling For information about purchasing back issues of the d Gazette, call d, 250-011- 5. Magna-Garfiel- 250-294- 3. One day a willow said to a thorn, Why are you so envious of the clothes of all who pass by? Of what use can they be to you? None whatsoever, said the thorn. I have no desire to wear them. I only want to tear them. If youre envious of others, youre like that thorn. You hurt others without helping yourself. No good comes from envy, only grief. Envy doesnt enrich you, it empties you. It doesnt lift you, it lowers you. It doesnt help you, it hurts you. Dont be like the thorn that tears. Like the Bible says, Be done with envy. It Works Wonders. $ American Heart Association