On display after 200 years: Rare Royal Navy uniform worn by survivor of Battle of Trafalgar (found in a plastic bag in the attic)

Served as midshipman, aged 17, in decisive battle off Spanish coast

Wore uniform when reached rank of lieutenant in 1812



Rare find as no other uniforms of that rank and era in existence



A rare Royal Naval uniform worn by a British survivor of the Battle of Trafalgar has been unearthed after spending decades in the attic of one of the sailor's descendants.



William Hicks became famous for his gripping account of Trafalgar which told how, as a 17-year-old midshipman on HMS Conqueror, he helped British forces crush France and Spain in 1805 to end the threat of an invasion by Napoleon.



Now a uniform worn by Hicks several years later when he reached the rank of lieutenant has been unearthed in a plastic bag in an attic, after being handed down through his family for 200 years.



It went on display today at the National Maritime Museum in London on the anniversary of the battle off the Spanish coast. The museum also displays the uniform worn by Admiral Nelson that momentous day when he was shot and killed by a French sniper.



The smart uniform belonging to Lieutenant William Hicks, from around 1812, is an important find for military historians as it is believed no other lieutenant uniform of that era is left in existence.

The smart blue uniform belonging to William Hicks, from around 1812, is an important find for military historians as it is believed no other lieutenant uniform of that era is left in existence.

Until now they had to rely solely on descriptions of what uniforms at the time looked like.

It was passed down to Hicks's great granddaughter Carolyn Hammond, who was not aware of its significance and had kept the uniform in a plastic bag in the attic.

THE NAVAL VICTORY WHICH CONFIRMED BRITISH SUPREMACY

The Battle of Trafalgar on October 21, 1805, remains one of the greatest triumphs in British naval history

A fleet of 27 ships led by Horatio Nelson on HMS Victory defeated 33 French and Spanish ships off the south-west coast of Spain, near Cape Trafalgar.



The Franco-Spanish fleet lost 22 ships, without a single British vessel being sunk.

The decisive British victory confirmed the country's naval supremacy, as over 3,300 French and Spanish were killed, over 2,500 wounded and 8,000 captured.

By comparison, historical records show that just 1,666 British naval officers were killed or wounded.

Nelson was famously killed in the battle, while his French counterpart, Admiral Villeneuve, was captured along with the French flagship Bucentaure.

Hicks was only 17 when he served as a midshipman in the Battle of Trafalgar.

In a vivid account of the naval battle, published in The Times shortly afterwards, he tells how a shipmate's blood gushed into his shoes as the brutal battle raged on October 21, 1805.



He wrote: 'I had a merciful escape in the fight with the (Spanish ship) Santissima Trinidad.



'I saw a grape shot which struck a canister case. I took it up and put it in my pocket.



'Turning round I saw the first lieutenant and sixth lieutenant lying close by me. I ran to them, saying, "I hope you're not seriously hurt", and lifting Mr Lloyd's head the blood gushed into my shoes. Both were dead.'



Hicks was aide-de-camp to Sir Israel Pellew, commander of HMS Conqueror, the British ship which battled with the French flagship Bucentaure at Trafalgar.



His account continued: 'We engaged her single-handed for half an hour, and she struck to us; after her colours were hauled down two guns from her starboard quarter began to play on us.

'Sir Israel Pellew, thinking that they were disposed to renew the fight, ordered the guns which could bear on her foremast to knock it away, and her masts were cut away.'



Experts at the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich, where the uniform will now be displayed, believe it stayed in such good condition because Hicks left the Navy soon after and it did not suffer too much wear and tear.



His letters, preserved by his family, reveal that the carnage he witnessed as a young man at Trafalgar made a deep and lasting impact.



The fact that he kept his uniform also suggests that the experience stayed with him.



Hicks's great granddaughter, Carolyn Hammond, said: 'Succeeding generations of the Hicks family have cherished these family treasures, and when a chance encounter with members of the 1805 Club at the unveiling of a Trafalgar Way plaque led to the discovery that William's uniform was of national rather than just family significance the current generation of the family were delighted to donate it to the National Maritime Museum, knowing that it would then be professionally cared for, and that William's story would reach a wider audience.'



She added: 'It was just hanging in a plastic bag. When the curator arrived she said, 'We'd better be careful how we treat it', and I thought, 'Oh help!''