Richard Masters

27th September 2025

Memorial to Private RICHARD MASTERS, Royal Marines, of St Tudy:

Died 21 October 1805 at the Battle of Trafalgar

Private Richard Masters, Royal Marines, was born in St Tudy in 1784. He was christened in the church's still-existing font.  As a young man he was employed as a farm worker and in the midst of the wars against France he joined the local militia.

He went on to join the Royal Marines.  He trained at the Stonehouse barracks in Plymouth, Devon, and in May 1805 he embarked in the 74-gun warship HMS THUNDERER.  Just five months later, aged 21, he was killed at the battle of Trafalgar.  As was usual in the rage of battle, his body was thrown overboard. 

Private Masters thus has no grave but the sea.  However, several of his relatives, including his mother, are buried in the churchyard at St Tudy.  The exact location of her grave is not known, but the graves of other family members are marked.

As a joint initiative, the St Tudy Historical Society and The 1805 Club raised a memorial plaque to Private Masters in the churchyard, close to the known graves of his relatives.  They regarded this as a form of 'bringing him home' at last.

The British victory at the battle of Trafalgar was hugely important for Britain as a whole, removing the threat of invasion by Napoleonic forces.  The fact that a quite ordinary young man from St. Tudy was one of those who gave his life in that battle, and who never came home is very touching.

It is not always possible to record the life and death of someone who was not an officer.  Private Masters’ commemoration fills a void, providing educational opportunities not only for Cornwall but elsewhere too.

The date for the commemoration and unveiling was Saturday 27 September 2025. This fell between two key dates: the baptism of Richard as a baby on 19 September 1784, and the 220th anniversary of his death at sea off Cape Trafalgar on 21 October 1805.