Colin Saunders White, naval historian and curator, dies aged 57
Colin White, Director of the Royal Naval Museum at Portsmouth since June 2006, came to wider public prominence as – almost literally – the leading actor in the Trafalgar bicentenary events of 2005 and their four previous years of preparation.
White's identification with Nelson was by then so close that when his most important book, Nelson – The New Letters, came out that spring, the historian Andrew Roberts, in reviewing it, called him the admiral's "representative on earth". White treasured the compliment, not least as one to trail facetiously before friends with humorous aplomb.
Roberts struck near the mark, however; for while Nelson would have found room to spare within White's solid frame, there were similarities between the admiral and the historian. Both were essentially straightforward, inclusive personalities, and charismatic communicators to many types of audience. Each too was sustained by a strong Christian faith, which helped them meet premature deaths at the height of their careers...
Read entire article at Independent (UK)
White's identification with Nelson was by then so close that when his most important book, Nelson – The New Letters, came out that spring, the historian Andrew Roberts, in reviewing it, called him the admiral's "representative on earth". White treasured the compliment, not least as one to trail facetiously before friends with humorous aplomb.
Roberts struck near the mark, however; for while Nelson would have found room to spare within White's solid frame, there were similarities between the admiral and the historian. Both were essentially straightforward, inclusive personalities, and charismatic communicators to many types of audience. Each too was sustained by a strong Christian faith, which helped them meet premature deaths at the height of their careers...