Horatio, Lord Nelson (1759-1805)

“Kiss Me, Hardy!”

Thomas Hardy, the captain of HMS Victory, carried Nelson below decks after he had been hit,

and this is what Hardy reported as Nelson’s last words.

But Nelson is also reported to have later said

“Thank God I have done my duty”.

Nelson’s secretary, John Scott, recorded Nelson’s last words as “God and my country”.

There is also speculation that what was recorded as “Kiss Me, Hardy”, might have been “Kismet, Hardy”.

[Kismet = Fate]