TODAY marks the anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar, the naval engagement fought on October 21, 1805, during the Napoleonic Wars, which gave Britain its mastery of the seas which lasted more than a century.

Admiral Lord Nelson, aboard HMS Victory, led the Royal Navy against a combined French and Spanish fleet – sinking 22 of the ships – but was shot by a French musketeer.

Today, historian Ken Spencer tells the story of a Burnley woman, whose great, great, and possibly great, grandfather, shot the man who shot Lord Nelson.

Mrs Haller, who lived in Barnes Court more than three decades ago, was told the story by her mother and was determined to find the truth.

It seems that during the battle, her ancestor, John Pollard, then 18, and a young midshipman, killed the sniper, who was perched on the mast of the French ship Redoubtable.

Though wounded himself, he was then credited with ‘clearing the French fighting tops of every one of the enemy, until not one was to be seen’.

The King’s Bounty should have been the reward, but John only received the same payment as the rest of the fleet – £26 pay and £10 prize money.

During her research Mrs Haller traced her family tree – her mother’s maiden name was Pollard – and found out the valiant sailor had remained in the navy and reached the rank of commander before his retirement in 1864.

Ken can find no Hallers in the Burnley area today, but in the 16th and 17th centuries, Pollard was the biggest surname throughout the area.