Residents invited to remember Britain's greatest naval hero at Trafalgar Day service

The service, led by Canon Simon Ward of Great Yarmouth Minster, is open to all who wish to honour Horatio Nelson, who was killed by a French sniper at the Battle of Trafalgar, on October 21, 1805.

The Norfolk Naval Pillar on Monument Road marks Nelson's four main naval victories, at the Nile, Copenhagen, St Vincent, and Trafalgar. It is topped with the figure of Britannia and the motto from Nelson's coat of arms.

The event will start with a procession from South Beach Parade to the monument. Shots of rum - or orange juice if preferred - will be available to toast Nelson's immortal memory.

An account of the battle will be read by Cllr Kerry Robinson-Payne, and Cllr Graham Plant, the mayor of the Great Yarmouth borough, will lay a wreath at the base of the column on behalf of the people of the borough. The service will also include hymns and prayers.

Mayor Plant said: "Admiral Nelson is a national hero and we look forward to celebrating him and his achievements at this Trafalgar Day service.

"As well as Admiral Nelson, we remember those who gave their lives and their health to defend the essential freedoms that we treasure today. A simple act of remembrance is not a glorification of war but an act to acknowledge the courage of the many men who responded to the needs of their country."

The pillar stands at 144ft tall. It was paid for by public donations at a cost of £7,000 to commemorate Nelson after his death at the Battle of Trafalgar and was completed in 1819 - 21 years before London's Trafalgar Square monument.

Nelson was born at Burnham Thorpe in north Norfolk and visited Great Yarmouth numerous times during his career and was given the Freedom of the Borough. The fleet for the Battle of Copenhagen was prepared at Great Yarmouth and landed back in the port victorious.