Nelson: The New Letters, Nelson: the Admiral and other works on Nelson
Colin Saunders White (28 August 1951 – 25 December 2008) was a British military historian, director of the Royal Naval Museum from 2006 until his death and one of Britain's leading experts on Admiral Horatio Nelson and the Battle of Trafalgar.[1]
Despite being profoundly deaf and asthmatic, White was a long-standing member of the Southsea Shakespeare Actors and a popular after-dinner speaker. He was a server at Portsmouth Cathedral, and a keen theatre and cinema goer.[1][3]
In August 2006, White underwent an operation to remove a kidney, following a diagnosis of cancer. The cancer returned, however, and he died on Christmas Day 2008. As a mark of respect, all the ships in Portsmouth Harbour, including HMS Victory, lowered their ensigns to half-mast.[3]
Museum career
Colin White first became a staff member of the Royal Naval Museum in September 1975 as a research assistant, rising to become Chief Curator in 1982, then Deputy Director and Head of Museum Services in 1996, with special responsibility for the Museum's ambitious Development Plan.[1] In 2000, he was appointed Chairman of the Official Nelson Celebrations Committee, with responsibility for co-ordinating The Trafalgar 200 Festival, a national and international series of events to mark the bicentenary of Trafalgar in 2005.[1] He was Chairman, Official Nelson Commemorations Committee, 2001-2006. In 2006 he was appointed Director of the Royal Naval Museum and was holding that position at the time of his death from cancer.[4]
A well-known figure on the lecture circuit, he lectured on cruise ships, in the US, and in the UK.[5] He regularly appeared in the British radio, TV and print media, especially during the bicentenary, when he presented his own Radio 4 series: "Nelson: the latest."[6]
