Vice Admiral Lord Nelson's letter sells for £11,875

A letter from Vice Admiral Lord Nelson to one of his captains offering to help find his sailor son who had deserted his ship has sold for £11,875.

Capt Charles Tyler's son Lt Charles Tyler had been missing for two months after running off with an Maltese opera dancer.

The Norfolk-born admiral's letter was sold at auction by Bonhams in London.

The letter was written on 30 September 1805, three weeks before Nelson was killed at the Battle of Trafalgar.

In the letter, Nelson, born at Burnham Thorpe, Norfolk, in 1758, tells Capt Tyler, one of his most trusted commanders: "We shall get hold of Him (Lieutenant) before any great length of time."

Last year another letter written by Nelson while on HMS Victory sold for £17,000.

Nelson played a key role in naval victories at the battles of the Nile in 1798 and Copenhagen three years later.

He died at the Battle of Trafalgar, one of Britain's most famous naval successes, on 21 October 1805.