Samuel Robbins
Samuel Robbins (c. 1790 - after 14 January 1806) was a member of the crew of HMS Victory at the Battle of Trafalgar.
Robbins was born in London, England and served on HMS Victory from 2 April 1805 till he was discharged on 14 January 1806, meaning that he served during, and survived the Battle of Trafalgar.
Life
Samuel lived the first twelve years of his life in Britain before volunteering or being impressed into service on HMS Victory. Robbins then spent about one year in service on HMS Victory, serving during the Battle of Trafalgar, as a powder monkey or ship's boy before being discharged as a servant to one of the gunners.
Literary adaptation
In 2006, Susan Cooper wrote a novel titled Victory partly based on the life of Samuel Robbins. In the book Sam and his uncle were forced into the navy by a press gang. In reality, Sam may have been a volunteer, and it is unlikely that Sam would have served with his uncle.