The false idea of fortress Britain: How the nation has been invaded scores of times since the Norman invasion of 1066 | Daily Mail Online comments Many like to think of Britain as an island that may be small and isolated, but one that is supremely tough. But one author has smashed the theory that Britain has been impenetrable since the Norman invasion of 1066. Whereas British history may crow about the nation's ability to invade and conquer other larger countries, this book will definitely deflate the idea that Britain has not been on the receiving end of an invasion for centuries. Successful invasion: William of Orange was one of many rulers to have invaded Britain since 1066 Invasion: A sketch of William III of Orange leading the Glorious Revolution at Hellevoetsluis in 1688 Ian Hernon, author of Fortress Britain, has found dozens of examples that prove that Britain has been invaded and attacked at least 70 times. RELATED ARTICLES Share this article Share He did not include the hundreds of small invasions on the south west coast, or Wales, that plagued many a small town, the Daily Telegraph reported.

Enemies arriving from Africa, America and - perhaps unsurprisingly - France have all landed on Britain's shores and attempted to invade, with varying degrees of success. The author told MailOnline: 'Everyone knows about the Norman conquest of England in 1066 and Germany's occupation of Guernsey during World War II. Charge: William of Orange, later King William III of England, leading the Dutch army in England's Glorious Revolution New history: The invasion by William III of Orange, who landed at Brixham in southwest England on 5 November 1688, is one of many detailed in Ian Hernon's book 'But there's a myth that Britain was never successfully invaded between these two wars. 'In fact there were many invasions between 1066 and 1940, but they have been forgotten and lost from the general British consciousness. 'I wanted to fill in the gap in this collective memory.' The journalist-turned-author counted 73 significant invasions - but most failed because of the terrible British weather. Dreadful conditions made it difficult for troops to cross the Channel and land on the shore.

Under attack: The French fleet attacks Bembridge in the Isle of Wight in 1545 Fire ships: The Dutch burn English ships on the Medway during the expedition to Chatham in 1667 The French bombardment of Algiers which was led by Admiral Duppere in June 1830 is shown in this sketch by Antoine Leon Morel-Fatio A painting by Richard Paton of the 1779 Battle of Flamborough Head off the coast of Yorkshire between an American Continental Navy squadron led by John Paul Jones and the two British escort vessels protecting a large merchant convoy The last time French troops landed on British soil was during the Battle of Fishguard - also known as the 'last invasion of Britain' - in 1797. Over the years, Britain has taken a pummelling from foreign adversaries. In 1193, the Danes teamed up with the most persistent offenders, the French, for a full-scale invasion, Mr Hernon's book says. The French Prince Louis the Lion came close to a successful exactly 150 years after the Battle of Hastings.

The 100 Years War was a source of constant pain for British towns and ports, as the Spanish and French carried out multiple raids. The Germans invaded the Channel Islands during World War II, which was one of many attacks on Britain's land Following the Armada, there was the bloodless invasion of 1688, with countless invaders landing on Britains shores until the German occupation of the Channel Islands between 1940 and 1945. The last shots exchanged with an enemy on Britain's mainland were at Graveney Marsh in Kent, as Germans and Britons engaged in fire. in March hundreds of French armed troops along with 43 vehicles, four helicopters, two landing craft and a catamaran, stormed a beach in Gosport, Hampshire. But far from being a serious assault on the scale of a Napoleonic invasion, this was a unique training exercise for the French military. While Britain has been on the receiving end of many an attack, a study in November last year showed its true global reach was far more extensive than maps would suggest. Throughout the ages, Britain has invaded almost 90 per cent of the world’s countries.

An analysis of the histories of almost 200 nations found that only 22 have never experienced a British assault. These include Luxembourg as well as Guatemala, Tajikistan and the Marshall Islands in the Pacific. HOW BRITAIN'S BORDERS HAVE BEEN INVADED 73 TIMES SINCE 1066 Britain is often considered an impenetrable island safe from foreign forces - but as this list of invasions since 1066 show, it's not as secure as many believe...

1067: Edgar Aethling attacked the West Country twice (2) 1060s–70s: Sweyn Estridsson invades in the north and then East Anglia (2) 1208: The Channel Islands are seized by Eustace the Monk (1) 1216: The French invade Kent, which sees their leader crowned (1) The Hundred Years War English Historical Fiction Authors: The Last Invasion of Britain - Battle of Fishguard 1797 The Last Invasion of Britain - Battle of Fishguard 1797 by Richard Denning On the 22nd of February in 1797 the UK mainland was invaded by soldiers of a foreign enemy. The attack would fall on Fishguard in Wales. This would be the last time that Britain was invaded (although British held Ireland would be invaded again a year or two later). The Invasion Plan After France declared war on Britain in 1793 a plan was conceived to attack Ireland. The idea was that of General Hoche.

He believed that a landing by a strong force of 15,000 would lead to a widespread uprising by the Irish who had been under British rule since Cromwell's war of over 150 years before. General Louis-Lazare Hoche 1768-1797 However it was likely that the British would react swiftly and send troops to Ireland to suppress this uprising. So to prevent this happening Hoche organised two other small expeditions. One would head to the Northeast of England and march across to Lancashire. The other would land in either south or North Wales. It was hoped that in both cases the working class would rise up in revolutionary zeal. The Irish invasion goes wrong. Hoche's main force set sail in December 1796 but almost at once it got into trouble. Severe storms scattered the fleet and the remnants limped back to Brest harbour. A similar fate occurred to the force destined for the North east. But what of the third force. What of the Welsh expedition? In Command - an American. It was an Irish-American, Colonel William Tate, from South Carolina, who was given command of the Expeditionary Force.

He was a veteran of the War of Independence but had fled to France after his involvement in a failed attempt to capture New Orleans. He commanded La Seconde Legion des Francs or "The Black Legion"named after their dark brown/black uniforms. The force consisted of 600 regular troops and another 800 men in a sort of penal regiment of deserters, convicts and Royalist prisoners of dubious loyalty. Commodore Castagnier commanded the French Fleet which consisted of four warships of good quality. The fleet flew the British flag but this ruse was seen through as the fleet sailed up the Bristol channel and alarm was raised. The initial target of Bristol was abandoned as tides were too strong so the Fleet sailed round to their second choice at Cardigan Bay, on the west coast of Wales. The Landing At first a scouting ship from the French fleet tried to sail into Fishguard Harbour but gun fire from Fishguard Fort forced the vessel to turn around. Tate ordered the landing to be at Carregwastad Head three miles from Fishguard. The landings started on the 22nd February 1797.

Tate advanced inland, captured a number of farms and set up his HQ at Trehowel Farm on the Llanwnda Peninsula about a mile from their landing site as well as taking the high ground at Garnwnda and Carngelli, which gave him an unobstructed view of the surrounding countryside. Things appeared to be going well for Tate. Carregwastad Head, the landing site for Tate's forces However whilst his regular troops were behaving well and had a good position, the 800 men of the penal regiment deserted in droves, found wine in the various farms and got drunk and would take no part in any battle. Some of them broke into St Nicholas church away to the south and burned bibles. The Welsh inhabitants were outraged by the French pillaging and louting and started attacking Tate's men. Tate had hoped the Welsh would rise up to throw off perceived English oppression but instead he found that his men were being picked off if they wandered about in small groups. The British Response. Local landowner William Knox had raised the Fishguard & Newport Volunteer Infantry in 1794 and placed his own son Thomas Knox in command of the four companies totalling 300 men.

The younger Knox had bought his commission and had no combat experience. When learning of the invasion Colonel Knox ordered the regiment to muster and set off towards Fishguard from Newport. In addition 200 men of the local Cardiganshire Militia were already mustered at Haverfordwest having been on an exercise and so their commander, Colby also prepared to march towards Fishguard. Meanwhile word was sent to Lord Cawdor, who commanded the Pembroke Yeomanry Cavalry which was stationed thirty miles away at Stackpole Court. On learning of the invasion Cawdor set off, linked up with Colby, assumed command and together the force moved towards Fishguard. Knox, meanwhile had sent word to Colby of his intention to attack the French on 23 February if he was not heavily outnumbered. Unfortunately for Knox, a hundred men had still not arrived and as far as he could tell the French numbers getting on towards 1500 men (he did not know that the penal regiment was running away) and so he decided to retreat. Knox came across Cawdor and Colby eight miles south of Fishguard at 1:30 p.m.

Despite Knox's protests Cawdor assumed command and led the combined force back towards Fishguard. Tate surrenders Cawdor set up his HQ in this pub. Cawdor arrived in Fishguard during the afternoon and set up his headquarters on Fishguard Square. Despite the French desertions Tate still had over 800 men and cannons at his disposal and actually still outnumbered Cawdor's men. But Tate could see that the situation was not good for him. He had now recieved word that his naval support had withdrawn (having themesleves become aware of Royal Navy vessels closing in. With half his force deserting and a substantial body of enemy getting ready to engage him AND with the hoped for Welsh uprising not having materialised, it was clear that this expedition was ultimately doomed. Tate sent two officers to negotiate with Cawdor, hoping to be allowed to withdraw. Cawdor bluffed that his forces were superior and demanded unconditional surrender of the French forces. He ordered Tate to assemble on Goodwick Sands by 10 a.m. on the 24th or he would attack.

Welsh Headgear plays its part The following morning the British lined up on the sands whilst above them the local townsfolk assembled, many wearing their national dress of tall black hats. It is possible that some of the French thought that the Welsh Women were in fact Grenadier guards as from a distance that mistake might be made. Indeed a local woman, Jemima Nicholas became famous that day as she advanced down to the sands with a pitch fork and persuaded 19 French soldiers to surrender! Tate tried to delay but eventually accepted the terms of the unconditional surrender and ordered his men to march in and pile their weapons. By 4pm it was all over and the French were being marched away to captivity. Afterwards Two of the four French ships were captured in an engagement with the Royal navy and the other two made it back to France. Tate's captivity was brief as in 1798 he and most of his little army was exchanged with British prisoners and sent back to France. In 1853 the Pembroke Yeomanry, despite the almost non existant battle, gained the battle honour 'Fishguard.' and is unique in being the only regiment in the British Army, that bears the name of an engagement on British soil.

After her death a memorial was raised for Jemima Nicholas, the lady who confronted the French invader armed only with a pitchfork! In my time travel novel Yesterday's Treasures , Tom sees an alternate version of history where the invasion is a success and North Wales is in French hands. Bringing his camera with him he had strolled along the battlements stopping every so often to take a photo of a cannon, the fort, Anglesey across the bay in one direction and the distant mountains in the other. On the top of the fort a Union Flag fluttered in the breeze and he snapped that. Then he checked the image in the small screen on the back. What he saw when it came into view made him stare in amazement. "Uh?" he muttered as he studied the picture, which clearly showed a flagpole with a flag hanging on the top. However, this was not the familiar red and blue crosses on a white background that he expected to see, but an altogether different flag: one with three broad stripes of red, white and blue. It was the tricolour of France! He peered up at the standard that flapped about in the gentle wind coming in off the Irish Sea.

It was, without a doubt, still the Union Flag. Baffled, he turned his head to glance around the fort, but he could not see a second flagpole anywhere nearby. "That's stupid!" he muttered. Then he slapped his forehead and smiled. This image was obviously an earlier photo left on the memory card from another day. He checked the image date and time and then frowned when he saw that the date it recorded was today and it had been taken only a few minutes before. Shaking his head, he looked back at the flagpole and gaped as he now saw the French flag up there, where moments before he was certain it had been the British one. Behind him he heard footsteps coming closer, so he looked around but there was no one in sight. As he stood and stared at the empty battlements he felt something brush past his right arm and heard the footsteps pass on by. Posted by Richard Denning at 10:24 PM The last invasion of Britain by the French at Fishguard By Ben Johnson | Comments The annals of history record the name of Hastings as the site of the last invasion of mainland Britain by Norman forces in 1066 . True, this was the last successful invasion.

However, little is reported about the French invasion of Fishguard, which took place in southwest Wales in 1797, nor of the brave resistance offered by Jemima Nicholas, also known as "Jemima Fawr" (Jemima the Great), who single-handedly captured twelve of the invading soldiers. In 1797, Napoleon Bonaparte was busy conquering in central Europe. In his absence the newly formed French revolutionary government, the Directory, appears to have devised a 'cunning plan' that involved the poor country folk of Britain rallying to the support of their French liberators. Obviously the Directory had recently taken delivery of some newly liberated Brandy! The French invasion force comprising some 1400 troops set sail from Camaret on February 18th, 1797. The man entrusted by the Directory to implement their 'cunning plan' was an Irish-American septuagenarian, Colonel William Tate. As Napoleon had apparently reserved the cream of the Republican army for duties elsewhere in Europe, Colonel Tate's force comprised a ragtag collection of soldiers including many newly released jailbirds.

Tate's orders were to land near Bristol, England's second largest city and destroy it, then to cross over into Wales and march north onto Chester and Liverpool . From the outset however all did not proceed as detailed in the 'cunning plan'. Wind conditions made it impossible for the four French warships to land anywhere near Bristol, so Tate moved to 'cunning plan' B, and set a course for Cardigan Bay in southwest Wales. On Wednesday February 22nd, the French warships sailed into Fishguard Bay to be greeted by canon fire from the local fort. Unbeknown to the French, the cannon was being fired as an alarm to the local townsfolk. Nervously the ships withdrew and sailed on until they reached a small sandy beach near the village of Llanwnda. Men, arms and gunpowder were unloaded and by 2 am on the morning of Thursday February 23rd, the last invasion of Britain was completed. The ships returned to France with a special despatch being sent to the Directory in Paris informing them of the successful landing. Upon landing, the French invasion force appear to have run out of enthusiasm for the 'cunning plan'.

Perhaps as a result of years of prison rations, they seem to have been more interested in the rich food and wine the locals had recently removed from a grounded Portuguese ship. After a looting spree, many of the invaders were too drunk to fight and within two days, the invasion had collapsed: Tate's force surrendered to a local militia force led by Lord Cawdor on February 25th 1797. Strange that the surrender agreement drawn up by Tate's officers referred to the British coming at them "with troops of the line to the number of several thousand." No such troops were anywhere near Fishguard, however hundreds, perhaps thousands of local Welsh women dressed in their traditional scarlet tunics and tall black felt hats had come to witness any fighting between the French and the local men of the militia. Is it possible that at a distance, and after a glass or two, those women could have been mistaken for British army Redcoats? During their two days on British soil the French soldiers must have shaken in their boots at mention of name of "Jemima Fawr" (Jemima the Great). The 47-year-old Jemima Nicholas was the wife of a Fishguard cobbler.

When she heard of the invasion, she marched out to Llanwnda, pitchfork in hand, and rounded up twelve Frenchmen. She ‘persuaded’ them to accompany her back into town, where she locked them inside St Mary’s Church and promptly left to look for some more! Men of Harlech meet your match! Tweet If you enjoyed this article, you might also like... The Hanging of the Hartlepool Monkey - Legend has it that during the Napoleonic Wars of the early 19th century, a shipwrecked monkey was hanged by the people of Hartlepool, believing him to be a French spy! To this day, people from Hartlepool are affectionately known as ... Traditional Welsh Costume - The distinctive dress was based on a form of ... Accommodation near Fishguard - Our selection of hotels, inns, castles, holiday cottages ... Sir Henry Morton Stanley - On first meeting his hero Livingstone, Stanley apparently tried to hide his enthusiasm by uttering his now famous, aloof greeting: "Doctor Livingstone, I presume" ...

Advertising The Last Invasion of Britain - Nicola Cornick Blog Navigation → The Last Invasion of Britain I’m back from a fabulous week’s holiday in Wales, staying in a little cottage on the Pembrokeshire coast, a hundred yards from the beach. Monty adored swimming in the sea and loved all the walks we took on the Pembrokeshire Cliff Path and in the National Park. He was slightly less keen on the ruined Norman castles but I was very grateful to CADW, who allow well-behaved dogs on leads into their properties. One of the places I enjoyed visiting the most was the town of Fishguard, where we saw the tapestry made in 1997 to commemorate the bi-centenary of the last invasion of Britain. This took place in February 1797 and was the last time that a foreign military force was successful in landing on British soil, albeit the invasion itself was an abject failure. The invasion force consisted of 1400 troops from Napoleon’s Legion Noire (The Black Legion) so called because they wore the uniforms of captured British soldiers dyed dark brown or black.

They were led by an Irish American colonel, William Tate, who had fought against the British during the American War of Independence. The fact that Tate was one of Napoleon’s colonels fascinated me because in my current book, One Wicked Sin, I have an Irish hero who has been fighting for the French. Tate’s background and that of his troops confirmed the research I had done, which showed that a number of officers in the French army were Irish, supporters of Irish republicanism under politician and revolutionary, Wolfe Tone. Tate’s force consisted of 800 regular troops plus another 600 deserters, convicts and Royalist prisoners. They sailed in four ships of the French Navy, two frigates, La Vengeance and La Resistance, a corvette La Constance and a small Lugger, Le Vauteur, the fleet under the command of Commodore Castagnier. Despite the fact that the invasion descended into chaos, it was no poorly planned or undermanned expedition; it was a serious attempt at invasion and the troops were well-armed. The initial plan was to land the men at Bristol and raze the city to the ground before marching North to take Chester and Liverpool.

However adverse weather and the treacherous tides in the Severn Estuary forced the fleet to land their men in West Wales instead. Although the fleet was flying British Colours they were spotted off the coast of Pembrokeshire by a retired sailor who raised the alarm. An attempt to land in Fishguard was driven off by cannon from the fort and so the fleet landed 3 miles away in the bay at Carregwasted under the cover of darkness. They began to move inland and Tate established his headquarters at Trehowel Farm, Llanwnda. The French forces had been instructed to live off the land and this was where things started to unravel. The convicts and pressed men deserted as soon as they set foot on British soil and began to loot local villages and hamlets. One group broke into Llanwnda Church (above) to hide and burned the bible and the pews to keep warm. By the morning of 23 February the French had moved two miles inland and occupied strong defensive positions on the high rocky outcrops of Garnwnda and Gangelli giving an unobstructed view of the surrounding countryside.

However discipline had collapsed amongst the convicts when they had discovered that a Portuguese ship had been shipwrecked on the nearby coast a few weeks previously and the locals had stashed away all the wine on board. The convicts rebelled, mutinied and got blind drunk or simply ran away. Morale was low. Meanwhile the British, although outnumbered, with forces of only 300 reservists, 250 militia and 150 sailors from two revenue cutters, had decided to attack. The Welsh local population were not particularly friendly either and had already been involved in skirmishes with the French – they flooded into Fishguard volunteering to fight alongside the troops. Welsh heroine of the hour was Jemima Nicholas, who rounded up a dozen French soldiers armed only with her pitchfork and imprisoned them in St Mary’s Church. Late that day the British troops under the command of Lord Cawdor advanced on the French position at Gangelli but withdrew in the failing light. They had narrowly missed walking into a French ambush. That evening, two French Officers arrived at the Royal Oak Inn in Fishguard Market Square, where Cawdor had set up his headquarters.

They wanted to negotiate a conditional surrender but Cawdor played a very cool bluff. Claiming to have a superior numbers of troops he issued an ultimatum to Tate, stating that he would only accept the unconditional surrender of the French forces. Tate had until 10am the following morning to surrender on Goodwick Sands or Cawdor’s men would attack. The following morning, at 8am on the 24th February 1797, the British forces lined up in battle-order on Goodwick Sands. Up above them on the cliffs, the inhabitants of the town had come to watch and await Tate’s response to the ultimatum. It is said that the French mistook the red cloaks of the Welsh women for more British troops in their red uniform and so thought themselves outnumbered. Tate surrendered and at 2pm the French drums led the column down to Goodwick. They piled their weapons and were marched away through Fishguard to prison. Later a group of prisoners made a daring escape from the Golden Prison in Pembroke by stealing Lord Cawdor’s yacht.

It is said that they were helped by two local women who had fallen for the charms of two of the French officers and who ran off and married them. The French naval squadron did not fare much better than the ground troops. On 9th March 1797 Sir Harry Neale of HMS St Fiorenzo and Captain John Cooke in HMS Nymphe encountered La Resistance and La Constance, which had been crippled in bad weather off Ireland. Cooke and Neale engaged the ships for half and hour, after which both ships surrendered. La Resistance was re-fitted and renamed HMS Fisguard and La Constance became HMS Constance. Commodore Castagnier, on board Le Vengeance, made it safely back to France. This whole story is told in stunning visual detail in the tapestry. The exhibition also gives the bigger picture in the country at the time; everyone was on high alert against the possibilities of a Frech invasion and the population was very jittery. When the invasion happened the British economy was within hours of crashing. Only some cool heads in London and the speedy defeat of the French troops prevented the country from going bankrupt.

In 1853, amidst fears of another invasion by the French, Lord Palmerston conferred upon the Pembroke Yeomanry the battle honour “Fishguard“. This regiment has the unique honour of being the only Regiment in the British Army, regular or territorial, that bears a battle honour for an engagement on the British mainland. It was also the first battle honour awarded to a Volunteer Unit. In 2003 divers discovered the wreck of one of the boats that had been used to ferry troops and ammunition from the French fleet to the mainland. After we had seen the tapestry on display at Fishguard Town Hall we went out to Llanwnda to see where the French had made their HQ and where they had looted and burned the church. We had intended to go for a walk to Carregwasted to see the memorial stone at the landing place but the weather was so bad by now that instead we went home for Welsh cakes and tea! The Last Invasion tapestry is a superb piece of work and I would encourage anyone visiting West Wales to drop by and see this wonderful exhibition.

And I think there is definitely inspiration for a book in there somewhere… Last Invasion LAST INVASION The Last Invasion of Britain 1797 Table of Contents THE LAST INVASION OF BRITAIN After the outbreak of war between Britain and France in 1793, General Lazare Hoche decided to take the war onto British soil. In 1796 he planned a full scale invasion of Ireland, which would be supported by the United Irishmen. An expedition of 15,000 men was organised and to prevent British reinforcements being sent to Ireland and to create panic on the mainland two smaller expeditions were planned. A force would cross the North Sea, land in the northeast, win the support of the working classes and march across northern England to Lancashire. Here they would link up with a smaller expedition, which would either have attacked Bristol or, failing that, would have landed in Cardigan Bay and threatened Liverpool. It was predicted that the Welsh and English working classes, like their Irish counterparts, would rise in the name of Liberty. In December 1796, Hoche's expedition arrived in Bantry Bay in Ireland but was scattered by atrocious weather and limped back into Brest.

A combination of poor weather and indiscipline had also put paid to the northern expedition. But what of the other expedition? Preparations went ahead in Brest but with the failure of the Irish invasion it is difficult to see why it set sail at all. Equally strange was the choice of its leader, a little known American of Irish descent called William Tate from South Carolina. He had fought against Britain in the American War of Independence. However, after that war he became deeply embroiled in French plans to capture New Orleans and fell foul of the American authorities. In 1795 he fled to Paris, hoping to be reimbursed for his expenses and demanding confirmation of his rank. Hoche thought that Tate was the right man to lead the Bristol expedition. Most of the soldiers were kitted out from a stock of British uniforms which had been captured earlier. But these would only take dark brown dye so La Seconde Legion des Francs became known as "La Legion Noir" or the "Black Legion." The force of over 1,200 men consisted of a mixture of republicans, deserters, royalist prisoners and grenadiers and they were very well armed. Some of the officers were Irish.

The quality of the four ships under Commodore Castagnier was impressive. Le Vengeance and La Resistance were two of the largest and newest French frigates; the latter was on her maiden voyage. The corvette La Constance and the lugger Vautour were also new. Castagnier's instructions were to head for Irish waters after disembarking the soldiers. Hoche's instructions undoubtedly asked far too much of this expedition. Having burnt Bristol, Britain's second largest city, the force was to land on the Welsh side of the Bristol Channel or failing this, in Cardigan Bay and then make for Chester or Liverpool. Apart from this, the working classes were to be encouraged to rebel; Britain's trade was to be dislocated and French prisoners of war liberated, causing such chaos as to make the invasion of Britain possible. Hoche warned Tate that he should not risk battle unless it was absolutely essential, since the enemy would have superior forces. The squadron left Brest on 16th February 1797. Flying Russian colours they lurked around Lundy, sinking a few small craft while waiting for a suitable tide to take them to Bristol.

Skillfully using the tides to reach Porlock, Castagnier was finally forced to abandon the project because of adverse winds. The inhabitants of Ilfracombe sounded the alarm as they passed and the local volunteers were mobilised. Following instructions, Tate now insisted on making for Cardigan Bay. But there had been several sightings of them and the authorities had been alerted. By noon on Wednesday 22nd February, Castagnier was spotted rounding St. David's Head in Pembrokeshire, flying British colours. At 4 p.m. the French anchored in perfect weather off Carreg Wastad, a rocky headland three miles west of Fishguard. By 2 a.m. on Thursday 23rd February, 17 boatloads of troops, 47 barrels of powder, 50 tons of cartridges and grenades and 2,000 stands of arms had been brought ashore. This was indeed a magnificent feat. A company of grenadiers under Irishman, Lieutenant St. Leger rushed a mile inland and took over Trehowel Farm, which became Tate's headquarters. La Seconde Legion des Francs had succeeded in making the last landing by enemy soldiers on the British mainland.

When one of the French ships entered Fishguard Bay to reconnoitre, Fishguard Fort fired a blank shot. Whether this was the customary signal to a visiting British vessel or the alarm for the Fishguard Volunteers, it saved Fishguard! The ship promptly hoisted the French tricolour and sailed away to rejoin the others. Although Fishguard Fort had eight nine-pounders, there were only three rounds in the magazine and the small port could have easily been taken. With the loss of the American colonies in 1783, the last Under-Secretary of State, William Knox, decided in 1784 to purchase estates in Pembrokeshire and his mansion at Llanstinan was only 4 miles from Fishguard. When the Government called for volunteers in the war against the French, Knox raised the Fishguard and Newport Volunteer Infantry in 1794, one of the earliest in the kingdom. Having raised four companies, totalling nearly three hundred men, it was the largest force in the county and his son, Thomas Knox, was appointed Lieutenant Colonel. At the time of the French landing, Knox was 28 years old with no combat experience.

He was attending a social function at Tregwynt Mansion when news of a suspected enemy landing was brought to him. Initially he gave it little credence but as the seriousness of the situation dawned on him he instructed his Newport Division to march the seven miles to his headquarters at Fishguard Fort. Lord Cawdor was 30 miles away at Stackpole Court in the far south of the county when he received the news. He had been commissioned captain of the Castlemartin Troop of the Pembroke Yeomanry Cavalry, which fortunately was assembled for a funeral on the following day. He immediately mobilised all the troops at his disposal and crossed the Pembroke Ferry with the Pembroke Volunteers and the Cardiganshire Militia. Once across, Cawdor went ahead and met Lord Milford, the Lord Lieutenant of the county, who delegated full authority to him. Most of the credit for gathering about 400 soldiers and sailors at Haverfordwest was due to the energy of Lieutenant Colonel Colby of the Pembrokeshire Militia. Having summoned the troops to Haverfordwest, he had galloped the sixteen miles to Fishguard to assess Knox's situation.

Satisfied that Knox was taking appropriate measures, he returned to Haverfordwest to supervise the arrival of the local forces. Captain Longcroft of the navy brought in the press gangs and the crews of two revenue cutters at Milford, totalling about 150 sailors. Nine cannons were brought ashore, of which six were placed in Haverfordwest castle, and the others brought along. Due to Colby's exertions the force under Cawdor set off at noon, 23rd February from the Castle Inn, Haverfordwest to reinforce Knox, who was facing the French at Fishguard with his Fishguard Volunteers. Knox had declared his intention of attacking the following day if he was not heavily outnumbered. Colby wrote later that he had suggested placing troops on the heights opposite the French to discourage them from moving until reinforcements arrived. Knox denied this but had sent out scouting parties to assess the French strength. The French had moved a further two miles inland and occupied two strong defensive positions at Garnwnda and Garngelli, high rocky outcrops giving an unobstructed view of the surrounding countryside. Thus far all had gone well for Tate and his force.

On the morning of 23rd February, a hundred of Knox's men had still not arrived and he soon learned that he was facing an enemy of over 1200 men, who could have been seasoned veterans. This was a different proposition to the skirmishing role of their training. Although many inhabitants were fleeing the area in panic, hundreds of civilians were flocking into the area armed with a variety of crude weaponry. Poor Knox faced a dilemma - to attack, to defend Fishguard, or to retreat towards his reinforcements, which he knew would be moving towards him from Haverfordwest. He decided to retreat slowly towards Haverfordwest. He gave orders to spike the Fort's cannons (which the Woolwich Bombadiers refused to carry out) and at about 9 a.m. he set off, sending out scouts to keep watch on the French. The Defence Committee at Haverfordwest agreed with this decision, which was to have grave repercussions for Knox later. Fishguard was now completely at Tate's mercy. Knox and his 194 men met the reinforcements led by Lord Cawdor and Colby at Trefgarne, 8 miles from Fishguard at 1.30 p.m.

Colby was surprised to see him. After a short dispute Cawdor was accepted as Commander-in-Chief and he led the British forces back towards Fishguard. By 5 p.m. the force had arrived within a mile of Fishguard and Cawdor decided to attack. Considering the darkness, this was indeed risky to say the least. The 600 men, dragging their cannons, marched up the narrow Trefwrgi Lane, with its high hedges, towards the French position on Garngelli. But a French advance party, under Irishman Lieutenant St. Leger, had prepared an ambush. A volley poured into the tightly compressed column at point blank range would have resulted in heavy casualties. Boxed into the lane, the force was in a potential death trap. Seemingly oblivious to this, Cawdor decided to withdraw to Fishguard, since they were losing their bearings in the darkness, and avoided the ambush awaiting him by a few hundred yards. So the force prepared to spend the night in Fishguard and the officers were based in today's Royal Oak Inn. However, Tate's fortunes had changed. Many of his foraging parties had resorted to pillaging the local farms and Llanwnda Church.

Indiscipline was getting out of hand with examples of mutinous men threatening their officers. It became obvious to Tate that the local Welsh peasants were hostile to his force of 'liberators' and six peasants and soldiers had been killed in clashes. Many of the Irish officers were counselling surrender, realising what would be in store for them if hostilities continued. The departure of Castagnier's squadron as planned for Ireland had shocked and demoralised the men who had seen their escape route vanish over the horizon. There is strong evidence that the French were deceived by the appearance in the neighbourhood of large numbers of local womenfolk wearing the traditional dress of red shawls and black hats, which at a distance resembled infantry uniforms. It is certain that inhabitants over a wide area were flocking towards Fishguard to attack the enemy. The formidable local cobbler, Jemima Nicholas, (pictured) captured a dozen demoralised French soldiers and secured them in St. Mary's Church. That evening, two French delegates arrived at the Royal Oak to negotiate a conditional surrender and Tate wrote: To the Officer commanding His Britannic Majesty's Troops. 5th. year of the Republic.

The Circumstances under which the Body of the French Troops under my Command were landed at this Place renders it unnecessary to attempt any military operations, as they would tend only to Bloodshed and Pillage. We therefore desire to enter into a Negotiation upon Principles of Humanity for a surrender. If you are influenced by similar Considerations you may signify the same and, in the meantime, Hostilities shall cease. Health and Respect, Tate. But Cawdor with magnificent bluff replied that with the superior numbers at his command, which were increasing hourly, he would only accept an unconditional surrender and gave an ultimatum of 10 a.m. the following morning, otherwise the French would be attacked. On the following morning the British force was lined up in battle-order on the high ground overlooking Goodwick, reinforced by hundreds of civilians from all parts of the county, to await Tate's response. Tate, however, accepted the terms and finally after some delay, at 2 p.m. Friday 24th. February 1797, with drums beating but without their banners, the French marched down to Goodwick Beach where they stacked their weapons. At 4 p.m.

the French prisoners were marched through Fishguard on their way to temporary imprisonment in Haverfordwest. Later a group of prisoners made a daring escape from the Golden Prison in Pembroke by stealing Cawdor's yacht! Meanwhile, Cawdor had ridden to Trehowel Farm and received Tate's surrender, although the document has been lost. After his surrender and brief imprisonment in Portsmouth, Tate was returned to France in a prisoner exchange in 1798. He was involved in bitter wrangling with the French authorities and was last mentioned in 1809 when he probably sailed back to America. Castagnier had sent Vautour back to France with his dispatches. En route to Ireland the squadron sank eleven ships but they dallied too long in Irish waters and La Constance, helping La Resistance, crippled by storm damage were intercepted by two British frigates and were captured. La Resistance was renamed H.M.S. Fisgard. Castagnier, aboard Le Vengeance, made it safely into Brest. Undoubtedly Cawdor was the hero of the hour. He, Knox and others were congratulated, received the royal gratitude from George III and countless local honours.

However, a whispering campaign started against Knox. Accused of cowardice and poor judgement his name was ruined and eventually he challenged his accuser, Cawdor, to a duel, which was probably not fought. In 1853 Lord Palmerston conferred upon the Pembroke Yeomanry the battle honour 'Fishguard.' This regiment has the unique honour of being the only one in the British Army, regular or territorial, that bears the name of an engagement on British soil and it was the first battle honour to be awarded to any volunteer unit. BBC Blogs - Wales - The last invasion of Britain The last invasion of Britain Monday 21 February 2011, 13:44 Ask the average man or woman in the street when Britain was last invaded and the answer will probably be " 1066 ". In fact the response would be wrong by about 700 years. Fishguard Harbour. Photo by petes_pix2008 on Flikr The last time any invaders foot ever stood upon the soil of mainland Britain was February 1797 when 1,400 members of the French Légion Noire landed on the Pencaer Peninsula just outside Fishguard.

They were a misbegotten and desperate band of villains, most of them convicts from the prisons of Brest and Le Havre, men kept in chains until the invasion fleet actually sailed. The rest were the worst and least disciplined soldiers from every assorted regiment in France. However, for a brief moment these vicious and terrifying warriors had the island of Britain at their mercy. Panic spread across the land, people really believing that the cream of French soldiery had come to slit their throats. Led by a 70-year-old American soldier of fortune by the name of William Tate, the original aim of the Légion Noire was to attack Bristol, then the second city of Britain, and divert the attention of the Royal Navy from another assault, this one on the southern part of Ireland. The Irish plan failed but with the villains of the Légion Noire already assembled in Brest it was decided to launch the attack on Bristol and cause as much chaos as possible. The legion was, once Bristol had been sacked, to wheel round and march into Wales. The Welsh nation, it was believed, would quickly flock to their standard, desperate to throw off the yoke of English tyranny.

Even if the invaders had been well trained and highly disciplined soldiers it is doubtful if this element of the scheme would ever have worked. With men like the Légion Noire involved the plan was doomed to disaster from the very beginning. Contrary winds prevented the French fleet from reaching Bristol and so Tate decided to land instead on the Welsh coast. When the fleet approached Fishguard on 22 February 1797 they were met by a single shot from the town fort. The shot was a blank but it frightened Tate into landing over the rocks of Careg Wastad Point on the Pencaer Peninsula rather than in the town itself. By late evening most French troops were ashore, camped on the headland. To oppose them were Lt Colonel Thomas Knox and just 190 part time soldiers, Fencibles as they were known. Throughout the long night Knox waited and watched. Then on the morning of 23 February he decided there was no option but to withdraw towards Haverfordwest. The town of Fishguard now lay at the mercy of the French. All that long day the French soldiers, most of them half starved and out of control, roamed the hills and fields above Fishguard.

They were supposed to be searching for supplies and transport - in fact they were more intent on looting and finding whatever food and liquor they could in the farm houses of the area. A number of skirmishes took place between the French and the Welsh people. A party of sailors and men from nearby St Davids encountered some of the enemy in a field below Carn Gelli. They quickly opened fire - when the smoke had cleared one Frenchman was dead, another injured, and the rest took to their heels. Some of the incidents were simply ludicrous. At the farm of Brestgarn a drunken Frenchman, looking for more wine, heard what he took to be the click of a musket being cocked. He spun round and fired - straight through the face of a grandfather clock. The undoubted hero of the hour was town cobbler Jemima Nicholas. She marched out onto Pencaer and, single handed, captured 12 French soldiers. They were probably drunk, ill and more than happy to find themselves in safe captivity, but that should never detract from the courage of the woman. General Tate soon found himself faced by a mutinous army that had little or no stomach for the coming fight.

All day there were sightings and rumours of a relieving force under Lord Cawdor marching northwards towards Fishguard. And so, at 9pm that evening, Tate asked for terms and surrendered. At midday on the 24 February, the Legion Noire marched onto Goodwick Sands, piled their arms and were marched away into captivity. The invasion has always had more than a little of the farce about it, worthy of Gilbert and Sullivan at their best. It remains the classic 'what if?' story. If the invading army had contained quality soldiers, men who had the inclination and the training to fight, rather than the drunken rabble of the Légion Noire, then untold damage could have been caused. There were precious few defences and, once the protective screen thrown up by the navy had been breached, almost no soldiers to fight a determined and resolute foe. The invasion caused panic all over Britain. People buried their money and jewels. Even so the panic that spread all over Britain when news of the invasion broke was worrying.

People demanded their money from the banks - given out in gold and silver coins in those days - and set about burying it in their gardens where, they felt, it would be safe from French hands. The Bank of England almost ran out of money and had no option but to issue promissory notes to the value of £1 and £2, paper money that has stayed with us ever since. Legend and fact have blurred somewhat over the years and there remains a wonderful story of Lord Cawdor asking local Welsh women in their red shawls and tall stove pipe hats to masquerade as soldiers. The French, so the story goes, were totally taken in and promptly threw up their hands in horror. Sadly, the story has little substance. There were Welsh women in Cawdor's relieving force and they were certainly there watching in great numbers when Tate surrendered but as for pretending to be British soldiers there was neither the time nor the inclination. It remains just a lovely story. Phil Carradice will be telling the story of the last invasion of Britain on The One Show on Thursday 24 February, 7pm on BBC One. Tagged with:

Question: What was the last foreign invasion of Britain?
Answer: French invasion of Wales, 1797