My Personal History of Pembrokeshire (Part 7)

This week, the last invasion of Britain, now I imagine most of you are thinking, 1066 and all that, well I'm afraid you're wrong. The last invasion of Britain was actually in February 1797 and the place was Fishguard, Pembrokeshire and the invaders were French! The brief campaign, which took place between 22 February and 24 February 1797, was the most recent effort by a foreign force that was able to land on Britain, and thus is often referred to as the "last invasion of Britain". The invasion was the plan of General Lazare Hoche, who had devised a three-pronged attack on Britain in support of Irish Republicans under Wolfe Tone. Two forces would land in Britain as a diversionary effort, while the main body would land in Ireland. However, poor weather and indiscipline halted two of the forces, although the third, aimed at landing in Wales and marching on Bristol, went ahead. The invasion force consisted of 1,400 troops from the La Legion Noire (The Black Legion) under the command of Irish American Colonel William Tate, 800 of whom were irregulars. Transported on four French warships under the command of Commodore Jean-Joseph Castagnier, Tate's forces landed at Carregwastad Head near Fishguard on 22 February, after a failed attempt to enter Fishguard harbour itself, when on Wednesday, February 22, the French warships sailed into Fishguard Bay, to be greeted by cannon 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. However, upon landing, discipline broke down amongst the irregulars, many of whom deserted to loot nearby settlements. The remaining troops were met by a quickly assembled group of around 500 British reservists, militia and sailors under the command of John Campbell, 1st Baron Cawdor. After brief clashes with the local civilian population and Lord Cawdor's forces on 23 February, Tate was forced into an unconditional surrender by 24 February. 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 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? A local heroine, 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 12 Frenchmen. She brought them into town and promptly left to look for some more. Later, the British captured two of the expedition's vessels, a frigate and a corvette. Despite all this, Castagnier managed to return to France. So this was the last invasion of Britain (although you might think that the above was more of a shambles than an actual invasion.)
Today, Fishguard is a convenient point for the ferry to Ireland and the surrounding areas are an ideal holiday destination with the glorious coastline and Pembrokeshire National Park all around. You can also view "The Last Invasion Tapestry" in Fishguard town hall which has been favourably compared to "The Bayeux Tapestry" of 1066. To enjoy your family holiday in this corner of West Wales, visit the premier self-catering agency in West Wales and view the special offers available at FBM Holidays, http://ping.fm/YRcm8 DS