In 1797, the French under Napoleon Bonaparte attempted to invade Britain with a ragtag collection of soldiers including many newly released jailbirds, under the command of an Irish-American, Colonel William Tate.
This event is commemorated in an embroidered 100 foot long tapestry which was designed and sewn by around 80 local women, similar in format and shape as the Bayeux tapestry. Info at https://lastinvasiontapestry.co.uk
It is also the subject of two plays being performed in Theatr Gwaun in Fishguard on April 30 and May 6 as part of the 225th Anniversary of the Last Invasion of Britain.
The first play ‘The Last Invasion’ is a dramatised account of what happened on those fateful few days. It recounts the story fairly accurately with its many twists and turns.
Initially intending to land at Bristol, severe weather forced the invading force to make land at Fishguard on the north Pembrokeshire coast. The French invasion force however seemed more interested in the rich food and wine that 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.
It is also said that many of the French mistook local woman dressed in their traditional red shawls for British redcoats while the wife of a Fishguard cobbler, Jemima Nicholas, pitchfork in hand, rounded up twelve Frenchmen single-handed. Tate’s force surrendered to a local militia force led by Lord Cawdor on February 25th 1797. ‘The Last Invasion’ is written by historian and biographer Matthew Sturgis whose biography of Oscar Wilde was published to great acclaim in 2018.
The second play ‘Conquest of the World’ is a definitely tongue in cheek version of events. Written by playwright Rod Taylor, it is an out and out comedy very loosely based on the facts and introduces a “what might have happened” version of events. Both plays are produced and directed by Derek Webb with a community cast. More information on the Theatr Gwaun website: theatrgwaun.com