To 26 August 1346, in fact, in a little town called Crécy-en-Ponthieu about 20 minutes north of Abbeville. To the north of the village the authorities have built a two-story tower overlooking the fields where England, under Edward III, defeated France and Philip VI at the battle of Crécy. The tower is allegedly the site of the windmill from which Edward watched the battle. Why is Crécy worth remembering? Because it’s where the longbow first showed its supremacy as a weapon, allowing Edward’s Welsh archers to devastate the enemy with its superior range and firing rate.
Agincourt was the battle where Laurence Olivier defeated the French with his declamatory powers and won a BAFTA. Azincourt, on the other hand, is another little village, 30 minutes up the D928 from Crécy. It’s hard to miss; there are very silly painted knights and men-at-arms by the roadside every fifty metres or so as you approach it. The local authorities have made a bit more effort than those at Crécy, having built a museum and tourist centre. I had been told it was rubbish; that was wrong. They have some great displays showing the context and progress of the battle, some artefacts from the site and surrounds, and lots of things for the kiddies, for example getting your photo taken in armour.
I was quite chuffed, although perhaps I wouldn't have been had I realised I look like Harry Potter.
The story of Agincourt (25 October 1415) can be found on Wikipedia and in Henry V. What the former says that Shakespeare doesn’t is that the rearguard of Henry’s army was led by Thomas, Lord de Camoys. This fine fellow was in fact the cousin of my great-times-sixteen grandfather, so for me it wasn’t just another place where the French had the shit kicked out of them. As well as an ‘artist’s impression’ of cousin Tom his armorial bearings were on display:
So I was doubly chuffed.
The battlefield of course is now covered in clover and canola, and you wouldn’t know from looking at it that it was where the history of France and England changed.
A place where the history of England could have changed but didn’t is La Coupole. Another 40 minutes up the D928, just south of St Omer, this is where the Germans built a base from which to shower London with V2 rockets in 1943-44. Using slave labour they constructed a complex of tunnels and galleries, and a huge concrete dome, 75 metres in diameter and 5 metres thick, in which they could assemble the rockets for launch across the Channel from the chalk quarry just outside. Fortunately in 1944, 617 squadron (the Dambusters) dropped some humungous bombs (‘tallboys’ for those who know the story) and made the launch site unusable. A good thing too, because it was nearly ready.
The dome sits on the hill above the quarry like a huge cockroach of aging concrete. Down in the chalk tunnels it is very cold, something you feel very much when you come in from 26 degree sunshine. A lift takes you up inside the dome, where it’s warmer and looks like the villain's headquarters in a James Bond movie. As well as the story of the V1s and V2s (with examples) the museum describes the German occupation of the Pas de Calais and the experiences of the slaves of the Dora-Mittelwerk camp in Germany who made the rockets. It also follows the trail of the German rocket scientists to America and their role in the space race. A fascinating place that we only knew about because Megan discovered something on the web by accident. But gee we were glad to get out into the warmth again.
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