The Last Invasion of Mainland Britain

The Last Invasion of Mainland Britain

On the evening of the 22nd February 1797, 1400 French soldiers landed in a remote bay in Wales.

Commanded by an Irish American, they were make up of the dregs of the French army, including men released from prison.

But they hadn’t counted on finding a wrecked ship with a cargo of wine or the wife of the local cobbler armed with a pitch fork.

This is the chaotic, almost comic and little-remembered story of the last invasion of mainland Britain by a foreign army.

Chris Green is The History Chap; telling stories that brings the past to life.

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The last invasion of mainland Britain occurred during what are referred to as the French revolutionary wars or, more precisely, the Wars of the First Coalition. This war, starting in 1792, pitted France who wanted to spread their revolutionary message against a variety of European powers such as Austria, Prussia and Great Britain who certainly did not want that.

The invasion of Britain was the brainchild of General Louis Lazar Hoche, the 29-year old who had defeated the British-backed Royalist forces in northern France in 1796.
He saw Ireland as the soft underbelly of the British. If he could assist Irish Revolutionaries, the United Irishmen, to rise up and kick the British out, then Ireland could be used as a springboard to launch an invasion of Great Britain itself.

Hoche also planned two diversionary attacks on the British mainland itself, to prevent reinforcements being rushed to counter the Irish uprising.

The first of those diversionary attacks would be at Newcastle in the north-east of England.
The second, would be at Bristol.

The invasion of Ireland and the landing at Newcastle were both ruined by the weather.
The Bristol expedition went ahead but when the winds changed, Colonel William Tate (an irish American) decided to land his French army at Fishguard in Wales.

it was the last invasion of mainland Britian.

Lasting just 2 days, it ended in farce as the French soldiers got hopelessly drunk and were then taken on by Jemima Nicholas, armed with a pitch folk.
Then when an inferior British army arrived, the French mistook local Welsh women in their tall black hats and red shawls as British reinforcements and promptly surrendered.

Chapters:
0:00 Introduction
0:31 The French Plan
2:16 Irish Non-Event
3:17 Legion Noire
4:40 Col. William Tate
6:03 Carry On Regardless
7:34 Fishguard 1797
10:00 What Opposition?
11:35 Lord Cawdor
12:20 Knox in a Knot
13:07 Who Commands Here?
14:27 Jemima Tackles French
15:04 A Shipload of Wine
16:04 Cawdor's Bluff
17:32 The Battle That Never Was
18:29 The Last Invasion of Britain

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My name is Chris Green and I love to share stories from British history. Not just because they are interesting but because, good or bad, they have shaped the world we live in today.

History should not be stuffy or a long list of dates or kings & queens.
So rather than lectures or Youtube animations, I tell stories that bring the past to life.

My aim is to be chat as if I were having a coffee or meal with you. Jean in Maryland, USA recently wrote: "Chris, is the history teacher I wish I had at school!"

Just for the record, I do have a history degree in Medieval & Modern history from the University of Birmingham.

Disclaimer: All opinions and comments expressed in the 'Comments' section do not reflect the opinions of Chris Green Communication Ltd t/a The History Chap. All opinions and comments should contribute to the dialogue. Chris Green Communication Ltd does not condone written attacks, insults, racism, sexism, extremism, or otherwise questionable comments or material in the 'Comments' section, and reserves the right to delete any comment violating this rule or to block any poster from the channel.

[michaeldonahoo]

An English lord with gout! A Welsh woman with a pitchfork! A group of drunk Frenchmen! These things are the cornerstone of British history. If only there had been a game of cricket being played at the time!

[jakegarvin]

Y'know, for a Fishguard, they did pretty well against Frogs too

[MachiavellisApprentice-nvdx]

What a fantastic and entertaining story, thank you for presenting it. Btw, Jemima Nicholas's £50 per year pension for life was not too shabby in 1797 as it would have the value today of a little over £8, 000 per year. By the images of her, perhaps Hattie Jaques could have played her if a "Carry On" film had been made about this.

[Tony-cfj]

Fantastic story! It’s another one of those from history, that if it were fiction, people would say it was too far fetched! I like the fact the local militia were given the battle honour ‘Fishguard’

[drtimsmith]

Another splendid tale, superbly told, as always... Well done and Thank you, Chris

[kmorton]

Chris another excellent video of a little known episode in history 😊

[FranciscoPreira]

What a great plot for a comedy movie, glad to know that portuguese wine played a role in thwarting that invasion, great video sir, thanks for sharing.

[branscombeR]

Excellent fragment of forgotten history well told! Thank you. R (Australia)

[JonJ]

Fantastic video. I grew up in Moylegrove, which is about 5 miles from Newport and can be seen in the top right of the map in this video. This story is well known in the area, for obvious reasons, but it is great to hear the full story behind the invasion. Thanks for this excellent insight to this piece of Welsh history.

[Katmando]

I have seen the plaque on The Pembrokeshire Coast Path which I have walked from Amroth to St Dogmaels!🇨🇵🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿💂‍♂️🫡👍

[ocellaris]

Blessings to you Chris, your content is right at the top. Looking forward to your content in future

[formwiz]

OMG! Looking at the detail on one of your maps, I see Narberth, Haverfordwest, and St Davids. Being from Philadelphia's old Main Line, I recognize the eastern terminus (Narberth), the town where I went to school (Haverford (no west)), and the town next to Rosemont (St Davids). We all knew the area had prominent Welsh settlement in the 19th Century (Bryn Mawr, born and raised), but never knew it had a history.

[davidberlanny]

Great video, and amazing story perfectly narrated well done. All the best!!

[haalstaag]

Great story yet again Chris. Thank you.
As a side note, this would make a great comedy film

[timec]

Fantastic story and well told as ever Chris. Keep up the good work sir. 👍🏻

[harveytrop]

I visited Fishguard last spring, and found this story fascinating. An interesting sidebar is that the three cannon were installed following a Revolutionary War attack on Fishguard by an American ship.

[patcullen]

Fantastic video, I'm going to have to go to Fishguard and pay my respects to this amazing woman and check out the location of the monument, thank you for telling her story 💯👍

[davegower]

I never tire of that story. Thanks for sharing.

[TheKulu]

I had never heard of this invasion until today. The whole mess sounds like an episode of Black Adder. Thanks for educating me and giving me a good laugh!

[Nikzaw]

I never knew this tale until I walked into the pub at fishguard which had the fact the surrender was signed above the door