That is a bit of an all-embracing title because, here. on the same round trip that took in the field of the Black Prince's immortal victory in 1356, some other highly interesting military venues were viewed. Best to begin at the beginning and take them in order.
Four of us from the Wessex Military Society - Chris Scott, Ken Chapman, Arthur Jones and myself - went over on the 8.30 ferry Viking Venturer and arrived at Le Havre in mid-afternoon. We sped south to pitch our tent on the first night near Laval, encountering nothing of military interest en route but being served some lamb chops in a Relais Routier restaurant that could well have resembled cuts from a dead donkey in the Peninsular (or any other campaign!).
On the following day we moved further south to Saumur on the River Loire, a town we know well and which has at least two great attractions besides being a pleasant place in its own right. At Saumur is the French Cavalry School, the headquarters of the famous Black Squadron of military riders who give exhibitions and compete in show jumping and Dressage throughout the Continent. On a previous occasion we had the privilege of seeing some of this and being shown over the French Cavalry Museum but this year that latter is closed for repairs so we had to make do with the famous French Tank Museum which, in its way, rivals the Royal Armoured Corps Museum at Bovington in England. On the right is a leaflet picked up at the entrance.
As at Bovington, the Museum has a vast array of tanks of all Nations, with a natural predominance of French armoured vehicles, ranging back to mid-World War I. All are in excellent condition and well displayed. Per haps the most exciting part of this Museum are the exhibits NOT on show because, outside in a vast open-sided shed lies a vast collection of bits and pieces of tanks and guns. Here one can see a Panther turret lying upside down, a Tiger tank with a shell half embedded in its turret and with a four foot split in its plates caused by some imagination-boggling projectile.
Here can be seen guns and vehicles in states ranging from burnt-out to near-perfect and no one seems to bother if you ferret around amongst them, climb on them and generally take the closest possible view. The Museum sells postcards, model tanks (Solido of French manufacture:); an L.P. of French cavalry balls and other souvenirs.
Seemingly Saumur was the centre of some considerable resistance during the German Blitzkrieg of 1940 and one of the bridges crossing the Loire bears a plate which commemorates the stout resistance put up by its garrison aided by the cadets of the Cavalry School. There is also a memorial for heroes of the Resistance including names of those shot by the Germans.
Next morning in beautiful sunshine we drove along the Loire for about ten miles to Montsorro where, after a memorable breakfast of hot rolls and coffee as we basked in the sun outside a little cafe, we marched along to the large chateau which dominates this beautiful little town. After viewing a most impressive exhibition of crafts by local artisans, most of which would have graced any home if you could have afforded them, we went over the remainder of the chateau which houses the Museum of the French Moroccan Goums, and Irregular Arab force formed at the turn of the century for operations in the French Colonies, then in World War I and World War II before being disbanded when France gave up her Colonies - this last event is described in a large notice by the Goums memorial in terms which must surely border on treason!
During 1943/44, I had some contact with the Goums in Tunisia and Italy where they were used to carry out reconnaissances and instil some degree of terror into the Germans who viewed them as a breach of the Hague Convention! This is a fine Museum although the guide (whose discourse was completely in French) moved through the various rooms too rapidly to allow for a complete view of all of the many exhibits and photographs. He was more than a little put out when Chris Scott, at my prompting, asked him if it was true that the Goums received a bonus for every ear they brought in!
Moving up the road we came to Fontevrault, yet another quaint mediaeval town. Having just read Graham Shelby's "THE DEVIL IS LOOSE" I was well prepared for this place, because it was here that Henry II died and is buried together with his Queen Eleanor of Acquitaine and, alongside them rests none other than Richard the Lion Heart and his wife Berangaria. King Richard's body was brought here after he had been lured to Chaluz where he was hit by a crossbow bolt, causing a dreadful wound in his neck and shoulder from which he eventually died. Partly because it was lunchtime and partly because it cost six francs to be shown round the Abbey (at 9.16 to the pound) we did not actually see these graves but contented ourselves with purchasing coloured postcards of them.
Poitiers
After the usual lunch of pate, cheese, crusty French bread, tomatoes, melon and wine taken on a patch of grass by the side of the Abbey, our jolly party hastened further south to the large and thriving town of Poitiers. Here we obtained a useful map from the Tourist Office before moving out of town towards the villages of Noaille and Maupertuis, in the area of which the battle was fought. We found signs directing us to the "Champs de Bataille" but nothing really definite to indicate the exact area of the fighting.
We knew that the Black Prince had some 5,000 men formed in two divisions on a hilltop, with their left flank protected by marshes of the River Moisson, and that the French, in greatly superior numbers; on the north ridge facing them. However, there seemed to be at least three sets of ridges that fitted this description and the party performed a great deal of leg work on a hot afternoon endeavouring to pin-point the vital ridge.
Eventually, aided by a small and almost hidden monument, we agreed that the ridge upon which we were standing must have been that which bore the two hedges behind which Salisbury and Warwick's divisions formed up to withstand first the French cavalry and then the infantry attack. In spite of the gap of 620 years, we all agreed that it aroused a considerable amount of emotion and patriotism to stand upon such a spot, within a few hundred yards of where the King of France was captured and half their nobility wiped out; where the ,Gascon Captal de Buch took off with his small cavalry force on their adventurous outflanking ride.
As has happened in so many other similar occasions, people living in houses on and around the actual area (the ridge itself is veritably clear although there is a house being built at its centre point) when questioned seemed quite unaware that such a battle took place or where, on misty September anniversaries, there might be an excuse for ghostly and martial visitations.
Discussing our search as we drove away, the conclusion was reached that we were looking at the area with eyes and minds attuned to battlefields of the gun-powder age - those of Wellington in the Peninsular and the English Civil War at home. Here was a field where the Black Prince formed up his 5,000 men to almost extend along the whole crest of a ridge, with a marsh on one flank and a leaguer of wagons at the other. With the archers two or three deep probably,, extending forwarded in herces (wedges) and in the marsh on the left flank, and with the men-at-arms two or three deep, his line could not have extended far.
The range of the archers incomparable longbows was, at best, perhaps 200 yards so that the distance between the two ridges must have been fairly short. Hence our initial inability to select one pair of ridges from the many at our disposal and we are still wondering why the French found it necessary then (and on numerous other occasions) to attack the English in a carefully prepared position when seemingly an outflanking movement might have paid much greater dividends.
Moving hastily northwards we arrived on the following morning in the ancient and picturesque town of St Malo in Brittany. Surrounded by high walls which are so wide as to form a promenade overlooking the glistening sea of this "Emerald Coast", this past haven of privateers and corsairs is a fascinating place that merits far greater attention that we had time to give. We camped that night at Cancale, a small fishing village and oyster centre where French friends of Chris Scott made us as welcome as they had done in the past.
Next day we drove up into Normandy, passing through far more recent battlefields such as Mortain, Avranches, St Lo, Bayeux and on to Arromanches and the D-Day beaches. Because of the crowds of French holiday makers, the Museum was a disappointment to Ken and Arthur who had not been there before but we all felt a great humility as we drove along parallel to the disembarkation beaches of Gold, Juno and Sword. We visited a British Military Cemetery at Hermanville where I discovered the grave of a relative of my wife's who was killed on the 6th June while serving with the 13th/18th Hussars.
We caught the 23.00 hours boat from Le Havre and arrived at Southampton (where we all live) before 8 o'clock on the following morning. Our trip covered 810 miles at a cost of £21.50p for petrol and £71.60 for the return fares for four of us (with four passengers a car goes free for five days or less . We each took £20.00p in francs and, including small gifts, souvenirs and our duty free drink, we each managed to bring back about a pounds worth of French currency. The camping was great fun and, as it has always been on these occasions, the weather was most kind to us.
0h, and I forgot to mention that the keenest scrutiny of every possible toyshop we encountered revealed almost nothing of interest to wargamers except a selection of Italian made ATLANTIC 20mm plastic (Airfix style) figures of Italian, French and Russian soldiers and equipment. These were reviewed in the Newsletter about two years ago when first encountered in the toy shops of Paris - now they sell at 2 francs a box which is about half the price of Airfix figures on the Continent.
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© Copyright 1975 by Donald Featherstone.
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