Busy week. On Tuesday I had to get up at 4am to travel across to south Wales to represent a member. The journey involved Brighton to London to Newport to Abergavenny on the train, taxi to Brecon and pick up there to Stenybridge.
Wales. What a beautiful country! Wet, but beautiful. I'd forgotten how incredible the scenary is. The last time I was in Brecon was 18 years ago when Jo was two, and we had a holiday there. Its a different kind of beauty to the Sussex downs; harder, more exposed, the hills almost gaunt. Whereas the downs of Sussex embrace you like a lover.
The same day I then had to retrace part of my way, go up to Banbury via Oxford where one of the PCS Instructional Officer Group picked me up and drove me to Kineton. Our committee was meeting there the following day. So I stayed the night in the officers' mess. Most of the committee made the journey so that we could crack on early the following day.
Officers' messes are strange places for civilians. All the lads are ex services so they're kind of used to the "military" ethos. I wonder if I will ever get it? Kineton MoD site is partly built on the site of the battle of Edgehill (1642), so the mess has armour, weapons and prints of the battle all over the place, including a model of a New Model Army regiment in a glass case. Drinks are always ridiculously cheap in a mess- 60p for a gin and tonic! Needless to say as the evening wore on we all got a little bleary eyed. Tom's eyes were on stalks, H was slurring and winding Tom up about being a Tory, Tom kept offering me viagra! These lads are as "rough as fuck" as KC likes to remind us. "But that's why," as KC further remarks to me, "you fit in with us!"... I can't argue with that.
The following day a few of us went across to the site of the battle of Edgehill which is situated on MoD land. Aparently the land is haunted. There are stories of guard dogs not being willing to go into certain areas of the site... Anyhow,
...THE BATTLE
King Charles marched from Shrewsbury toward London with his newly raised army. Essex marched out to meet him, with the express task of making sure the king did not reach the capitol. They met near Edgehill, a few miles from Banbury.
The two armies were of approximately the same size; about 14,500 men. The Royal cavalry under Prince Rupert and Lord Wilmot pushed back the wings of the Parliamentary army, but in the centre the royal troops were themselves badly mauled.
After only three hours of hard fighting neither side was able to make headway, and they broke off the fight as darkness descended. Essex considered his army too badly pulled damaged to resume the fight next day, and he pulled back his men to Warwick, leaving the road to London open to Charles' army.
The Result
Although neither side at Edgehill could claim a decisive victory, the result was that Charles "won" in so far as the road to London was now open to him. However, Charles did not take advantage of his opportunity.
His natural caution asserted itself, and by the time his troops reached Reading, Essex had regained London and a fresh force of men prevented any further royalist advance. Charles never again had so clear an opportunity to take London as he did after Edgehill.
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