If they're not happy I'd be down for a re-match.
Had the warbow out yesterday...and have a few period correct crossbows on standby.
The only issue technically is lack of a passport, though none of my relatives who visited France as part of the army in either WW1 or WW2 had a passport either; some liked it so much they stayed...
Maybe liked is the wrong phrase. Killed in action trying to expel the German Army from France would be better...
OK
That aside: AMAZING THREAD!!
Thankfully I was sent a link to it yesterday due to my posting about it being the 610th anniversary of the battle.
While I HAD been annoyed to miss the chance to join the archers at the 600th anniversary event, I am now more relieved that I missed it, seeing as how the French have deliberately sited the "official battlefield" in totally the wrong area.
I was at Towton this year for the commemoration day. Some folk around doing costumed archery, and I bought a few leaflets. Sadly didn't get to go on one of the official guided walks of the site. Already explored the area a few times on quieter days of the week.
Very impressed with the location boards at prominent parts of the days events. Sadly the Towton local history group have dropped
archery from their official activities list, or I'd have joined to expand on this area a little, esp. the crossbows...
The book on Towton, covering the excavated grave sites and the analysis of the injuries is very sobering. Very.
The level of detail which the nav2022 and others have input here is astounding. I've taken part in a few archeological digs in the North East as a specialist volunteer/subject matter expert. The aerial analysis from the organisation in charge was not even a shadow of the level of work done in this thread.
Even with detecting not being allowed in France I'd be surprised if "visual finds" in the actual areas of combat were not common...as stuff does sometimes work its way to the surface. Happens in the WW1 areas all the time, as is common knowledge.
Unfortunately, the French can get very French about things when they choose to - what other nation has a shrug named after it?? They're unlikely to change attitude from the present official stance on what site is correct and who can/cannot wander around the adjacent sites with ground penetrating radar (to prove them wrong, again...)
SAD, as there IS the need for an official marker(s) to commemorate the actual areas where the main events of the day took place & honour the fallen of both sides.
Re. the lack of compassion and the wholesale slaughter, execution of prisoners, etc.
Such events were a lot more common at that time. People had much harsher lives and a much shorter lifespan.
There is also some discussion on whether or not the French were flying the Oriflamme flag = if displayed on the battlefield, this meant no quarter = no prisoners. So, such executions of captives were sanctioned by the monarch you were fighting on behalf of; it then became a case of tough-titty if suddenly your side was the one no longer holding all the cards & you were being approached by several very annoyed, dysentery suffering, starving hungry & likely unimpressed with your standing in the community son of the soil professional archers - all keen to help you meet your God before your brain could even process the thoughts of "ah.....merde"!
That reminds me, I need to get my bollock dagger on the strop; ya never know when you'll need to use it to pry open a bit of decorative Italian tinwork.
Again, stunning work here. No wonder it has taken most of two days to read it all!
