Qualla: The Battle of Fishguard: The Last Invasion of Britain https://qualla.com/fishguard en-us © 2026 Bendyline Mon, 20 Jul 2026 10:21:05 GMT Qualla serial false Qualla support@bendyline.com yes https://qualla.com/_m/g/c/h/r/fishguard-wp/fishguard-aerial.jpg Qualla: The Battle of Fishguard: The Last Invasion of Britain https://qualla.com/fishguard The Battle of Fishguard: The Last Invasion of Britain: Introduction https://qualla.com/fishguard/ Photo credit JKMMX, CC BY-SA 3.0. On February 22, 1797, four French warships appeared off the coast of Pembrokeshire, Wales. The ships landed 1,400 soldiers - French regulars and released convicts - near the town of Fishguard. It was meant to be the start of a revolution that would spread to England and overthrow the government. It lasted barely two days. The invaders got drunk on wine from a shipwreck, were confronted by local militia and women in red shawls whom they mistook for British soldiers, and surrendered unconditionally on February 24. The Battle of Fishguard was the last invasion of mainland Britain - a fiasco that became a legend.

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Image: JKMMX | CC BY-SA 3.0

]]> Thu, 22 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/g/c/h/r/fishguard-wk/gchr-the-battle-of-fishguard-the-last-invasion-of-brita-intro.mp3 0:06 1 full The Battle of Fishguard: The Last Invasion of Britain: The Plan https://qualla.com/fishguard/ Photo credit Llywelyn2000, CC BY-SA 4.0. Revolutionary France in 1797 was at war with Britain. The plan called 'La Légion Noire' (The Black Legion) envisioned diversionary landings in Wales and England to distract from a main invasion of Ireland. The Welsh landing would burn Bristol, rally Welsh opposition to London, an...

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Image: Llywelyn2000 | CC BY-SA 4.0

]]> Thu, 22 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/g/c/h/r/fishguard-wk/gchr-the-battle-of-fishguard-the-last-invasion-of-brita-the-plan.mp3 0:06 2 full The Battle of Fishguard: The Last Invasion of Britain: The Landing https://qualla.com/fishguard/ Photo credit Shaun Butler, CC BY-SA 2.0. The original target was Bristol, but adverse winds pushed the fleet to Wales. An attempt to land at Cardigan was abandoned when the ships were fired on. On February 22, the force landed at Carregwastad Point, near Fishguard. The landing was unopposed - there was no one there to o...

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Image: Shaun Butler | CC BY-SA 2.0

]]> Thu, 22 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/g/c/h/r/fishguard-wk/gchr-the-battle-of-fishguard-the-last-invasion-of-brita-the-landing.mp3 0:06 3 full The Battle of Fishguard: The Last Invasion of Britain: The Wine https://qualla.com/fishguard/ Photo credit ceridwen, CC BY-SA 2.0. Within hours of landing, discipline collapsed. The invaders discovered that a Portuguese ship had recently wrecked nearby, and its cargo of wine had been salvaged by local farms. The soldiers and convicts looted the farms and got spectacularly drunk. By the second day, most of t...

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]]> Thu, 22 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/g/c/h/r/fishguard-wk/gchr-the-battle-of-fishguard-the-last-invasion-of-brita-the-wine.mp3 0:06 4 full The Battle of Fishguard: The Last Invasion of Britain: The Women https://qualla.com/fishguard/ Photo credit Chaosdruid, Public domain. Local militia under Lord Cawdor gathered to confront the invaders - perhaps 500 men with limited military experience. But they were joined by local civilians, including women who came to watch or help. According to legend, the women wore red shawls (known as the 'Frenchman's terr...

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]]> Thu, 22 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/g/c/h/r/fishguard-wk/gchr-the-battle-of-fishguard-the-last-invasion-of-brita-the-women.mp3 0:06 5 full The Battle of Fishguard: The Last Invasion of Britain: The Surrender https://qualla.com/fishguard/ Photo credit Gareth James, CC BY-SA 2.0. On February 24, Colonel Tate surrendered unconditionally. His demoralized, hungover force laid down their arms on Goodwick Sands. The battle, such as it was, cost several dozen French lives and a handful of local casualties. The invasion had achieved nothing. The prisoners were ...

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]]> Thu, 22 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/g/c/h/r/fishguard-wk/gchr-the-battle-of-fishguard-the-last-invasion-of-brita-the-surrender.mp3 0:06 6 full