Part 2 of our Isle of Wight at War series recalls the last time a foreign army landed on the Isle of Wight.
By the summer of 1545, England and France were once again at war. Henry VIII and Francis I had assembled powerful fleets to fight for control of the Solent. As the opposing ships clashed, Henry watched from Southsea Castle.
Having fired a broadside, the Mary Rose was turning when she is thought to have been caught by a sudden gust of wind. The warship heeled sharply, water poured through her open gunports and she sank within minutes. Of a crew of at least 400 men, fewer than 35 escaped.
The French still failed to gain control of the Solent and instead turned their attention to the Isle of Wight.
Only about 9,000 people lived on the Island, yet centuries of French raids had ensured they were ready. Every able-bodied man underwent military training, while some women were taught archery. A chain of warning beacons linked the high ground across the Island and, once lit, gave defenders precious time to gather before the enemy could advance inland. As the beacons blazed across the downs, militia companies assembled, livestock was driven inland and defenders hurried to the threatened coastline.
French Admiral Claude d’Annebault divided his army into 3 landings at St Helens, Bonchurch and Sandown.
The first attack came at St Helens. A small coastal fort had spent hours bombarding the approaching fleet but was overwhelmed as French troops came ashore. The defenders were forced to withdraw while the invaders plundered Bembridge, St Helens, Nettlestone and Seaview.
The largest landing took place at Monk’s Bay beneath St Boniface Down. Expecting little resistance, French soldiers advanced inland after coming ashore unopposed. Instead they met determined Island militia and English troops.
The first assault was driven back after fierce fighting, but the French regrouped and attacked again in greater strength. Fighting spread across the slopes beneath the Down as the Islanders struggled to contain the advancing enemy.
Outnumbered, the defenders eventually gave way and retreated towards higher ground, but they had denied the French the swift breakthrough they had expected.
Captain Robert Fyssher, one of the English commanders, was said to have been too heavily built to escape on foot. As French troops closed in, he reportedly offered £100, an enormous sum at the time, to anyone who could bring him a horse.
According to later tradition, no horse arrived in time and Fyssher was killed. Some historians believe his desperate plea may have inspired William Shakespeare’s famous line in Richard III:
‘A horse! A horse! My kingdom for a horse!’
The third landing came near Sandown, where Henry VIII had already begun building a new artillery fort to guard the eastern entrance to the Solent. The castle was still unfinished and soldiers, labourers and local militia fought side by side to defend it. Although the French landed in strength, they were unable to capture the position or establish the secure base needed for a march across the Island.
Despite landing thousands of troops, the French failed to secure the foothold they needed. Every extra day ashore stretched their supply lines as food, water and ammunition had to be ferried across the Channel while the English fleet remained a constant threat. Around Sandown, English troops and Island militia repeatedly attacked the French positions, making it increasingly difficult for the invaders to hold their ground.
After several days ashore, the French commanders abandoned the invasion. Their troops were recalled to the fleet and, on 28th July 1545, the French invasion fleet turned for home, bringing the final French invasion of the Island to an end.
Henry VIII acted quickly to strengthen the Island against any future attack. Sandown Castle was completed, while powerful new artillery forts were built or strengthened at Yarmouth, East Cowes and West Cowes. Together they formed a chain of coastal defences designed to stop another invasion before enemy troops could establish themselves ashore.
No foreign army has landed on the Isle of Wight since the summer of 1545. More than 480 years later, it remains the last successful enemy landing on the Island and the closest the Isle of Wight has come to conquest since the Middle Ages.
We’re being invaded right now, and the French are allowing them to invade us and cause the fall of the UK.
It does make one wonder why we pay France millions of pounds
each year and they are letting them cross.
The other strange thing was that between 1939 – 1945
the world never had the technology it now has yet our
brave men patrolled our borders in Kent.
Something doesn’t add up, anyone would think someone
wants this happening, because it could easily be stopped
using what was once our Great Royal Navy and Royal Marines.
FFS EIE, you’ve actually said something that some people will agree with. I fully agree with you on this. But please think about some of the other sh*t you put on here. It does get boring after a while. Just saying.
As expected the usual idiots spieling their usual ill informed bogotry
well said and sadly he has decided to have a few “secret aliases”problem being they all shout the same s..t..
Thank you IE for another interesting article highlighting some of the island’s history.Those were the days!
Only about 9000 people lived on the island.
The chain of warning beacons linking the high ground across the Island included the Signal Beacon on Signal Hill in Parkhurst Forest which is marked by the Signal Man carving.
Such different times, when Islanders and the English had pride in maintaining their way of life, their language and their loyalty to their king.
Unlike now, where our Government inspired, not so subtle invasion has destroyed many British people’s loyalty as invaders arrive with a begging bowl, all arriving with nothing, so everything they acquire over their life time here will need to be supplied and to the detriment of the indigenous.
The reason we are led to believe by our short sighted Government is because we have an aging population, who needs workers to pay for their pensions and care.
Yet, without the truly ‘never ending’ numbers of these arrivals, has the Government ever considered that THEY too will all age, all need a pension one day, then what? Empty another impoverished nation to keep the first never ending wave of such?
But more to the point, very very few will EVER keep themselves and the offspring they create, let along work for long enough hours to ‘fund our elderly’, for most take out far more in top up benefits IF they work at all, thus paying in nothing but all will need a home in which to live, costing hundreds of thousands of pounds, yet if working for minimum wage, will be claiming child allowance, universal credits, and rent and council tax, for the very house they ‘we have all had to pay for via stealth taxes for them to live in.
It is utter madness, and even more so now that AI is taking so many jobs, that even our own workshy should they be bothered will find it hard to find work, so we are keeping our own, and half the worlds chancers now.
Worse than that, is the fact that many arm themselves once here with knives, machettes and guns, and form gangs to rob from individuals or stores with the British now too cowed to attempt to stop them.
Our prisons are full to bursting as are our childrens homes, with TV and radio ad’s almost begging us to take in such’s offspring, and a swift glance will show it is hardly ‘coincidence’ that since this invasion of our shores that the inhabitants of both establishments are proportional either.
A very sad shame that the leaders, who for Centuries kept our nation and it’s women safe from barbaric criminals committing the vilest of crimes, once unimaginable here is now common place, getting worse, all thanks to useless weak Governments, and the ‘useful idiots’ aided and abetted by the same Government rules and laws, ensuring the truth is kept as hidden as much as feasible until, as now, it is all too late. Time unlike with warfare will make all this ever worse, never better, Watch, and learn.
Absolute rubbish. All of your ludicrous comments. Perhaps go to Church Litten & have a look at the Stella swilling, dope heads all on PIP & all white non muslims. Before you try to condone your thinly veiled racism again perhaps have a look at why so many immigrants try to cross, they are not actually illegal until proven. The Iraq war resulted in thousands of refugees, well done the appalling Mr Blair, Bush’s little helper & the WMD are still not found but he knew that anyway, Mossad influenced the fool. A million dead.
We brought 1000s of Asians to the UK as cheap labour to work in the cotton mills etc but we never hear about that or the intolerable working conditions. Basically you want your cake etc. Imbecile
Balanced against all your say, it is important to bear in mind that Britain invaded and occupied a massive amount of the world, plundering the wealth of those countries in the name of Empire. At its height,a quarter of the world was subject to British rule which was largely imposed by Britain as an invader. Just saying…
PS, Great article though, but if you are a true Islander, your passion for wanting to keep the Island and it’s people as near to how it has been and slowly evolved over the Centuries is very strong and emotive, as I am sure it is for many people living on the mainland too.
That is FAR more important than who took what bribes for what in Politics, for they are all not beyond such, just only a few hit the headlines.
The usual excuse for not returning the illegals is that Dover Strait boats sit in overlapping UK/French territorial seas with no high seas buffer so they cannot be towed back without French consent and therefore must be treated as UK rescues but today’s Cherbourg to Isle of Wight crossing was in the western Channel where that buffer exists, France was already escorting the unsafe dinghy and still did not take them ashore, and the UK then took them anyway.
To stop the boats you need to stop the people behind it. Surprise, surprise, big business is complicit. Why does an artic pick up impounded boats in Dover & then return them to France? I know the name of one company doing this as do C&E who no doubt know of more.
Not all migrants whether legal or illegal are bad
never forget that!.
There are good and bad in everyone.
A very interesting article. It mentions Sandown Castle at low tide opposite the entrance to the zoo I think you can still see the remains of it.
Another great story from the Echo