The Last Invasion : War, Women and Memory, 1797-1997

This study presents a cultural rather than the usual history of the French invasion of Pembrokeshire in 1797, using primary sources both in English and Welsh to debate of how the invasion was remembered and assess its historical and cultural imprint. What is now known as ‘the last invasion of Britain’ terrorised the people in and around Fishguard – but the French surrendered, more as a result of their own indiscipline and the fury of local people than any French military shortcomings. Almost immediately, stories of women in red livery appeared in propaganda and travel accounts, and subsequently acts of individual heroism would be associated above all with Jemima Nicholas. The telling and retelling of this story peaked at times of fear of invasion and war – be it against Napoleon, the Kaiser or Hitler – and, resilient to public doubt and professional scorn, the ‘legend’ of the women survived into popular memory.

Brings popular stories of Welsh women and their bravery during the French invasion of 1797 into the light.

This study presents a cultural history of the French invasion of Pembrokeshire in 1797, using primary sources both in English and Welsh to debate how the invasion is remembered and assess its historical and cultural imprint. What is now known as “the last invasion of Britain” terrorized the people in and around Fishguard, though the French surrendered, mostly a result of their own unruliness and the fury of the locals than any French military shortcomings. Almost immediately, stories of women in red livery appeared in propaganda and travel accounts, and subsequently acts of individual heroism. Jemima Nicholas, who plied her trade as a cobbler and shoemaker in Fishguard at the time of the invasion, later became celebrated for her heroism in singlehandedly capturing twelve Frenchmen and marching them to captivity. She was remembered as a "tall, stout, masculine female" with pitchfork in hand, who Nonconformist ministers thought was too fond of her beer. She became an iconic figure, an example of female fortitude and independence, praised by suffragettes and women in public life in Wales. The telling and retelling of this story peaked at times of fear of invasion and war—be it against Napoleon, the Kaiser, or Hitler—and, resilient to public doubt and professional scorn, the “legend” of the women survived into popular memory.