On St David’s Day we celebrate the life of
Wales’ Patron Saint and all things Welsh. And so it was fitting that a group of 40 officers and soldiers from HQ ARRC headed to Bryn Glas on 1 March 2012. Bryn Glas is a battlefield where in 1402 a small Welsh force under Owain Glyndwr defeated a far larger English army.
The day began in Imjin Barracks with a "countries of interest” update focussed on
Wales and the events leading to Glyndwr’s 1400 revolt against English oppression. But this brief was delivered not by G2, but by Maj James McCulloch from the G7 Branch. In setting the scene for the day’s activities Maj McCulloch
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gave an overview of British history from the departure of the Romans to Norman times. This was a chance to talk about why so much of
Wales’ culture is different from
England’s, its Ancient British, rather than Anglo-Saxon, origins and the sources of its iconography; dragons, leeks and daffodils. The talk also mentioned some of the Herculean efforts that the English undertook to wrest and maintain control over
Wales, such as the construction of the giant castles that stand to this day, and the reasons for their failure to subdue the population.
Bryn Glas is a 2-hour drive from Innsworth through Gloucestershire and Herefordshire and as we drove north the early-morning fog cleared into a bright, sunny day. The battlefield sits on a small hill dominating the valley of the River Lugg. Its steep (albeit brief) assent was broken by three stands each giving an opportunity to discuss various aspects of Glyndwr’s campaign including the events that took place on the day of the battle. On the summit, the group split into four syndicates to discuss, respectively, the effectiveness of the English strategy, the impact of tactical battles on campaign success, the effectiveness of fortified bases and the similarities between insurgencies in the 15th century and those in the 20th.
As the group turned to look back down the path we had trod we could see white tablecloths glistening in the spring sunshine; it was time for lunch. The Support Battalion’s Catering
Troop had worked their magic and arrived at a delicious Welsh-style menu to be eaten under the eaves of a barn in rural
Wales.
Overall, the trip gave a fine opportunity to broaden the understanding of our Partner Nation’s staff (and some of our British staff) about the area around
Gloucester and its history. And we ate conceptually on the relevance of medieval campaigns to modern warfare and physically on the fine food that the Support Battalion provided.
A Dewi Saint.