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

By Hywel M. Davies

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 would be associated above all with Jemima Nicholas, a now iconic figure in Wales as she was said to have resisted the French invasion by picking up a pitchfork and leading a group of local women to round up twelve French soldiers and hold them captive in a local church overnight. 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.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1837722374
• ISBN13: 9781837722372
• Release Date: May 2025
• Publisher: University of Wales Press
• Length: 296 Pages
• Weight: 0.97 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.4" x 8.5"