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by Marriott Edgar (1934)
Illustrations by John Hassall
The Battle of Hastings in 1066 was the decisive victory for the Norman Conquest of England. The battle took place between Duke William II of Normandy and Harold II of England in a place just north of Hastings called Battle. Whoever decided to name the town 'Battle' was asking for trouble!
There was a lot at stake with this fight; probably a lot of swords and arrows too.
In this poem, Marriott Edgar compares the battle to a football match where England lost, one-nil. And if you've ever seen a Bexhill United match, you'll realise England didn't have much of a chance.
This poem should be spoken with a crisp Northern accent; not a Sussex drawl.
I'll tell of the Battle of Hastings,
As happened in days long gone by,
When Duke William became King of England,
And 'Arold got shot in the eye.
It were this way - one day in October They'd all taken boats to go fishing, Then turning around to his soldiers, They started away about tea-time , King 'Arold came up as they landed , |
And 'Arold got shot in the eye |
Let's go and put breeze up the Saxons |
At this William rose, cool but 'aughty, When 'Arold heard this 'ere defiance, 'Twere a beautiful day for a battle; King 'Arold he won the advantage, |
The Normans had nowt in their favour, The kick-off were sharp at two-thirty, The Saxons had best line of forwards, So the Duke called his cohorts together |
King Harold came up as they landed |
Let's pretend that we're beat |
So they ran - and the Saxons ran after, When the Conqueror saw what had happened, The Normans turned round in a fury, And after the battle were over |