Last Invasion Tapestry Gallery

Near the public library in a gallery on the first floor of the Town Hall in Fishguard is to be found a little-known and remarkable tapestry depicting the last ever invasion of the United Kingdom.

It is an amazing, embroidered 30-metre long tapestry that tells the story of the 1797 invasion at Fishguard undertaken by the French. It took 70 women two years to complete this stitching masterpiece which was commissioned to celebrate the bicentenary of the Last Invasion in 1997.

Story boards and artefacts help recreate that fateful day. The audio visual room shows the making of the tapestry.

The Story of the Last Invasion

Shortly after the French Revolution had taken place and fuelled by a desire to take their revolutionary ideals to Britain and support a planned Irish revolt, 1,400 French troops commanded by Irish American Colonel William Tate landed near Fishguard on Wednesday 22 February 1797. They rampaged into the countryside but came across farms full of liquor which had been salvaged from a recent shipwreck and settled down to get themselves drunk!

Lord Cawdor rallied 660 men together made up of the local militia and yeoman cavalry plus 400 Welsh women volunteers all robed in red flannel, who positioned themselves on the hills surrounding the invading troops looking like red uniformed British soldiers, intimidating the French who promptly surrendered their arms at Goodwick Sands on 24 February. 

One local woman wrote her name into local folklore when, armed with only a pitchfork, Jemima Nicholas took on and captured 12 French troops by herself and locked them in St Mary's Church. To celebrate that event each year a man dressed a French soldier is chased around Fishguard's pubs by women dressed in traditional Welsh dress and whichever 'captures' him becomes that year's honorary Jemima Nicholas.

In memory of the part played by the Yeomanry, the War Office gave them permission in 1853 to add 'FISHGUARD' to their badge as an honour. This was the first battle honour awarded to a volunteer unit.