The last Hurrah – An English Archer in France 1940
On the 27 th May 1940, Captain ‘Mad’ Jack Churchill, though slightly wounded, was holding part of the
defensive perimeter around Dunkirk. He had joined his regiment , the Manchester’s, straight from
participating in the world archery championships in Oslo, and although two of his bows, the metal
ones had become damaged, he still retained his 100 pound yew bow made by Purle of London.
Climbing into a granary, with a couple of men from his mixed force, he was able to spot a party of
five german soldiers behind a wall but in clear view of the opening in the upstairs wall of the
granary.
Telling his two men not to fire until he loosed his shot, he took up his bow, aimed carefully and shot
the centre man through the chest. The others were shot by the two soldiers with him. So five years
before the first atomic bomb exploded, and nearly 600 years after Crecy and English archer had
briefly returned to the ancient battlefields of France.

Credit * Dr. Brian R Atkin FCMA, CGMA

Wirral Archaeology CIC

Director