by Griff Hosker
While we waited for our orders we practised. Some of the others gambled but I prepared myself for war abroad. Dai and Harry were the ones who would wager on anything and Robert of Nantwich did so now and again, but Silent Simon and I did not. I did not know what Simon’s reasons were but for myself, I did not wish to be poor and so I intended to earn and to keep as much of my earnings as I could. I also shortened the hand axe for it was too cumbersome to carry in my belt and if I had to use it to fight then it would be as a close weapon. My sword would serve me in combat. Our gambesons with the red cross of St George arrived as did our pot helmets. On the advice of the others, I made a liner for it and I padded it to make it more comfortable. We would still wear our archer’s caps but beneath the helmet. I watched Dai drill two holes in the side and asked him why. He told me that it could be hung that way and used as a cooking pot! September passed and October arrived. The weather became cooler and damper and the camp became a more unpleasant place in which to live.
Sir Walter Manny was appointed by the King to be our leader and he arrived in the camp on the second of October. He summoned the captains. Ralph of Malton and Philip of Lincoln were still with us. When they returned from the meeting our small band discovered that, along with another one hundred and ninety-five archers, we were to be retained and had a six-month contract. I did not know what that meant but Robert and the others seemed delighted.
Harry laughed at my face, “John, you have brought us great luck for we are now retained by the King and we are paid sixpence a day wherever we campaign. We will have our own helmet, gambeson and hose. Our horses will be stabled at Dover Castle and looked after at the King’s expense.”
“But will we not need them?” I was loath to lose Megs.
Robert shook his head, “Were you not listening? Our first campaign is in Flanders and we will not need our horses. The land there is marshy and would harm our horses. When we go to France then we shall need them. At Dover, they will have grass and cereal. We will return to horses with glossy coats and fat bellies! Life is good, John Hawkwood.”
We left at the start of November when the icy wind from the east found every gap in our clothing. As Harry said, “It is a lazy wind, it does not go around you but straight through you.”
We headed for the Flemish island of Cadzand. Flanders was part of France and the port of Sluys was on a nearby island. Sir Walter was known as a sailor as well as a soldier. He had captured the famous pirate, John Crabbe and King Edward hoped that our presence on the island would provoke a response as the French would not wish their rich port to be threatened. We learned this from Captain Philip. He was as close to the King as any commoner and seemed happy to tell us interesting snippets. I do not think he told us anything that was not common knowledge at court but that was so many degrees from where we were that it came as complete news to us. The King had told us he had the support of other kings and princes but what he had not told us was that he had had to support them financially. The three and a half thousand men whom Sir Walter led represented the only army which King Edward could afford. He would need five times that number, at least, if he was to regain France!
The seas, to me, seemed mountainous but the others just called them choppy. The almost black water rose and fell revealing crests and troughs which threatened to bring up my last meal. The ship appeared to be too small to contain the number of men it did, but the crew seemed content and went about their business cheerfully. I had been told that we would not have to sleep aboard the cog and for that I was grateful. I believe that staring out to the horizon helped me a little and I avoided the indignity of vomiting all the way across. When I saw the islands of Flanders approaching, I almost sang with joy. The crew said we were heading for a small island called Cadzand and, as far as I could tell, the only reason to go there was to annoy the French. I didn’t care so long as my feet were on dry land!
I wanted to be the first one off the boat, but it was the knights and men at arms who swarmed ashore to the marshy little island. It was a wet landing as we had to drop from the side into the black and muddy waters. My bowstrings were safe under my hat and helmet, but the water came over the top of my buskins and I endured wet feet! There was a village on the island, and it was quite a large one for the folk on the island were fishermen and self-sufficient. Other ships had landed first and by the time we scrambled ashore with our gardyvyans, arrows and bows the looting and pillaging had begun. I did not know it then but the island and port I could see just across the channel was Sluys and as such a jewel in the kingdom. It was high tide and all I saw, as night fell, was the black sea. We had little to do that first night. The men on the island had been slain by the men at arms. All that could be taken was taken and so we made ourselves as comfortable as we could on the exposed and marshy island. Already the campaign had lost most of its appeal. I was not hungry, and I found it hard to sleep; partly because of the wind and rain but mainly from the screams as men enjoyed themselves. Sir Walter had planned it this way. The cries carried across the narrow channel to Sluys and the French garrison there would hear them.
When dawn broke and I went to the shore to make water I saw that the tide had gone out and whilst Sluys was a good two miles away, the channel to the mainland was just a few hundred paces wide. I saw armed men gathering there and I hurried to the camp to tell the others. Captain Philip was pleased, “The sooner they decide to come here then the sooner we can be rid of this insect ridden, pestilential hole!” I saw that his face was already covered in the red bite marks of the almost invisible flying insects.
“But Captain, why should they come? There is nothing here worth dying for!”
“No, but our presence here threatens their port and the fact that we have hurt their people may stir them. Let us hope so!”
I was now hungry, and I ate the fish which had been taken from the islanders and then we waited. Our leader, Sir Walter, visited all of us and spoke in turn to each company of men. Neither King Edward nor the Earl of Derby had bothered to do so and it impressed me. Sir Walter seemed to know what he was doing and, indeed, seemed genuinely interested in us. It was when I stood a watch later that night that I divined the reason for this. He had made us all feel that he was our friend rather than our leader and I could see how that would make us all fight harder for him. It had cost him nothing save a little shoe leather and he had bought the loyalty of three and a half thousand men.
The French garrison did not come the next day but the one after. We saw them boarding their boats on the other side of the channel for the short journey. They would all be afoot and as soon as Sir Walter saw them then he made his dispositions. I thought he would have had us shower arrows on them as they tried to leave the boats, but he was a clever man and he had grander plans than that. He drew us up before the village just beyond where the mud and marshes began. The ground on which we drew up our men was higher and drier than the rest of the island and the archers were behind the men at arms and knights. We had a clear line of sight to the landing area and it was well within range.
Robert of Nantwich nodded his approval, “I like this captain, he knows his business. He intends to pack them together with nowhere left to retreat and then we will rain death upon them.” He looked at my arrow bag. “Put your bodkins on one side of the bag. When we are done here, I would suggest you dye the flights of your bodkins a different colour so that you know which to draw. There will be few mailed men this day, but you should save your bodkins for them!”
As the boats approached, it became clear that they would outnumber us. Whoever led them intended to make a statement; he intended to warn the English to stay away from his land! I saw the tide was going out as the first of the flat-bottomed boats approached. If they were surprised that we would allow them to land it did not make them cautious. They formed their battles as soon as their feet squelched on the mud. They seemed not to notice the shifting ground but just spread their lines out. Our men at arms and knights had their spears planted haft first in
the more solid ground, with their longer kite-shaped shields also embedded in the ground; it was as though we had a mobile fort before us. We archers each had an arrow nocked but not drawn and we waited. My new helmet made my head itch for this was the first time I had worn the helmet, liner and hat. My head was hot! Over the years I became used to them but that first day, along with the irritation of insects, they were an annoyance.
Once the ships had disgorged their men, they presented their spears and shields and began to march towards us. I saw that they had a few crossbows, but no bows and the crossbows were useless as they needed a flat trajectory to be able to hit us and we were above them and their own men. They began to march, shouting and jeering as they came. Remarkably we were silent, and I think that showed the confidence of our men. I saw Sir Walter raise his sword and Captain Philip shouted, “Draw!”
A thousand bows creaked as our oaken arms pulled back our strings beyond our ears. I found it easy now. I had a full-sized bow, but I had practised each and every day. I knew which man I was aiming at. I knew my range and I was confident about getting close to him. He was a man at arms, and I had a bodkin nocked. There had been closer targets who could have been hit by a war arrow but I wished to test myself.
“Release!”
The sound of a thousand arrows is unlike any other noise you have ever heard but I had no time to admire the beauty as the sky before us darkened. I drew a war arrow and nocked it.
“Draw!”
I lowered my aim slightly for I saw an axeman who had a helmet but no mail.
“Release!”
Even as I released and then drew another war arrow, I saw that my first arrow had hit the mailed man at arms in the shoulder.
“Release!”
It seemed that we had no limit to the number of times we could draw and release. I just used my war arrows and sent them into the mass of men who flooded ashore like a spring tide.
“Choose your targets!”
Captain Philip command told me that the back of the enemy was broken and now we had to destroy their knights and mailed men at arms. I picked a bodkin and licked the top flight. I drew back and aimed at a knight who was flailing his double-handed axe like some Viking berserker. The arrow flew straight and true for he was just eighty paces from me and about to decapitate a man at arms. The bodkin, which I had made myself, struck his mail and I watched as the needle point arrowhead drove into a mail link and tore it apart as though it was made of cloth. Then it penetrated his gambeson, through his flesh and muscle and into his heart. The axe dropped at the feet of the surprised man at arms who thrust his spear at the next man. I was able to loose the last arrows of this battle with leisure. I had the time to take my arrow and ensure that the feathers were smooth. I could aim, not only at the man, but also the place on the man I wished to hit. In those days I was merciful, and I gave them all the swiftest death I could: the eye, the head, the heart.
Soon I heard the horns of the French sound retreat and Captain Philip shouted, “Drop bows and use your swords! We have won!”
Such a command was wise for the last thing we needed was for men at arms to race to finish off a Frenchman and have an arrow slam into their back. I drew my sword and my hand axe and raced forward. Up until now, I had been fighting for Sir Walter and King Edward; now I was fighting for me! I raced towards the French who were trying to get aboard the ships which were starting to leave. Others were risking the channel and discarding their mail. A mailed man at arms must have sensed me coming for he began to turn and to swing his sword at me. I raised my hand axe to block it and swung my sword at his shield. It was not a kite shield and he had to lower it. I was now very strong, and the blow hit his shield and knocked him into the shallow water. As he fell backwards, I raised my hand axe and split his skull in two. As I stood, the sea lapping around my buskins, I saw that barely a hundred men had made the ships and the sea was taking the rest. Looking back there were few English red crosses lying on the bank. We had won.
The man at arms was a rich prize. He had mail, a sword and a purse filled with Flemish and French coins. He wore no helmet, but I had done well. I could sell the mail and the sword for I was happy with mine and the coins showed that he was either a saver or one who had gambled and won from his comrades. I was content and I walked back to our camp feeling satisfied.
Chapter 4
We sailed back to Dover just three days later. I never served under Sir Walter Manny again for he became an admiral and ruled the seas for King Edward, but I would have done so for he was a good leader and knew how to fight. Back in Dover many of the army took their coins and left. At that time there was little prospect of further fighting in France or Flanders as King Edward needed money. My four comrades decided that this was the time to enjoy their money and they left Dover. It was a sad parting for I had enjoyed their company. They each went their separate ways and although we all believed we would fight together once more, the battle of Cadzand was the last time the five of us were a company. I knew nothing of their lives, but I guessed that some would become bored with a life of peace and seek a war somewhere while others might actually make a successful transition. I suspect that a couple may have been in the army which King Edward led to France and in which I served but my life and position had changed by then.
After they left, I felt deserted and abandoned. Most of the other archers who had been hired by King Edward left. If they had stayed, then they would have been paid but we had all made more in one battle that we would have earned in a year as archers. My problem was that I had nowhere to go. I could not and would not go home and London was not for me. It was Captain Philip who saved me. He approached me one cold December day.
“John Hawkwood, I have been appointed to command the archers of Portsmouth. I need a good archer, would you come with me?”
“Without a moment’s hesitation, Captain!”
It was a prayer answered and I left for Portsmouth, happy that someone else had made a decision for me. Captain Philip took just ten of us with him and, as most of the others had fought together many times I rode with the Captain. “I am honoured that you chose me, Captain, but I do not know why. I am still young and there are better archers than I.”
He smiled without turning and nodded, “Aye, you are right but there are two reasons. One is that I feel responsible for you. I know that one of the reasons you are an archer is because you met me. Had you not heard my stories then you might not have run away from Needlers Lane.” I shifted uncomfortably in my saddle as he seemed to know more than he was saying. “The second reason is more practical. We will be garrison troops when we are in Portsmouth and you are right, other archers have more skill than you, but Robert of Nantwich told me of your skill with other weapons. He also said of your hunger and desire to win at all costs. You are not afraid to take on someone whom you think has greater skill. Dark times may be ahead of us and your sword, dagger and axe may be needed.”
“Dark times, Captain?”
“King Edward wants the French crown, but King Philip has the young King David at his court and the French and Scots have ever been allies. Until we can land soldiers in France and threaten the French then we are in danger from King Philip as well as the Scots. Sir Walter is, even now, gathering a fleet to counter the French threat but Portsmouth will need to be defended. The castle there is not as strong as Dover and we need to protect the anchorage.”
And so I began my service in Portsmouth Castle. It proved to be a most eventful time. There were no stone fortifications and the wooden walls looked remarkably flimsy to me. Even then I had a critical eye for such matters. I had fought in Scotland and seen the advantage of stone-built structures and, as an archer, I knew the vulnerability of wood. The castle lay outside the town but guarded the entrance to the harbour. We had wooden towers dotted along it and it was in those that the archers were housed. Our arrival doubled the garrison archers and I was honoured to be with Captain Philip and five other archers in the one which lay closest t
o the harbour and the ships.
We were shown around the walls by an old archer, Paul of Portsmouth. Until the arrival of Captain Philip, he had commanded the archers and I think he was relieved to have that duty taken from him. In the short time I knew him, Paul of Portsmouth did not seem a well man, but I never discovered his ailment. Paul told us of an attack two years earlier on the Isle of Wight. Portsmouth had not been directly threatened but the constable and the King had begun to add the towers. Our arrival meant that the garrison now had forty men to defend its walls. Besides the garrison, the men of Portsmouth could be called upon to fight from the walls of the town. Our duties were simple, the other five and I had the responsibility of the harbour tower. During the day four of us would be on duty while at night two of us would watch all night. The night duty was rotated.
We were fed and we were paid but the pay was only half that of a mounted horseman. I had husbanded my money and that did not worry me. I had a roof and I was fed, more importantly, I was learning. I now knew that I wished to be a warrior and I was ambitious enough to want to be Captain Philip. I spent every moment I could with him and tried to emulate him. When we had the daytime duty, we saw him as he walked the fighting platform and the towers. His eyes were everywhere seeking imperfections. It was easy enough to maintain our standards and any archer who suffered his wrath deserved it. The ones who were found wanting were the original archers of the garrison and they learned to dread the heavy step of Captain Philip as he stomped the wooden walls. At night it was Paul of Portsmouth who was in charge and I found that I liked him, but he was no warrior. He was a fair archer, but he had spent his whole life in Portsmouth and had yet to draw a bow in anger. He was three times as old as I was and yet I had fought in more battles and killed many more men than either Paul or any of his men. I saw now why King Edward had sent his Captain of Archers to Portsmouth.