‘A God-almighty punch-up’: rare footage shows Battle of Hastings (the 1966 one)
Summary
In October 1966, 500 university students re-enacted the Battle of Hastings near the original battlefield to mark its 900th anniversary. Recently, English Heritage acquired rare color footage of this first event, showing a fun but rough mock battle with wooden weapons and enthusiastic participants.Key Facts
- The re-enactment took place on October 14, 1966, near Battle in East Sussex.
- About 500 students from Kent and Sussex universities participated in the event.
- The English side wore simple costumes and used wooden swords and spears.
- The Norman army's arrival was delayed by 20 minutes due to traffic.
- The event included some real pushing and joking fights among the students.
- Alan Wootton filmed the event; his son recently donated 300 reels of footage to English Heritage.
- The footage shows a lively and informal re-enactment, different from today’s more controlled events.
- The annual re-enactment event has continued since 1966, attracting thousands of visitors each year.
Read the Full Article
This is a fact-based summary from The Actual News. Click below to read the complete story directly from the original source.
