Caesar's FIRST Invasion of Britain - Walmer, Kent, UK.
Posted by: MeerRescue
N 51° 12.667 E 001° 24.176
31U E 388446 N 5674514
A large stone commemorating Caesar's FIRST invasion on August 26th 55BC at Walmer, Kent, UK.
Waymark Code: WMEB89
Location: South East England, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 05/01/2012
Views: 3
A large stone commemorating the landing
place of Caesar in 55BC, sited on Walmer Green, The Strand, Walmer, Kent. It is
inscribed " The First Roman Invasion of Britain led by Julius Caesar
landed near here LVBC"
Caesar's first invasion of Britain was a failure. Caesar's
first 'conquest' of Britain came in late summer of 55BC. For the Roman's,
anything beyond the 'River Oceanus' was a journey into a land of mystery, of the
unknown. Certainly the shores of 'Britannica' had been known since before
Caesars arrival, as there had been cross-channel trading going on for centuries
but it was only merchants who went to Britain and even then it was only the
sea-coast and those parts which are near to Gaul that they were known to visit.
But we were still a mysterious race with strange customs.
Caesar had tried to obtain information about these landing
places from these merchants in the short time available to him He did send one
scouting party ahead of him across the Channel, who took some 5 days to
probe the Kent coastline for a suitable landing site. It was little help to
Caesar as for what ever reason, he missed Richborough and Caesar's small force
arrived (without his cavalry) somewhere between Walmer and Deal and with
great difficulty fought off the Britons, who were waiting, and attacked them in
the shallows on the beach. With skilful use of his warships offering a barrage
of slingshot, arrows and ballista bolts, and the brave Legion X standard bearer,
the Romans gained a foothold. The defeated Britons offered hostages.
Unfortunately for Caesar , three or four days later there was a full moon and a
high tide and the Romans, unused to the 6 - 7 metre tidal range of the channel,
and a storm, meant their ships at anchor were damaged. Caesar's cavalry had to
turn back in the storm - this heartened the locals to fight again. After
skirmishes with the Briton's, Caesar had learned much of the Britons
fighting methods and returned to Gaul with hostages before the autumn equinox.
It would be another year before Caesar tried again, with a second invasion in
July 54BC.
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