Battle of Flodden - 500th anniversary

[sailortats]

The 500th anniversary of the Battle of Flodden is coming up in Septermber of this year. In reading a couple of reports about events surrounding this anniversary I read the following:

events planned for the anniversary weekend in September include a guided timed walk through the battlefield sites exactly 500 years to the day of the famous conflict.

Led by historian Clive Hallam-Baker, it will take people in the footsteps of the medieval soldiers on both sides of the battle.

Inventions to commemorate the battle include the creation of a new tartan by Edinburgh firm, Nicolson Kiltmakers, an opera and two new ales.

I am not sure I would want to be on that walk. I think I would feel very uneasy being there that day. I will be anxious to see the new tartan and maybe even to taste the two new ales however.

[Sir William]

I'll be visiting Flodden on 1 September, a few days before the 500th Anniversary. Clan Elliot is holding a Clan Gathering that weekend and we finish up with a visit to the battlefield. Looking forward to it.

[figheadair]

I visited last month for the first time. They have done a very nice job with interpretive display boards. It's always interesting applying contemporary military thinking to such battles - the question is invariably why? Of course today we're allowed a freedom of action often not permitted to minor commanders of the past.

[AcuteEnigma]

Does anyone have any pictures from the Flodden 500th Anniversary?

[James Hood]

Agreement with Sailortats.

Visiting places where there was unspeakable violence and suffering is massively difficult enough for this history-obsessed writer. Being "there" on the day the stars aligned the same after 500 years would likely bring the horror of the Zeitgeist (German word for "spirit of the time and place.) to a whelming level, here.

Honour and prayers for the souls of to those who faced the horror, fell or were hideously maimed, five centuries ago.

[Phil]

Does anyone have any pictures from the Flodden 500th Anniversary?

There is a video here - http://www.scotsman.com/lifestyle/he...dead-1-3083131 .

Also Isla St. Clair sings "Flowers of the forest" - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vTkGNcntD7s .

[figheadair]

BBC News - Battle of Flodden burial excavation work begins

The Scotsman - Scots soldier search to take place at Flodden

[Sir William]

I visited last month for the first time. They have done a very nice job with interpretive display boards. It's always interesting applying contemporary military thinking to such battles - the question is invariably why? Of course today we're allowed a freedom of action often not permitted to minor commanders of the past.

I had the pleasure of visiting Flodden on 1 September as part of the Clan Elliot Gathering. We had a very good tour guide, and ITV was along to film our visit as part of a program they were preparing on the 500th anniversary.

I was much impressed with the interpretive display boards as all too many of the UK battlefields I've visited have little more than a monument. I had a good discussion with our guide on the location of some of the units and the tactics (pike vs bill by untrained troops).