The Friends of Coughton Court were entertained royally by Max Keen at their first meeting of the year at which he posed as King Henry V. He dressed in a suit of armour to demonstrate how difficult, not to mention hot, it must have been to fight thus attired at mediaeval battles like Agincourt in 1415.

Max was clearly a past master at putting on the armour. He talked about the robustness, or otherwise, of the armour and of his weaponry including his longbow. He said that the worst part was the helmet and visor which were very hot. Not only could you not turn your head (a serious disadvantage in a battle situation!), when you raised the visor even a short way, you were liable to be struck by an arrow in the face. He explained that this is why portraits of Henry V are always painted from the left as during an earlier conflict he had been struck by an arrow on his right side for this very reason. The weapons with which he was equipped were heavy but devastating.

Henry had been a charismatic and respected Prince of Wales and he ascended the throne in 1413 on the death of his father. Much of his youth was spent subduing the Welsh. His war craft was learnt in that theatre. He was therefore prepared well for war in France and was a natural leader of men.

The Battle of Agincourt took place on October 25 - St Crispin's Day. The terrain was muddy and wet but the English took the higher ground and encouraged the larger French army forward. Woods formed the two sides of the site and Henry hid many men there before the battle commenced. As the French pushed forward, they became trapped between the woods and the English army. They were attacked on three sides and were quickly decimated by the use of the English longbow which could penetrate armour. The French crossbow was ineffectual against the English longbow. By the end of the day the French were in retreat with the battle lost. It was a famous victory for the English and a major milestone in the Hundred Years War.

Max Keen enthralled his audience with his extensive knowledge of his subject and his humour. His audience listened intently and he was extremely well informed.

The Friends meet in the restaurant at Coughton Court at 7.30pm on the third Wednesday of each month between March and October. New members are always welcome. Contact the secretary, Janet Thomas, on 01386/833767 or jethomas@btinternet.com The next meeting, reflecting Easter, will be on April 26 when Tim Porter will speak on "King John".