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Please excuse the ramblings of an old bugger. Today the 25th October 2015 is the 600th anniversary of the Battle of Agincourt. I have long been a big fan of the St Crispins day speech supposedly given by Henry V as written by Bill Shakespeare, with variants.

We few, we happy few. We band of brothers.

We who have taken the oath, worn the uniform and occasionally stood in harms way.....

He that shall live this day, and see old age,
Will yearly on the vigil feast his neighbours,
And say “To-morrow is Saint Crispian.”
Then will he strip his sleeve and show his scars,
And say “These wounds I had on Crispian’s day.”

Perhaps those who have filled the role of the above last sentence "we who have taken the oath" would care to add the next two following lines in turn, and tell tales of when they may have acquired their scars or tell of associated humourous events. Thanks.

WESTMORELAND. O that we now had here
But one ten thousand of those men in England
That do no work to-day!

KING. What’s he that wishes so?
My cousin Westmoreland? No, my fair cousin;

The hidden private chapel he ordered built above his tomb is open for 18 lucky visitors today. His wife Valois, entombed in the Abbey in in 1437 and later relocated to the chapel by the Victorians, was kissed by Samuel Pepys in 1669 as a birthday treat to himself.

Splendid stuff, thanks Alison. Saw the excellent RSC Stratford Henry V on Wednesday night with Alex Hassall as Hal. In the Beeb's trailers and progs re Agincourt AH is the King featured rather than Olivier or Branagh's. Somewhere I have a video of Olivier's 1944 film. Quite spine tingling when one considers when and how it was made.

We also saw the RSC production of Henry V on Wednesday, not at Stratford, but live streamed to a screen in the Guildhall in Gloucester. Prior to the actual play there was an interview with the director. An interesting statement therein was that the 1944 Olivier film actually has around 700 lines of the original script missed out. Apparently Churchill was concerned about the part that deals with the English killing prisoners and other bits which may have had an adverse effect on morale.

izod tester wrote:We also saw the RSC production of Henry Von Wednesday...

Prussian chap, was he...?

Well, There are more than a few of us and as for the happy thing?

Another year gone. Happy St Crispin's Day to you all.

Thanks for the reminder Izod. It has been a pretty eventful year for some and for me it's not over yet. A whole new adventure about to start.

Alison

and for me it's not over yet. A whole new adventure about to start.

Do tell, Alison.