We lined the ridge of Senlac hill The shield wall stood five men deep In the autumn chill The came at us on horse and foot But we were the men of the Sussex weald Men who would not yealed Our shields now hacked and broken Bodies bloodied bruised and sore But we the housecarles of the English King Would stand and fight the war Prince William came with his aray the English crown to take But we the men of Sussex Would many French bones break Alas our shield wall has broken Kentish men on the right have charged They sought to cut the Norman line And so the men of Kent did die The French now archers did deploy With bitter arows fired high Harold, our king, our leige Lord Took an arrow in his eye We gathered round his body We men of the Sussex Weald Our king was dead, the battle lost But Sussex men don't yeald The shield wall now in disaray Large gaps now opened up Brave men now die before the spear From the broadswords vicious cut And so we died on Senlac ridge But there were no wounds in our backs We died for England's glory Cut down by spear and axe
The battle of Hastings in 1066 when William of Normandy took the English crown. The battle on Senlac ridge is about an hours drive from my home and I have visited the site many times