Thwarting Napoleon’s Invasion
In 1803 Napoleon turned his attention to invading England. “All my thoughts are directed towards England,” he said, “I want only for a favorable wind to plant the Imperial Eagle on the Tower of London”. Although the invasion never happened as the French Dictator turned his attention to Egypt instead, the Duke of York played his part in the military preparations for thwarting any French invasion.
Firstly, the Duke saw to it that 50 out of the 93-army regiments had a reserve battalion created. These reserves would only serve on British soil and only be called upon if the invasion occurred. The Duke also organized the activities of civilian volunteers. These volunteers were not to engage the enemy directly but to act as a kind of resistance. Operating in small bands, they were to harass and distract the occupying French in localized guerrilla attacks.
The Duke also put forward the case for building field fortifications in advance of any invasion, as “the erection of such Works must be immediate with a view to their probable utility”. These fortifications were placed along the coast at spots where any invading force was most likely to land.
He received permission and funding and so began building fortifications on the western heights over Dover and the first of the Martello towers along the Kent and Sussex coasts, which acted as artillery emplacements.