A HEREFORDSHIRE man is spearheading a campaign to save the historic French battlefield where an English king earned immortality and which inspired one of Shakespeare's greatest works.

Don Baggs, of Bishopswood, near Ross-on-Wye, is furious a wind turbine is proposed for the site of the Battle of Agincourt

He has visited the Mayor of Azincourt, as the village is now called, to inspect the plans for the wind farm proposal.

Campaigners are desperate to stop a wind turbine farm from being built at the edge of the site where Monmouth-born King Henry V defeated the French in 1415.

Hallowed ground

"We do not want to be involved in local or national French or British politics - our core belief and stance is simply that this is a piece of hallowed ground, where much blood was spilt," he said.

"It is a war grave which has remained unchanged for 588 years. It is as much a part of English/Welsh heritage as it is French, worthy of World Heritage status and therefore should not be defaced. We ask the authorities to 'think again' and move the turbines to a less sensitive area."

Mr Baggs was originally contacted by friends Patrick and Marie-Jose Fenet, who live in Azincourt, to see if the people of England and Wales would help to save the battlefield.

He is now co-ordinating the British response and is actively looking for longbowmen, archers and medievalists to support an Easter Medieval Encampment to highlight the issue and present an anti-wind farm petition.

The battlefield is located between the quiet villages of Maisoncelles, Tramecourt and Azincourt and has remained undisturbed for almost 600 years.

"We applaud the use of wind turbines but we believe the idea of developing them on and close to the historic site is totally inappropriate," Mr Baggs said.

"It would be tragic if today's planners were allowed to desecrate this area, destroy history and ruin a key part of Anglo-French heritage."