El Mission San Antonio de Valero, Thermopylae, Greasy Grass.

Thursday 16^th June 2011

To all members of Essex D

El Mission San Antonio de Valero, Thermopylae, Greasy Grass.

What do these locations all have in common?

El Mission San Antonio de Valero, was the site of the famous battle where, if I remember my Marty Robbins correctly, 192 men withstood the assaults of General Santa Anna’s 5000 for three days and nights. All the while knowing that they could not be saved but that maybe their sacrifice would allow Gen Samuel Houston the time to raise an army to prevent any further Mexican invasion of Texas. History now knows it as the battle for the Alamo.

The pass at Thermopylae was the scene of the famous stand by Leonidas’ 300 Spartans against an army estimated at a quarter of a million Persians and their allies under King Xerxes. This was the place where all Greece agreed to stand shoulder to shoulder to fight the barbarians. But the Athenians, Corinthians, Euboeans and Boetians all broke their word. They either didn’t show at all or pulled out at the last minute. Leaving just the Spartans to fill the pass with the bodies of the fallen. Seven days they held the pass.

Greasy Grass is the Lakotah name for the scene of the final hours of five companies of the 7^th Cavalry under General George Custer, which we know as the battle of the Little Bighorn. Custer knew the size of the tribal gathering he was attacking, he knew he could have waited for Majors Benteen and Reno’s 6 other companies less than five miles away but he went ahead anyway. For glory. And once on the featureless slope, with horses shot from under them, the cavalrymen formed small groups and met the Lakotah Souix, Cheyenne and Arapahoe warriors with bullets, bayonets and eventually, rifle butts and bare hands.

So what have they got in common? In every case, the beaten heroes fought to the last man. Not for some high ideal but for the comrade on their left and on their right. And in doing so they honoured their country, city or regiment. And history has been very kind to these vanquished warriors. They have become watchwords for honour, for courage and for faithfulness. We will not forget them.

Let it be known around the world. To this distinguished list of examples of human endeavour (and folly) in the face of overwhelming odds we can now add a new name: Earls Colne Sports Ground. And new heroes whose names will live forevermore.

Here it was that on Wednesday, 15^th June 2011 four good men outmatched in number, ill-equipped and in a strange and desolate place, planted their feet, squared their shoulders and said “here we stand.”

Four men. Against the top team in the division? On their home ground? What odds. What mad odds. And how glorious was the manner of their defeat?

Four men. No complaints, no rest, never looking for help. Fighting for their brother and for honour. They won three sets out of the six played. It was only exhaustion and sheer weight of numbers that prevented a fourth set. So nobly they fought. But they could never make up the three sets defaulted before a ball had been served.

Those vacant spaces on the team sheet, the help that never came.

Think on.

Next match is on Wednesday, 6^th July, AWAY to Earls Colne B. This time it’s personal.

It’s some way away but I want to pick and name the team before next Friday when I go on a week’s hols. Please let me know if you WILL NOT be available for selection. I’ll say that again. Please let me know if you will not be available for selection. Do not wait until I announce the team. It will be too late then.

Many thanks to all who played. Commiserations to those who couldn’t, it was a good night.