In this Chronicle film Robert Hardy tells the story of the Longbow - the simple yew stave which in the hands of the yeoman bowman became the dreaded war weapon of the English in the Middle Ages. He traces its origins from the late Stone Age to its devastating use at the Battle of Crecy in 1346. Not until the American Civil War, 500 years later, was a weapon devised to match its rate of fire.
The author makes his own longbows and has won competitions with them. He uses his vast knowledge to explain the legends which have grown up around a piece of wood which held Europe in fear for more than 100 years.

(Colour)