A PENSIONER believes he has found evidence of an attempted French invasion on a Tendring village during Napoleon's time.

Peter Beaufort-Price, 81, of Weeley, has been carrying out research into place names in the area which he believes give evidence of a bungled French attack during the time of Napoleon.

He said: “How about the French invading between Frinton and Clacton in about 1804?”

He said the area, which hosted a barracks at the time, due to its importance as a waterway inland from the sea, withstood an attack of nearly 1,000 men who sailed over from France.

“In Weeley, the first field you come to has no name, but the second is called Barrack Field, and the third Hospital Field,” he said.

He found that another local spot goes by the name of Dead Frank's grove.

“What would you think a Dead Frank is? It is pretty obvious to me – a dead frank is a dead Frenchman, and not just one but quite a few of them.”

“It would have been not much less than 8,000-9,000 people. There would have been officers and horses and muskets and one or two cannons.

“They might have got as far as Thorpe but I doubt if they got much further,” he said.

He believes the troops were slaughtered in battle near the Weeley barracks, but the incident was hushed up as in case it showed the British army in a bad light.

“Napoleon Bonaparte made many, many plans for an invasion of Britain.

“We were fighting them all over the world as Britain was trying to establish its empire, and Napoleon was trying to establish his.

“It is an extremely controversial story, but I am firmly convinced that something happened,” he said.