MILITARY historian Chris Penney, who lives in Wellington, has visited the town’s Portugal twin Torres Vedras to help with the annual celebration of the county's ‘Lines Day’.
The event marks the occasion in 1809 when the Duke of Wellington ordered his chief Royal Engineer Sir Richard Fletcher to commence the building of fortified defences north of Lisbon, to prevent the invading French Imperial Army of Napoleon capturing the capital city.
This was achieved with considerable assistance from Portuguese engineers and using local labour.
More than 150 forts were constructed, becoming known as the ‘Lines of Torres Vedras’.
The largest, Fort São Vicente (St Vincent Fort), was sited on a hill near the city of Torres Vedras.
Mr Penney joined a delegation from the Friends of the Lines of Torres Vedras who attended a civic reception and awards ceremony hosted by seven local councils which promote the Lines as a historic national tourist attraction.
This year, the ‘Historic Route of the Lines of Torres Vedras’ awards were given to a local cub scout group for helping litter pick, the production of a children’s cartoon comic strip book detailing life during the Napoleonic period, and a restaurateur who has introduced sample menus from the 19th centenary.
The Friends presented Torres Vedras Deputy Mayor Ana Umbelino with a book written by a member about an officer in the Duke’s army.
The event was attended by regional civic leaders, tourism officers, and military officials, as well as period re-enactment groups, and concluded with a formal reception.
Mr Penney told the Wellington Weekly: “The Portuguese have taken the Duke of Wellington to their hearts.
“Although the Friends of the Lines help provide assistance and recognition for the work being done by Torres Vedras municipality to promote the Lines it is clear that a strong network to market the Lines as a tourist attraction is firmly in place and thriving.
“There are lessons I believe Wellington Town Council can learn from, and I hope to help start a dialogue with Torres Vedras that will be to our mutual benefit.”
During the visit to Portugal the Friends were hosted by the British Historical Society of Portugal.
The visit included a guided tour of a part of Lines of Torres Vedras exploring the remains of several forts outside Lisbon, and the battlefield of Bussaco, near Coimbra.
It was the largest Napoleonic battle fought on Portuguese territory and saw an Anglo-Portugese army led by the Duke of Wellington defeat a larger French army under General Masséna, who was Napoleon's favourite general, on September 27, 1810.
After the battle, Wellington withdraw his army behind the Lines of Torres Vedras to sit out the winter months having undertaken a ‘scorched earth’ policy of denying the French food and supplies in the countryside surrounding the Lines.
The denial strategy worked, and eventually the weakened French army, which was starving, was forced to withdraw to reprovision, and marched back to the Spanish frontier - Lisbon had been saved.