Calling all armchair generals! Boudica's Last Stand.

[Nathan Ross]

to see if I can get a rise out of Nathan

You can! And you have! :-)

Armies - whether regular or irregular - tend to adopt an approximately linear formation when moving from A to B. They also (especially when moving with wheeled transport) tend to follow established routes and roads where available.

If Boudica and her army, which included large numbers of carts, were at point A (London, or St Albans) and wanted to get to point B (... anywhere else!) they would necessarily move in that direction in something approximating a line of march. Perhaps not a very regular one, and perhaps not a single one either - see elsewhere for my 'swarm of bees' idea. Their movement speed could anything from 0 to 10 miles a day - in this case, it really doesn't matter how fast they travelled.

Since the Romans had constructed a good road, Watling Street, leading northwards from London and St Albans and using the best available crossing point of the Chilterns (most probably using pre-existing trackways as well, of course), I see no reason why Boudica and her people would not use it, presuming they were going in that direction (this is a considerable assumption I know).

Unless of course they had some known aversion to using Roman roads...

I do dislike the idea that the Britons could have continued this sort of directed march for days on end, heading into the Midlands, but I do not consider that the two or three days needed to get from London to Dunstable presents any logistical difficulties. Nor would it be a 'parade' of any sort!

Since, John, you anticipate (I think) the Iceni returning to their own territory before once more mustering together and heading west to fight Paulinus (surely an attractive concept for them!), how do you consider they got there? Not a 'parade', surely? Did they just scatter in all directions, and if so why couldn't the Roman cavalry have made mincemeat of them in the process?

To the south-east of London, I reckon

Well, I did have a go, back here, but it didn't seem very plausible... We'd need some new ideas on that one, I think... :whistle: