Crowds see man, 37, suffer serious injury during battle re-enactment

Man was taken to the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton following the accident at Bodiam Castle in East Sussex.

PA Media

1st Jul 2025

Posted in

A man wearing armour has suffered a serious injury during a battle re-enactment when a sword entered his visor.

The 37-year-old man from Horsham, West Sussex, was taken to the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton following the accident at Bodiam Castle near Robertsbridge in East Sussex on Sunday.

A Sussex Police spokesman said: “Police are appealing for witnesses after a man was injured during a living history demonstration at Bodiam Castle on Sunday afternoon (June 29).

“A 37-year-old man, from Horsham, was wearing body armour when his opponent re-enactor’s sword entered his visor during a combat re-enactment just before 3pm.

“He suffered a head injury and he is currently in a serious condition at the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton.”

Detective inspector Barry Chandler said: “A man was unfortunately injured during the combat re-enactment.

“We are treating the incident as an accident and we are offering support to his family. His opponent, a 36-year-old man also from Horsham, and the organisers are helping us with our inquiries.

“We know the re-enactment had drawn a large crowd and understand that anyone who witnessed the scene could have found this distressing.

“We are appealing to anyone who has photographs or videos of the interaction that led to the injury to contact us so we can gain a clear understanding of what happened.”