The picturesque Worcestershire town of Evesham, famous for gardening and its long-lost abbey, has a fascinating military history. This was the scene of the Battle of Evesham in 1265 where Simon de Montfort (the father of parliament) suffered a violent death. During the English Civil War, in 1644, King Charles I held court in the town, while in 1645 there was a fierce engagement between a Royalist garrison and Parliamentary forces. Evesham also boasts some local military heroes, including Private William Jones who won the VC for his action at Rorke's Drift. Like many other English towns, Evesham served and suffered during two World Wars. While few bombs fell on the town during the Second World War, there was significant local activity including a Home Guard, anti-tank defence, a military hospital, barracks, local auxiliary units (maquis) and, later on, POWs. Since 1945 there have been persistent rumours of hidden Cold War bases lurking in the nearby hills.