.. ONCE MORE UNTO THE NET; History comes alive @ Agincourt Reunited.

Byline: ALLISON MARTIN

THE game's afoot: Follow your spirit, and upon this charge, reboot your computer, log on... and cry "God for Harry, England and Saint George!" Apologies to the Bard for taking liberties with this famous address to the English troops from Henry V, but the inspiration comes from a new online database.

It lists the service records of medieval soldiers, including 250,000 who fought in the Hundred Years War between 1337 and 1453. Among them were archers who made history with Henry V at Agincourt.

Thomas Gloucestre, for instance, fought in the famous battle which won France - and a wife - for Henry in 1415.

OBSESSION

The remarkable Medieval Soldier Database now allows us to trace his career over the course of 43 years, including campaigns in Prussia and Jerusalem.

Complete profiles of individual soldiers include amazing muster roll evidence, allowing researchers to piece together details of the military men's lives.

For this we have to thank medieval watchdogs who might just have kept today's MPs in check.

Dr Adrian Bell, of Reading University, who carried out the detailed research project with Prof Anne Curry, of Southampton University, said: "The service records survive because the English exchequer had a very modern obsession with wanting to be sure that the government's money was being spent as intended.

"Therefore we have the remarkable survival of indentures for service detailing the forces to be raised, muster rolls showing this service and naming every soldier from duke to archer.

"There are accounts from the captains demonstrating how the money had been spent, and entries showing when the exchequer made the requested payments."

The database shows which campaigns soldiers fought in, and other details including what they were paid, how often they were off sick, who rode the furthest and who was knighted.

The youngest soldier on the database is Thomas, Lord Despencer, whose career began when he was 12 years old in 1385.

And the records show social mobility was possible. Robert de Fishlake, for example, enlisted at 16 in 1378 and rose from being an archer to a man-at-arms.

The project was funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council. Use the database free at www.medievalsoldier.org.

2-FINGER GESTURE

LEGEND has it that the V-sign originates from Agincourt when English archers taunted the French, who had vowed to cut off their bow fingers.

CAPTION(S):

CLASSIC Henry V film from 1944