A real action shot.... taken just as it was fired!

... but its not what you think - for a change, they weren´t tanked up Brits looking for a fight in "The Square"! Instead, it was a recreation of the 1812 battle which happened on the beach, when the French occupied Benidorm and the British troops tried to overthrow and storm the castle.

This year, to honour the bicentenary of the Spanish Constitution, the Benidorm fiesta is being preceeded by a "Cultural Week".

In the afternoon at San Jaime Square

The Department of Heritage & Culture organised the event and invited the Napoleonic Association, based in Valencia to travel down to Benidorm on this 200 year anniversary, to mark the historic occasion. Fifty of their members came, dressed in traditional costumes of the era and reenacted the British troops attempting to overthrow the French... unfortunately they failed.

The day started off at 11.00am with a parade of the troops up at the square outside the Church of San Jaime and Santa Ana up in the Old Town (yes the very same one with the newly acquired organ!) and much firing of guns! They do like lots of noise don´t they.

French troops ready to fire on the Brits

The troops then marched down the cobbled streets of the Old Town towards the beach - where the battle would be staged later in the day.

The crowds gathered as did dignitaries from the Town Hall to witness this historic event which surprisingly, for the Spanish at least, started on time at 18.30pm. The event started with a lone trumpeter playing the nation anthems of France, Spain and Great Britain.

Me flanked by two of the French troops!

There was much gunpowder and numerous explosions during the hour long spectacle, which took place on the edge of Poniente beach at Parc de Elche - otherwise known as Dove Park.

The only thing which slightly spoilt the occasion was that it started raining half way through. But true to form, despite the weather they continued the battle... unlike some of the spectators who made a hasty exit when the downpour started!

The costumes where incredible and obviously much time and effort had gone into research, as they certainly looked very authentic. The 50 strong members of the Valencian Napoleonic Association were backed up with members from the local Benidorm penyas, who dressed up as town folk of the era and joined in the reenactment - even children were included.

Check out the injured solider with his head bandage!

It was made to look very realistic as during the battle members of the assaulting British troops had "bloodied bandages" applied, to replicate the wounded. It certainly made for a very interesting history lesson - they should try that in schools. Im sure that it would captivate the children far more than just reading from a book.