THE young soldier crouches in the undergrowth, not daring to move a muscle. As he waits for the enemy, with a racing heart, his eyes are drawn to movement overhead. With an eerie chill, he sees three buzzards silently circling in ever-decreasing circles.

Moments later, he senses the vibrations in the earth and hears the not-so-distant march of armoured soldiers from the English army. They have just entered the heavily wooded valley, along the track which is popular with the many bandits who pass through. The young soldier does not know it yet, but the enemy are led by King Edward II himself. With the king are 200 of his finest soldiers. Hiding in the woods, waiting for their orders are 200 Welsh warriors.

Local amateur historian, Steve Griffiths from Hawarden, gives his version of what happened in Ewloe woods on that warm July day in 1157, which history calls "The Battle of Ewloe". Steve says King Henry II had brought an army of 30,000 to invade Wales. Owain Gwynedd, who was known as Lord of Snowdon, Prince of Gwynedd and the King of North Wales, feared the mass killing of his own people, so he led an army of 3,000 Welshmen to fight the English.

Steve says: "Twelve miles from Saltney, Gwynedd made camp at Basingwerk. He then despatched a strong force led by his two sons, Dafydd and Cynan, to Ewloe Wood. Here they waited. As King Henry advanced towards Basingwerk, he split his force and then personally led a 200-strong detachment through Ewloe wood."

At the time, the wood was dense with tightly-packed evergreens and firs. The crystal clear water of Wepre Brook, which still runs through the valley, had trout and carp, and wild boar and stags roamed the forest.

When the English soldiers marched into Ewloe wood, the order rang out and the Welsh poured down the slopes and attacked them. Legend has it the Welsh army had dammed the brook further downstream so when the English tried to escape across the water, it was too deep and many drowned. Arrows, swords, spears and axes were used in the battle, says Steve, which the Welsh clearly won. King Henry II only just managed to escape the slaughter.

At the time of the Battle of Ewloe, the power of King Henry II was incredible, says Steve. "His empire stretched from the Arctic Ocean to the Pyrenees." King Henry II was the grandson of William the Conqueror and the father of Richard the Lionheart.

Dressed in a hand-stitched replica uniform of a Welsh soldier of about 1157, Mike Roberts, chairman and founding member of the historic re-enactment group Samhain says the Battle of Ewloe was significant. Mike says Owain Gwynedd sent some of his best soldiers to Ewloe woods in case the English army passed through. "They came face-to-face with the English army and trounced them. It was such a bad defeat for the English."

Discussions between history enthusiast Steve Griffiths and John Richards, head of Countryside Services for Flintshire County Council, about commemorating the Battle of Ewloe have resulted in a plaque being placed at the scene of the battle.

The plaque, which is embedded in a large piece of sandstone dating back before the battle, was unveiled at a ceremony last week by Carl Sargean, the Welsh Assembly member for Alyn and Deeside. Mr Sargeant says: "It's a great day in terms of the recognition of history in Flintshire and it's for people who take a walk through Wepre Park. It's another piece of unknown history that people will be able to relate to now." He says he used to play in these woods and he had no idea so many people had fought here.

Steve Griffiths says this is the first battle site in Flintshire commemorated by a plaque, but he hopes it will be the first of many. He gives his thanks to Flintshire Council Countryside Service which paid for the plaque, and everybody else involved in the commemoration.

Flintshire Council senior ranger Tom Woodall says: "We are happy to support a local historian who is interested in the park and taking an interest in its historical context. To find the plaque, come to Wepre Park Visitors Centre, pick up a Wepre Park map and ask the very friendly staff how best to get there. It's a 20-minute walk from the visitors centre."

Holywell councillor Gareth Roberts, who attended the unveiling, says: "It's a very important commemoration because it's surprising how little we know about our own history and certainly we have got something here to be really proud of."

Eight musicians from the Mold-based Cambria Band kicked off the ceremony by playing on the hill beside the crumbling ruins of Ewloe Castle. Making their way down the muddy path towards the scene of the battle, the sound of beating drums echoed through the wood.