Woolwich hulks - convicts form mortar battery
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Woolwich hulks - convicts form mortar battery
The Woolwich hulks (prison ships) - convicts forming a mortar battery. Date: 1862
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Media ID 7178673
© Mary Evans Picture Library 2015 - https://copyrighthub.org/s0/hub1/creation/maryevans/MaryEvansPictureID/10512957
Battery Convicts Forming Hulks Mortar Pauper Prison Woolwich Workhouse
EDITORS COMMENTS
This evocative image captures a moment in time from the year 1862, as convicts, once incarcerated on the notorious Woolwich hulks, come together to form a mortar battery. The Woolwich hulks, located in the Thames Estuary, were once used as makeshift prisons for convicts who had served their sentences but were still deemed unfit for release due to their criminal records or poverty. The scene portrayed in this photograph shows a group of these former convicts, now clad in military uniforms, taking part in a drill to prepare for their role in the mortar battery. Mortars were large, heavy artillery pieces that fired explosive shells, and the men in this image are likely paupers, or destitute individuals, who had been given the opportunity to serve in the military in exchange for food, shelter, and a small wage. The image offers a glimpse into the complex and often overlooked aspects of the British penal system during this period. While the use of convict labor in the military was not a new phenomenon, the image of these men, once considered outcasts of society, taking part in a military drill is a powerful reminder of the potential for redemption and rehabilitation. The Woolwich hulks were eventually decommissioned in the late 19th century, and the men who had served on them were integrated back into society. However, the legacy of these prison ships and the men who were held there continues to be a subject of interest and debate among historians and scholars.
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