The Depot for Prisoners of War at Norman Cross, Huntingdonshire. 1796 to 1816Walker, Thomas (Thomas James)
History
The Depot for Prisoners of War at Norman Cross, Huntingdonshire. 1796 to 1816
Walker, Thomas (Thomas James)
France -- History -- 1789-1815; Norman Cross depot; Prisoners of war
The British Government never withdrew its contention that it was the duty
of each nation to provide clothing for its subjects in captivity in the
country of its enemy, and maintained that this had been the practice of
France and England in all previous wars, even in that in which they were
engaged up to the Treaty of Versailles in 1783, only ten years before the
outbreak in 1793 of the war under discussion; but as an act of humanity,
when the French obstinately declined to discharge this duty, the
Government clothed a certain number of the naked in a yellow suit, a grey
or yellow cap, a yellow jacket, a red waistcoat, yellow trousers, a
neckerchief, two shirts, two pairs of stockings, and one pair of shoes.
In M. Foulley’s model the greater number of the prisoners are represented
as clad in this uniform, the conspicuous colours of which were selected
to facilitate the detection of an escaped prisoner. In the first year of
the occupation of Norman Cross an order was issued to the storekeeper to
supply such prisoners as were destitute of clothing with the articles
enumerated above.
There is every reason to believe that the provisions for the maintenance
of the prisoners were carried out with the utmost care and fidelity in
Norman Cross and all other prisons, but the complaints of the prisoners
gave rise to such prolonged controversy and serious disagreement between
the Governments of France and England, that a review of the discussion
finds an appropriate place here. The complaints were not confined to one
side only, but there is ample documentary evidence that the accusations
of the French were greatly exaggerated or absolutely without foundation.
Their hatred of the enemy made the captives suspicious, and illness from
natural causes was attributed to cruelty and ill-treatment. {74a}
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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