GREENWICH.- The National Maritime Museum, Greenwich has acquired a rare and very special uniform and manuscript from the descendants of a former Naval Midshipman called Charles Hare. Hare was a teenage prisoner in Napoleonic France who successfully escaped by disguising himself as an officer in the French Imperial Customs Service (Les Douanes). This never seen before uniform is on display in the Nelson, Navy, Nation gallery at the National Maritime Museum.


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Historians and experts previously had no idea that the uniform and accompanying archival documents existed. For generations, these extraordinary artefacts were the treasured possessions of Hare’s descendants, until the family decided to offer them to the National Maritime Museum, allowing their ancestor’s remarkable story to be shared with the world. They had taken excellent care of the uniform, which remains in good condition despite its age. Now, following conservation treatment from the team at the Museum, it is ready to be seen by the public for the first time. What makes it all the more special is that the uniform is the most complete surviving example of its type from the Napoleonic era.

Katherine Gazzard, Curator of Art at the National Maritime Museum said: ‘There were important changes in how prisoners of war were treated during the Napoleonic Wars. Captured British soldiers and sailors were forced to spend years in French custody. Some attempted to escape by disguising themselves as farm workers and laundrywomen, but Hare is the only individual we know of who impersonated a French officer. This may be because it was an exceptionally dangerous thing to do – if caught, he would have been executed as a spy. He must have been very brave.’

An extract from Hare’s firsthand written narrative which was acquired with the uniform reads:

‘If taken in a military habit, bearing arms or false papers, instant death awaits me by the decrees of Bonaparte; the violation of which I fully knew.

This horrible idea striking forcibly on my imagination probably caused an air of distraction in my countenance. Standing listening with ardent anxiety for the rattling of my carriage, I perceived myself much noticed by passengers; every minute increasing my suspicion, it nearly amounted to the rash determination of making the best use of my strength by instant flight.’

The uniform consists of a dark green coat with stripes of silver lace at the collar. Eagles are stamped on the buttons of the coat, together with an all-seeing eye and the words, ‘Douanes Imperiales’. These words are repeated on a belt buckle and a hat from the same uniform. Part of the uniform is a shako, a type of military cap characterised by its tall and cylindrical shape – with a leather peak and a soaring plume of green and white feathers.

The archival material acquired with the uniform includes a blow-by-blow account of his escape. Written in Hare’s own words, this account charts every leg of his journey, gives an insight into his anxieties and fears, includes his jokes (often at the expense of the French) and concludes with the story of his pet dog, who accompanied him the whole way through his ordeal.

Hare’s dog proved to be a vital companion and ally along his harrowing escape.

A further extract from Hare’s narrative reads:

‘I cannot conclude without acquainting my friends the readers, that I was accompanied by an English Terrier dog given me by a Gentleman at Verdun four years before, I found him of the greatest use on my journey for whenever an unpleasant question was addressed to me at supper or other times by inquisitive people I figured not to hear them and kept continually caressing and noticing my Dog; which stratagem never failed to succeed from the extreme politeness of a Frenchman seeing me more interested with my dog than with his intruding conversation.’

In late August 1809, six years after being captured by the French, Hare eventually managed to return home to his beloved family in Lincolnshire and was greeted by his mother and sisters.

Katherine Gazzard, Curator of Art at the National Maritime Museum said: ‘Thanks to films like The Great Escape, many people today are familiar with the ingenuity and courage of prisoners in the Second World War. However, Charles Hare is proof that there are incredible prisoner-of-war stories from earlier conflicts too – and the survival of the uniform that he used in his escape really brings to life his remarkable journey from captivity to freedom. Thanks to Hare’s descendants, who kept the uniform safe for generations, we are now able to share his story with the world. I’m delighted people will be able to come along to the museum and see it for themselves.’


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