The following photograph and table was graciously contributed to the Napoleonic community by Marc Morris of the United Kingdom.
The prison depot at Bische, France.
| DATE
18XX |
SERVICE/
STATUS |
ESCAPEE(S) | REMARKS |
| Sep 03 | C | Sir J. Crawford | Asked to convalesce at Aix, and then escaped to Germany |
| 10 Nov 03 | C | Thomas Jodrell | Escaped from Valenciennes |
| Nov 03 | C | Francis Jodrell
Robert Smyth |
Handed back parole and then escaped from Valenciennes |
| 28 Dec 03 | C | Charles Wolseley | |
| 03 | C | Lord G. Hay | Escaped from Antwerp |
| 03 | C | Mr. Storer | Escaped by horse on road to Verdun |
| Jan 04 | C | Lord A. Hamilton | |
| 18 Nov 04 | C | Thomas Brooks, M.P. | Drove away in carriage from Valenciennes. Reached Germany. |
| 4 Jun 05 | N | Mid. J. Murray
Mid. A. Robinson |
From Verdun. Parole breakers. |
| 19 Jul 05 | N | Mid. F. Little | |
| 06 | N | Mid. S. Mottley | |
| 06 | C | Israel Worsley | Escaped from Dunkirk |
| 19 Apr 07 | N | Mid. E. Temple | Escaped by carriage from Verdun hidden under mistresses’ skirts.
Reached Russia. Parole breaker. |
| 14 Jul 07 | N | Mid. T. W. Cecil
Mid. R. L. Gordon CC F. Maxwell |
Escaped on road to Bitche. Split up --
Cecil to Austria, Gordon & Maxwell to Prussia |
| 14 Sep 07 | N | Mid. W. W. Kingston | |
| 14 Dec 07 | N | Mid. J. S. Fletcher | |
| 07 | N | Sub-Lt R. C. Ross | |
| 5 Jun 08 | N | WO(1m) R. Skinner | |
| 4 Jul 08 | N | Mid. R. Burridge | |
| Jul 08 | N | MM R. Paine | Possible parole breaker |
| 14 Sep 08 |
N N A C |
MM D. H. O’Brien Mid. M. Hewson Lt. G. Batley Dr. A. Barklimore |
First out of, and successful from, Bitche.
Reached Austria (Batley separately) |
| Oct 08 | C | Richard J. Lawrence | |
| 16 Nov 08 | N | Mid. E. Boys
Mid. R. E. Hunter Mid. F. J. Whitehurst FCV W. L. Mansell |
Escaped from Valenciennes.
Hid in Flanders until 8 May 1809, when smuggled by boat across Channel. |
| 27 Nov 08 | N | Mid. T. J. P. Masters | Escaped on road to Bitche. Reached Austria via Switzerland.
(Met up with Ashworth, Tuthill, Porteus and Brine, below.) |
| Dec 08 | N
N N MS |
Mid. H. Ashworth
Mid. C. Tuthill WO(sm) W. Porteus G. Brine |
Reached Austria. Escaped in party of 12 from Bitche,
largest of the war. (Others recaptured.) |
| 08 | C | Peter Blagrove | Escaped from Verdun. Reached Austria via Switzerland. |
| 08 | C | Ives Urry | Escaped from Verdun |
| 1 Jan 09 | C | H. Lawrence | |
| Jan 09 | N
MS MS |
Mid. G. H. Dacre
S. Ellison P. Kirk |
Escaped from Bitche in party of 6. Reached Austria. |
| 21 Feb 09 | N | Mid. J. Parker | |
| 25 Apr 09 | N | Mid. E. Dillon | |
| 12 May 09 | N | FCV F. Cutler | |
| 14 May 09 | N | WO(sm) D. Cameron | |
| 29 May 09 | N
C C C |
WO(sm) A Crigan
Mr. Baine Dr. Craighton G. Houghton |
Escaped From Arras |
| May 09 | N | W. Robertson | |
| 14 Aug 09 | C | Lewis Nanny | Escaped from Arras |
| 26 Sep 09 | N | FCV C. Robinson | |
| 26 Oct 09 | N | MM H. Lewis
Mid. T. Blakiston Mid. R. Hall |
Escaped, recaptured and then immediately escaped again |
| Oct 09 | N | MM R. Rochfort | |
| 18 Nov 09 | N | WO(s) W. Hill
WO(s) M. Williams |
|
| 20 Nov 09 | N | Mid. W. McLeod
CC J. Meek |
|
| 14 Dec 09 | N | Mid. M. Miller | |
| 23 Dec 09 | N | Mid. G. Bissett | |
| 24 Dec 09 | N | MM W. Randall | |
| Dec 09 | N | Mid. J. B. Tattnall | Escaped dressed as a girl |
| 09 | N | MM W. Brander | |
| 09 | N | Lt R. T. Douglas | Escaped to Russia |
| 09 | N | MM R. Grant | |
| 09 | N | Mid. C. Hare | |
| 09 | N | CC C. Randall | |
| 09 | N | Mid. C. S. Ricketts | |
| 09 | N | Mid. C. Shaw | |
| 09 | N | WO(g) T. Simpson | |
| 20 Jan 10 | N | Mid. J. P. Parker | |
| 20 Feb 10 | N | FCV G. Forbes | |
| 20 Jul 10 | N | MM G. Powell
Mid. H. Thomas FCV E. Crowe |
|
| 3 Aug 10 | N | Mid. C. Parker | |
| 24 Aug 10 | N | Mid. J R T Wright, FCV G S Smith | Escaped from Verdun |
| Aug 10 | C | Charles Forbes | Escaped From Tours |
| 9 Nov 10 | N | Mid. J. R. Drew
Mid. P. Stark FCV G. Fitzgerald FCV J. Hallowes |
|
| 10 Nov 10 | N | Mid. H. B. Mason
WO(sm) J. Hawthorn |
|
| 25 Nov 10 | N | Lt P. Le Vesconte | Escaped from Bitche |
| 21 Dec 10 | N | MM D. Littlejohn
MM J. E. C. Pitfield |
|
| Dec 10 | A | Capt A. Tulloh | Senior Army officer to escape |
| 10 | N (M) | 1st Lt J. Campbell | Only Marine officer to escape |
| 10 | C | Alexander Don | Escaped from Paris |
| 10 | N | Lt H. Edwards | |
| 10 | N | Cdr H. Gordon | Escaped from Melun |
| 10 | C | Mr. Moore | Escaped from Bitche |
| 10 | C | Charles Sturt, M.P. |
Possibly helped by a ‘Mrs. Montgomerie’ |
| 14 Jan 11 | N | MM W. Hutchinson
MM J. McFee Mid. J. Knocker WO(p) T. Knocker |
|
| 28 Jan 11 | N | Mid. C. Mayo
Mid. R. Nason |
|
| 4 Feb 11 | N | CC J. Chambers | |
| 14 May 11 | N | MM C. Halford
Mid. H. Stanhope |
Stanhope was convicted of a previous escape and wore
convict clothes in the Porte Chaussee in Verdun. Escaped disguised as a Midshipman! |
| 22 May 11 | N | WO(2m) G. Brown
WO(p) R. Vannel WO(pr) W. Lamotte |
|
| May 11 | C | Philip C. Crespigny | |
| 9 Jun 11 | C | Mr Farthing | Escaped from Sarrelibre |
| 21 Jul 11 | N | Mid. W. N. Devonshire
Lt G. V. Jackson FCV G. Gordon FCV C. Street |
Escaped from Verdun. Jackson was recaptured;
Gordon and Street drowned. |
| 21 Jul 11 | N | Mid. E. P. Montagu | |
| July 11 | A | Lt J. MacFarlane | |
| 23 Dec 11 | C | R. George Elrington | |
| 11 | C | Hon. A. Annesley | Escaped from Paris |
| 11 | C | T. P. Crosdale | |
| 11 | N | MM Patterson | |
| 11 | N | Sub-Lt T. Scanlan | |
| 11 | N | FCV W. Streeting | |
| 11 | N | Mid. R. Sutton | |
| 11 | N | WO(1m) H. Taylor | |
| 21 Feb 12 | N | Lt C. C. Owen | Transferred from Besancon to Maison de force, Paris,
on a criminal charge. Shammed lunacy and repatriated. |
| Feb 12 | N
A |
Lt G. V. Jackson
Lt E. Lestrange |
Escaped from Bitche, Lestrangedisguised as a French
officer and Jackson as a French and soldier. |
| 20 Jul 12 | N | FCV F. Stevenson | |
| 30 Sep 12 | A | Ens. W. Graham | Possible parole breaker or escaped while confined for debt |
| 24 Dec 12 | N | Mid. J. C. Townsend | |
| 12 | N | Lt H. Conn | Possible parole breaker or escaped while confined for debt |
| 12 | N | Mid. J. Summers | |
| Mar 13 | C | John S. Stanhope | Transferred to Paris with promise of release, then refused.
Escaped by carriage to Austria. |
| 14 Apr 13 | N | WO(sm) J. Roberts | |
| Jul 13 | N | MM R. Thorley | |
| Sep 13 | N | Lt J. Wallis |
| ................. | ................. | ...................................................... | ................................................................................................... |
| Oct 13 | A | Lt R. Sheehy | Broke parole and was forcibly returned to France,
March 1814 |
| Nov 13 | C | Joshua Done | Eight escape attempts and in numerous prison depots. Finally
escaped from German castle while waiting to be sent back to France |
| 8 Dec 13 | N | Mid. E. Hunt | |
| 24 Dec 13 | N | MM J. Parsons
Mid. J. O’Brien |
|
| 27 Dec 13 | N | Mid. H. Barrow
Mid. G. E. Davis Mid. C. Paynter |
|
| 13 | C | Thomas L. Prescott | |
| 13 | N | Capt N. Willoughby | Escaped from the Chateau Bouillon to Russia. Senior naval
officer to escape. |
| 20 Jan 14 | C | Thomas Darby | |
| Jan 14 | N | FCV H. Leworthy | |
| 10 Feb 14 | N | Mid. H. Colquhoun | |
| 11 Feb 14 | N | MM W. Hubbard
MM H. L. Parry Mid. J. E. Sterling |
|
| Feb 14 | N | MM R. O’Neill | |
| Feb 14 | N | MM T. K. Stewart | |
| 30 Mar 14 | N | Mid. H. Kirkpatrick |
Key:
Service/Status:
A= Army
C= Civilian
MS= Merchant Service (Navy)
N= Navy (Royal)
N(M)= Marines
Grades:
Capt = Captain
Cdr = Commander (RN)
Lt = Lieutenant
Ens = Ensign (Army)
Sub-Lt = Sub-Lieutenant (not commissioned)
MM = Master’s Mate
Mid = Midshipman
FCV = First Class Volunteer (Naval Cadet)
CC = Captain’s Clerk
WO(1m) = Warrant Officer (Master)
WO(2m) = Warrant Officer (Second Master)
WO(p) = Warrant Officer (Pilot)
WO(s) = Warrant Officer (Surgeon)
WO(sm) = Warrant Officer (Surgeon’s Mate)
WO(pr) = Warrant Officer (Purser)
WO(g) = Warrant Officer (Gunner)
Notes:
1. Not all exact dates are known so only the month and/or year are
shown with some escapers.
2. Some details in the Remarks column are blank as nothing is known
of the escape method.
3. The list is not exhaustive. A few other prisoners are known to have
escaped, but as I can find no date they are not included.
4. It is believed far more Merchant Service officers escaped but French
records are not conclusive as to names or in what prison depots they resided;
therefore, I have not included them.
5. I am confident that the above list represents the vast majority
of British officer and civilian successful escapes from France, 1803-14.
Main Source: Lewis, Michael, Napoleon and his British Captives,
George Allen & Unwin Ltd, 1962.