Disguise used by Lincolnshire sailor to escape goes on show

He kept the clothing as a souvenir of his daring break for freedom in 1809, which followed months of planning.

The uniform came from an officer he befriended, despite the impersonation of a French official being regarded as espionage and punishable by immediate execution.

The Frenchman also hired a carriage to take him away from the jail and supplied him with false documents.

Historian and curator Katherin Gazzard said: “There’s a real, palpable sense of fear when he writes about his own escape. He knows that if he makes even one mistake, it could result in his death.”

Hare travelled by carriage to the River Rhine and then to the Dutch port of Rotterdam via a series of boats on the river. Some friendly fishermen agreed to row him out to the British warships in the harbour, from where he was able to make his way home to the village of Fillingham.

He went back to sea within months of being reunited with his family, was promoted to lieutenant and ended his career as a merchant captain.

More than 200 years later, the uniform and Hare’s written account of his ordeal have now been added to the Royal Museums Greenwich’s collection.

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