Foundlings at War: The Napoleonic Wars

Delightful display at the Foundling Museum looking at the effects of the Napoleonic wars on the Foundling Hospital.

One case looked at two foundlings who had fought at Trafalgar one of whom, George King, had written a memoir of his life.

The other case looked at Waterloo. After the battle the government had asked the hospital to waive their usual admissions policy to allow in any children whose fathers had been killed in the Battle however in the end only three women seem to have applied. I’d love to more of the story of one who said she had been ‘seduced by a soldier’ who was then killed in the battle! There is a novel in that!

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