The wreck on the Andamans : being a narrative of the very remarkable preservation and ultimate deliverance, of the soldiers and seamen, who formed the ships' companies of the Runnymede and Briton troop-ships, both wrecked on the morning of the 12th of November, 1844, upon one of the Andaman Islands, in the Bay of Bengal

In November 1844 two British troop‑ships, the Runnymede and the Briton, set out from Gravesend bound for Calcutta, carrying soldiers, their families, and a seasoned crew. The author has drawn on official logs, letters and eyewitness testimony to recreate the ordinary rhythms of life at sea—routine drills, games of backgammon, and occasional shark‑catching. This careful grounding gives listeners a vivid sense of the era’s naval routine before disaster strikes.

On the morning of 12 November a sudden monsoon wind drove both vessels onto a reef of an isolated Andaman island, tearing hulls and throwing men into raging surf. Amid the chaos, officers and surgeons quickly organised rescue parties, salvaged supplies, and erected makeshift shelters on the jagged shoreline. Their resolve and disciplined cooperation form the heart of the narrative, offering a compelling portrait of courage in the face of nature’s fury.