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Black Greenwich Pensioners

Uncovering the History of Black British Mariners This October, we are delving into our rich and complex past, shining a light on the Black mariners that played a crucial role in our history. Our new exhibition Black Greenwich Pensioners explores the hidden histories of the Black Royal Navy personnel who formed one of Britain’s earliest Black communities when they became pensioners at the Royal Hospital for Seaman on the site where the Old Royal Naval College stands today. This free exhibition will be in our Visitor Centre from 3 October 2020 - 21 February 2021.

Find out more here.
Andrew Morton, The United Service, 1845
© National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London
© The family of John Simmonds, born Kingston, Jamaica about 1784, died Mansfield, Nottinghamshire 1858.
John Thurston
A caricature of Greenwich Pensioners, late 1700s / early 1800s.
The image shows a Black Greenwich Pensioner in Greenwich Hospital uniform. The setting is probably intended to represent the Grand Square of Greenwich Hospital (now the Old Royal Naval College).
© National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London
The Battle of the Nile
Greenwich Pensioners disputing the line of battle, mezzotint based on an original oil painting of 1827
The man standing with his arms folded may be John Deman, who served with Nelson in the Caribbean.
© National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London
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