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The modern history of Ascension Island began in 1815. Napoleon had surrendered to the British and been sent into exile in St Helena. Fearful that the French might try to launch a rescue attempt, the British placed a garrison on each of the two nearest Islands, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha. Ever since that date Ascension Island has been continuously inhabited.
At first the majority of men lived on two ships, HMS Peruvian and HMS Zenobia, moored off Clarence Bay, and only a small garrison of men lived onshore to collect water and to find food, such as turtle meat.
In 1816 Lieutenant William Roberts RN was the first commander of the garrison, and about this time (there is no record of exactly when) the Island was officially designated HMS Ascension - a sloop of war. From this time until 1922, when the Navy finally left, command passed between the Royal Navy and the Royal Marines.
When Napoleon died on St Helena in 1821, the Admiralty considered withdrawing the garrison, but Sir George Collier persuaded them to retain it as a base for monitoring the activities of pirates off the west coast of Africa.
So the garrison stayed, but life was hard for those serving there. Captain Brandreth of the Royal Engineers was sent to the Island in 1829 to report on the conditions and defences. He reported that the garrison (now Georgetown) "….consisted of a collection of miserable tenements … harbouring vermin … roofs of canvas" and "The supply of water was scanty and precarious. Three carts, six oxen, and three drivers were employed daily in the transport of this water". The majority of the island was "..dark and rugged beds of lava" except for the top of the mountain, where the farm produced potato, peppers, tomatoes, carrots, bananas and watermelon amongst others.
In spite of these difficulties, the Royal Navy and Royal Marines laboured hard on the Island. They built water catchments and pipelines, a hospital, living quarters, and a church. They also built paths around the mountain including tunnels and bridges.
During this period fever victims - mainly Yellow Fever - were isolated at Comfort Cove (later the name was changed to Comfortless Cove). Food from the garrison would be left at a prominent rock, and a musket fired to let the victims know that they could collect it. The more fortunate fever victims were treated at the Sanatorium on Green Mountain.
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