Dimensions
229 x 157 x 18mm
Convict James Porter had spent the majority of his days since transportation to Van Diemen's Land planning how he would escape. Though he had mastered the art of fleeing his captors, he had not ever managed to stay free for long.
He hoped he and his nine fellow ship thieves would fare better on this occasion as they captured the newly launched barque the Frederick from their British masters and set sail for Valdivia, on the coast of Chile. It was 13 January 1834. Surely they could evade the British and assume new identities as shipwrecked mariners?
But it was not to be and after the most perilous of journeys and a start in a small town on the edge of the South American continent, James Porter's freedom was snatched away. James and his cohorts were recaptured and taken to Britain in chains and then transported back to Australia. Eventually, after further attempts to escape, he ended up on Norfolk Island - an island that broke many a convict's spirit but where the tenacious attitude of James Porter survived.
