At a number of posts, the commanding officer permitted soldiers off duty to go fishing. Their catch provided a welcome alternative to the usual diet of boiled meat. Some commanders allowed the soldiers to cultivate plots of land set aside for that purpose. Since not many of the men could swim, their commanding officers seldom sanctioned swimming and sailing, but at Kingston during the 1840s an officer arranged for a boat for the men
.....to practise rowing, and to teach them to swim; this last was done by means of a pole, (connected to a rope which) went round the learner's chest.....whilst a rower pulled gently to and fro.
This pencil and watercolour study of soldiers fishing was produced by Lieutenant James Cumming Clarke.
