HANNAH

SNELL (1723–1992)  , the " female soldier," was born at Worcester on the 23rd of April 1723, being the daughter of a hosier . In order to seek her husband, who had ill-treated and abandoned her, in 1745 she donned man's attire and enlisted as a soldier in Guise's regiment of foot, but soon deserted, and shipped on board the sloop " Swallow " under her brother-in-law's name of James Gray . The " Swallow " sailed in Boscawen's fleet to the East Indies, and took part in the siege of Araapong . Hannah served in the assault on Pondicherry and was wounded, but she succeeded in extracting the bullet without calling in a surgeon . When recovered she served before the mast on the " Tartar " and the." Eltham, " but when paid off she resumed woman's costume . Her adventures were published as The Female Soldier, or the Surprising Adventures of Hannah Snell, (1750), and she afterwards gave exhibitions in military uniform in London . She died insane in Bethlehem Hospital on the 8th of February 1792 .