Biography:
1. Henry Camps was born circa 1740, and saw military service in America. Prior to the capture of Quebec in 1759, he had been taken prisoner by the French and confined in a fort situated on the Canadian Lakes (Supply 5/229). During the American War of Independence (1778-1783) he was the Conductor of Artillery Stores, and appointed Office Keeper at the Powder Mills on the 1st June 1788 at the age of 48 with pay of 2/-d per day (Supply 5/212 dated the 27th November 1788) . This was on the order of William Congreve, Deputy Controller, according to Supply 5/214 dated September1789, which recorded that he was then 49 years of age and "employed attending the office." He was given 8/8d for postage on the 30th September 1790, having apparently paid for official post out of his own pocket (WASC 1382).
2. Mr. Camps was transferred as a Storehouse Man on the 12th July 1792 at the same 2/-d per day (Supply 5/216 dated the 31st July 1792), and was still in the same position in 1793 and 1798 (Supply 5/216 of the 31st August 1793 and Supply 5/219 dated September 1798).
3. Two years later, he was still the Storehouse Man, and a signed document relating to a Petition on Pay (Supply 5/220 of the 2nd February 1800) indicated that he was literate.
4. Report dated the 8th May 1801 (Supply 5/221) confimed that he was still the Storehouseman, and was a widower with 3 children.
5. A Return of Artificers and Labourers dated the 3rd November 1801 (Supply 5/221) confirmed that he was still employed as the Storehouse Man "attending to the Storehouse to deliver the stores." Supply 5/223 dated the 28th March 1805, recorded that he was then receiving weekly pay of 17/6d as well as an allowance of 1/6d every third night for Rounding.
6. There were three cats on the Establishment and Henry was paid 4d per cat per week for their keep according to Winters' Centenary Memorial (p.64).
7. In the List of Foreman Artificers and Labourers employed dated the 30th January 1806 (Supply 5/224), Henry is described as a Storehouse Man earning 2/6d per day, and he had been employed with the Ordnance for 18 years.
8. A Petition from the Storekeeper, Hugh Mathews, and the Clerk of the Cheque, William Breeze, to the Board (Supply 5/226 dated the 17th April 1807) recommended that Henry Camps be promoted to the position of "Foreman of General Storehouse" with a nominal increase in pay. The Petition went on to say that in the course of his duties, Henry had ruptured himself, necessitating the use of a truss. To the Petition was appended a statement from Robert Hilton, Surgeon at the Royal Powder Mills, stating that Henry Camps had suffered a serious injury which required the immediate use of a truss, although no mention is made of the Board concurring with this request.
9. In June 1807 Mr. Camps is described as "storehouseman" with pay of 2/6d per day, and allowed 1/6d every third night as Rounder to superintend the watchmen. (Supply 5/226 dated the 18th June 1807).
10 According to the entry on Supply 5/227 dated the 23rd August 1808, Mr. Camps was still a Storehouseman who now earned 3/-d. per day, and every third night was allowed 2/-d as Rounder to superintend the Watchmen on duty. This was still the case two years' later ( Supply 5/228 dated the 1st September 1810).
11 List of Employees dated the 29th August 1812 (Supply 5/229) confirmed that Mr. Camps was still a Storehouse Man. However, he then earned 3/10d per day.
12 According to a letter to the Board (Supply 5/229 dated the 28th June, 1813) Henry died that day while unloading a barge which had arrived from the Tower with hoses, his death having been occasioned by a blow which he received during the morning of the 27th June 1813. A sudden and violent gust of wind had blown the door of the bargehouse against him, thereby throwing him on to the gunnels of the barge, "...by which accident the abdomen and parts adjacent were so much injured as to cause his death 24 hours afterwards."
13 Henry, described as the Senior Storehouseman, was "about " 74 years of age when he died, and had seen service in America. Prior to the capture of Quebec, he had been taken prisoner by the French and confined in a fort situated on the Canadian lakes. He left 3 children, a son who was a Sergeant in the army in Spain, and 2 daughters, the youngest of whom, Caroline, was unmarried and entirely dependant on her late father. The Storekeeper, H. J. Mathews, and J. Wright, the Clerk of the Cheque, requested that the Board pay Caroline an allowance of 9d per day commencing September1813, and according to Winters (p.75), this request was granted.
