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Married Quarters
This room represents the married quarters for the soldiers. Each family had
one-fourth of a barracks room; the two beds were occupied by the parents,
and the children slept on the floor. The curtains could be drawn at night
for privacy. The married quarters, like the bachelors' quarters, were inspected
daily.
Soldiers' wives would take on work for the Army, such as doing the laundry,
cleaning the women's privies, and repairing shirts and uniforms in exchange
for money. Should her husband die or desert, a woman had the option of returning
to Britain (passage was paid by the Army) or remarrying. Most chose to remarry.
There were few state provisions or private charities for widows with children,
but there was no shortage of eligible men willing to support a family.
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