The slave trade was one of the most despicable events to disgrace humanity, with British slavers playing their ignoble part.
In the three centuries of European participation, an estimated six million slaves were transported from West Africa. The numbers captured in East Africa during 1800 years of Arab slaving must be staggering.
From 1807 onward the Royal Navy instituted anti-s*****y patrols off the coast of West Africa, with 150,000 slaves freed from 1810 and 1864. This figure is impressive but pales into insignificance with the estimated 100,000 a year carried across to the Americas. The Royal Navy paid a high price for this humanitarian service. In 1829 alone, over 25% of the men in the West African squadron died from disease. Ships could spend up to five years off the West African c
