During the Napoleonic Wars (1803 - 1815) a number of French prisoners of war were held at Plymouth on redundant ships anchored at the port. Due to the rising death toll of prisoners, Dartmoor Prison was built in order to house these many hundreds of prisoners who were dying through poor conditions.
In order to get these prisoners to Dartmoor Prison, they were shackled together and marched across the moor along a single track path, unlike the road you see today (the B3212) running from Yelverton to Princetown.
On one particularly wintery day, many prisoners were being marched across the moor by British soldiers on horse back, accompanied by a Little Drummer Boy who would beat his drum in tandem with the marching prisoners, as one of the worst snow storms was about to hit Dartmoor for many years.
As they marched across the moor and with the storm hitting hard the group found themselves in very difficult conditions. With poor visibility and with the main track leading to the prison becoming covered with snow the group were unable to determine their location or which direction they were heading in.
Confused and concerned for the safety of the others, the British soldiers on horse back decided that they would carry on and try to find the path leading to the prison and bring back help. They ordered that the prisoners stay behind and huddle together in a gully to keep warm and await rescue, leaving behind a couple of soldiers and the Little Drummer Boy who was told to continue to beat his drum so that the returning group could find them.
As the day drew to an end and the temperatures began to drop, the Little Drummer Boy continued to beat his drum into the long cold night ahead.
On the following morning the returning soldiers, unable to hear the sound of the drum playing, finally came upon the group of dead prisoners huddled together along with the Little Drummer Boy, still holding his drum sticks, frozen to death, he had beaten his drum to the very end.
To this day, when it snows on Dartmoor some residents of Princetown have heard the faint sounds of a drum beating in the distance.
Congratulations to wanderingwillies for being the first to find.