The internees' possessions were rifled through and disposed of. Moreover, the 57-day voyage was made under the risk of possible attack. But it was the physical conditions and ill-treatment that were most deplorable. Internees were frequently abused, beaten, and robbed by the guards, whose sergeants would take men into the ship's head for private beatings. Many of the troops were "Soldiers of the King's Pardon" who had been released from prison to help in the war effort, but others were regular soldiers from the Royal Norfolks, Suffolks and the Queen's Own Regiment.