Over 300 ( approximately 10% of soldiers sentenced to death) British soldiers were executed for capital offences during the First World War. I have looked at the cases of executed soldiers from the Corps of Royal Engineers and the Middlesex Regiment.
The courts-martial proceedings for these soldiers are available at The National Archives, Kew, London.
Over 60% of the service papers for UK soldiers were destroyed in September 1940, when a German bombing raid struck the War Office repository in Arnside Street, London.
A book which includes the cases of these executed soldiers is “Shot at Dawn” by Julian Putkowski and Julian Sykes, Leo Cooper Pen and Sword Books Ltd, ISBN: 0-85052-295-1.
| THE COURT MARTIAL SYSTEM |
| AUSTRALIAN SOLDIERS EXECUTED 1914-1918 |
| CANADIAN SOLDIERS EXECUTED 1914-1918 |
| NEW ZEALAND SOLDIERS EXECUTED 1914-1918 |
COURTS-MARTIAL DURING FIRST WORLD WAR
There are two main types of record relating to individual courts-martial during World War One: proceedings and registers. When papers, which were compiled at the time of the courts-martial, arrived at the Judge Advocate General’s Office (JAGO), the contents were entered into volumes of proceedings. The JAGO also compiled registers of courts-martial, giving the name, rank, regiment, place of trial, charge, finding and sentence.
FIELD PUNISHMENT
Field Punishment was introduced in 1881 following the abolition of flogging. It was a common punishment during World War I. A commanding officer could award field punishment for up to 28 days, while a court martial could award it for up to 90 days, either as Field Punishment Number One or Field Punishment Number Two.
Field Punishment Number One consisted of the convicted man being placed in fetters and handcuffs or similar restraints and attached to a fixed object, such as a gun wheel or a fence post, for up to two hours per day.
In Field Punishment Number Two, the prisoner was placed in fetters and handcuffs but was not attached to a fixed object and was still able to march with his unit.
THE CORPS OF ROYAL ENGINEERS
The following list shows the soldiers from the Corps of Royal Engineers who were sentenced to death for various offences, and were actually executed. All of the soldiers were serving in the France & Flanders theatre.
| THE CASE OF ALEXANDER CHISHOLM |
| THE CASE OF ERNEST BEEBY |
| THE CASE OF FREDERICK MALYON |
| THE CASE OF ARTHUR PHILIP OYNS |
| THE CASE OF ROBERT BELL |
THE MIDDLESEX REGIMENT
The following list shows the soldiers from the Corps of Royal Engineers who were sentenced to death for various offences, and were actually executed. All of the soldiers were serving in the France & Flanders theatre.