SHOT AT DAWN
We have two poems by different writers on this page
SHOT AT DAWN by Philip Pickford and SHOT BY DAWN by Derrick W Sole,
we are very pleased to be able to display both poems by fellow Riflemen.
Picture found on Facebook unknown source
©Shot before dawn.
My eyes felt they were about to explode, the pressure in the air through my head did load, the sound wave blow out my eardrums, in my head I felt so numb, showered in dust and falling stone, in a hole on my own.
My hands held my head, I screamed out I’m still here, not yet dead, then game another one, how much more of this could I take, or do I now begin to run, in bed I find myself, cold sweat bathed in the rays of a warm sun.
On leave but I don’t want to go back, I’m not a coward, whatever the meaning is of that, I don’t want to but I will, still seeing the faces of those I kill, there are those who depend on me, who I am, I can’t let them see.
On a cold morning tied to a post, a boy not a man, I see his ghost, World war one, a battle not won, too much for such a young man, shot as a cowed before his life had yet begun.
Still little has changed, staffers in comfort see it as a game, not a hole in the grown, not the smell of death all around, not the never ending noise, someone in no man’s land, crying for help, totally ignored.
To close your eyes, see a screaming face and an out stretched hand, mud waste deep in no man’s land, many dead but not all, not able to help, but clearly you hear their call, the constant rain of falling shell, explosive sounds, a living hell.
The mind shuts down, and no one understands, mess tins together bang, you curl up on the ground, to some just a bit of fun, the final straw, and you run and run, no understanding, just an example out of you, cowardice in the face of the enemy, that won’t do.
Before dawn, you will never see the sun again; a blindfold of rag, over your eyes is drawn, against a wall or tied to a pole, boy or man, you will never get old, the disgrace is not yours, though they say it is so, the officer class, just love a show.
PTSD is nothing new, but still today, many more suffer than a few, you leave the war, but the battle doesn’t leave you, that screaming face you see today, fore ever in your dreams, and won’t go away.
No longer shot a dawn, but can’t find the help that you need, to be rid of those faces, it seems death is the only way to succeed, no long in a corner curled up in a ball, no more screaming, no pain at all, no more tomorrows, high on a building, all you need to do is fall.
Derrick W Sole copyright protected 2016.
©Shot at Dawn Poem
YOU TIED MY HANDS, BLIND FOLDED ME.
BOUND ME TIGHT, AS I TREMBLED WITH FRIGHT.
IT WAS THEN THAT I HEARD, A COMFORTING WORD,
FROM THE PADRE, WHO KNELT BY MY SIDE.
HE BID ME FAREWELL ON MY JOURNEY THROUGH HELL.
THE LAST WORD I HEARD WAS AMEN.
YOU DIDN’T HEAR, YOU DIDN’T SEE.
ALL YOU DID WAS PUT BULLET’S IN ME.
The above work of art
also call “Shot at Dawn” is by fellow
Rifleman Philip Pickford
2017©Memorial At Peninsula Ltd
Shot at Dawn Poem and Painting by Philip Pickford
SHOT AT DAWN Between the years of 1914 and 1920, more than 3,000 British Soldiers were sentenced to death by courts martial for desertion, cowardice, striking an officer, disobedience, falling asleep on duty or casting away arms. Saying that, only 11 per cent of the sentences were carried out.
In total 346 where shot at dawn and 1 hung = 347 including some who committed murder, 306 where pardoned by the Government many many years later. ( yet there are 307 posts at The NMA) ?
Roughly 90% of cases, the sentence was commuted to hard labour or penal servitude.
Medical evidence apparently showing that many were suffring from shell-shock, this was also submitted to the courts, but was not recognized and misinterpreted. Most hearings lasting no more than 20 minutes.
Transcripts made public 75 years on after the events suggest that some of the men were underage. Others appeared to have wandered away from the battlefield in states of extreme distress and confusion, yet they were charged with desertion. When the suppressed documents relating to these courts martial were released, they showed that these men were demonstrably shell-shocked.”
Contrary to popular belief, they were not all denied natural justice….’Rough justice’ it may have been, but justice nevertheless. They were given access to legal representation but not the right of appeal, as the Field Marshal’s decision was absolute. Because ‘Shell- Shock was not recognized back then, most of them were not given proper medical examinations and so their conditions were over-looked.
The function of the threat of executions was to a intimidate and frighten soldiers in the battlefield….Risk the possibility of a bullet in battle or certain death if you don’t do your duty.
The standard soldier in the trenches would be suffering from chronic insomnia and anxiety attacks. He would be wet and cold in wind-chill factors that dragged temperatures as low as minus -18. This alone was enough to drive anyone crazy.
To say that all these men who were shot were bad and deserved their punishment is to ignore all these factors. Most just couldn’t take any more.
By 1930, Parliament had introduced legislation banning the death sentence for the offences for which the 306 were shot. None would be shot today.
Remarkably, most of those shot in the 1914-18 war were volunteer soldiers rather than conscripts and, perhaps unsurprisingly considering what was happening in their homeland, Irish soldiers were shot with proportionately more frequency than those of other regiments.
Among other principles of justice, the presumption of innocence was paid no more than lip service by many British courts martial. Some believe that the British Army was far more likely to shoot a working class man than an officer, and broadly speaking, this was true.
They were finally ‘pardoned’ in the August of 2006 under section 359 of the British Army Act.
In it is shown a list of the ‘original offences’ that soldiers could be tried and executed for :-
359 – Pardons for servicemen executed for disciplinary offences: recognition as victims of First World War
(1)This section applies in relation to any person who was executed for a relevant offence committed during the period beginning on the 4th August 1914 and ending with the 11th November 1918.
(2)Each such person is to be taken to be pardoned under this section in respect of the relevant offence (or relevant offences) for which he was executed.
(3) In this section “relevant offence” means any of the following– (a) an offence under any of the following provisions of the Army Act 1881 (c. 58)– (i) section 4(2) (casting away arms etc); (ii) section 4(7) (cowardice); (iii) section 6(1)(b) (leaving post etc without orders); (iv) section 6(1)(k) (sentinel sleeping etc on post or leaving post); (v) section 7 (mutiny and sedition); (vi) section 8(1) (striking etc superior officer); (vii) section 9(1) (disobedience in defiance of authority); (viii) section 12(1) (desertion or attempt etc to desert); (b)an offence under any of the following provisions of the Indian Army Act 1911 (Indian Act, No 8 of 1911) (i) section 25(b) (casting away arms, cowardice, etc); (ii) section 25(g) (sentry sleeping on post or quitting post); (iii) section 25(i) (quitting guard etc); (iv) section 27 (mutiny, disobedience, etc); (v) section 29 (desertion or attempt to desert).
(4)This section does not (a) affect any conviction or sentence; (b) give rise to any right, entitlement or liability; or (c) affect the prerogative of mercy.
(5) Any reference in this section to a provision of the Army Act 1881 (c. 58) includes a reference to that provision as applied by any enactment, wherever enacted.
The first soldier to be Shot at Dawn was Thomas Highgate
(Information obtained from www.tommy1418.com)
Good books too read are
Blindfolded and Alone
by Cathryn Corns and John Huges Wilson
and also
Shot at Dawn
By Julian Putkowski and Julian Sykes
Below are the posts of the soldiers executed by firing squads in WWI
The posts are in the Nation Memorial Arboretum at Alrewas
1
J.H Abigail
8th Bn Norfolk Regiment
2
Pte Adamson J S
7th Bn Cameron Highlanders
3
Labourer Ahmed M M
385. Egyptian Labour Corps.
4
Pte Ainley G
1/4th Bn King’s Own Yorkshire Light Infantry
5
Sgt Alexander W
10th Bn Canadian Expeditionary Force Alberta Regiment
6
Pte Allsop A E
King’s Royal Rifle Corps
7
Pte Anderson J A
12th Bn King’s (Liverpool) Regiment
8
Pte Anderson W E
5th Bn Dorsetshire Regiment
9
Pte Ansted A T
4th Bn Royal Fusiliers
10
Pte Archibald J
17th Bn Royal Scots
11
Lance Bombardier Arnold F S
1st Bde Canadian Field Artillery CEF
12
L/Sgt Ashton H
11/Cameronians
13
L/Cpl Atkinson A
1st Bn. West Yorkshire Regiment
14
Pte Auger F
14th Bn. Canadian Expeditionary Force
15
Pte Baker W
26th Bn. Royal Fusiliers
16
Pte Ball J
4th Coy. 2nd Bn. Middlesex Regiment
17
Rfn. Barker R L
1st/6th Bn. London Regiment (City of London Rifles)
18
Pte Barnes J E
7th Bn. Royal Sussex Regiment
19
Rfn Barratt F M
Kings Royal Rifle Corps
20
Pte Bateman F
1st/4th Yorks & Lancs Regiment
21
Pte Bateman J H
2nd Bn. South Staffordshire Regiment
22
Pte Beaumont E A
2nd Bn Leicestershire Regiment
23
Sapper Beeby E
212th Company, Royal Engineers
24
Driver Bell J
57th Bty Royal Field Artillery
25
Rfn Bellamy W
King’s Royal Rifle Corps
26
Pte Benham W
1st/3rd Bn. Royal Fusiliers
27
Pte Bennett J
1st Bn. Hampshire Regiment
28
Pte Black P
1/4th Bn The Black Watch
29
Pte Bladen F C H
10th Bn Yorks and Lancs Regt
30
Pte Blakemore D J
8th Bn North Staffordshire Regiment
31
Pte Bolton E
1st Bn Cheshire Regiment
32
Pte Botfield A
9th Bn. South Staffordshire Regiment
33
Pte Bowerman W
1st Bn. Queen’s Royal West Surrey Regiment
34
Pte Brennan J
1st/8th King’s Liverpool Regiment
35
Pte Briggs A
Sherwood Forresters, Notts and Derby Regiment
36
Pte Briggs J
2nd Bn Border Regiment
37
Pte Brigham T
1st/10th Bn. Manchester Regiment
38
Pte Britton C
1st/5th Bn. Royal Warwickshire Regiment
39
Pte Broadrick F
1th Bn Royal Warwickshire Regiment
40
Pte Brown A
Black Watch (Royal Highlanders)
41
Pte Browne A
2nd Bn. Essex Regiment
42
Pte Bryant E
10th Bn. Cheshire Regiment
43
Pte Burden H F
1st Bn Northumberland Fusiliers
44
Pte Burrell W H
2nd Bn Royal Sussex Regiment
45
Pte Burton R
South Lancashire Regiment
46
Pte Butcher F C
7th Bn. The Buffs (East Kent Regiment)
47
Pte Byers J
1st Bn. Royal Scots Fusiliers
48
Private Byrne S / Served as Monaghan M
1st Bn. Royal Dublin Fusiliers
49
Pte Cairnie P
1st Bn. Royal Scots Fusiliers
50
Pte Cameron J
1st/5th Bn Northumberland Fusiliers
51
Pte Card E A
Kings Royal Rifle Corps
52
Pte Carey J
7th Bn. Royal Irish Fusiliers
53
Pte Carr J G
2nd Bn. Welsh Regiment
54
Pte Carter H G
73rd Bn Canadian Expeditionary Force
55
Pte Carter H
11th Bn Middlesex Regiment
56
Pte Cassidy J
1st Bn Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers
57
Pte Chase H H
2nd Bn Lancashire Fusiliers
58
Rfn Cheeseman F W
Kings Royal Rifle Corps
59
Pte Clarke H A
2nd Bn. British West Indies Regiment
60
Pte Clarke W
2nd Bn. Durham Light Infantry
61
Pte Collins G E
1st Bn Lincolnshire Regiment
62
Pte Comte G
22nd Bn Canadian Infantry
63
Pte Crampton J
9th Bn Yorks & Lancs Regiment
64
Pte Crimmins H
18th Bn. West Yorkshire Regiment
65
Pte Crozier J
9th Bn Royal Irish Rifles
66
Pte Cummings T
1st Bn Irish Guards
67
Pte Cunnington S H
2nd Bn Royal Warwickshire Regiment
68
Pte Cuthbert J
9th Bn Cheshire Regiment
69
Pte Cutmore G
2nd Bn Blackwatch (Royal Highlanders)
70
Pte Dalande H
8th Bn. Seaforth Highlanders
71
Pte Davis R M
11th Bn Sherwood Foresters
72
Pte Davis T
1st Bn Royal Munster Fusiliers
73
Pte Degesse A C
22nd Bn Canadian Infantry
74
Pte De Largey E
1st/8th Bn Royal Scots
75
Pte De Lisle L
22nd Bn. Canadian Infantry
76
Pte Dennis J J
1st Bn Northamptonshire Regiment
77
Pte Depper C
1st/4th Bn Royal Berkshire Regiment
78
Pte Docherty J
9th Bn Black Watch
79
Pte Docherty T
2nd Bn. King’s Own Scottish Borderers
80
Rfn Donovan T
Kings Royal Rifle Corps
81
Private Duncan / Served as Sinclair J
1st Bn. Cameron Highlanders
82
Pte Dossett W
1st/4th Bn York and Lancaster Regiment
83
Pte Downey P J
6th Bn Leinster Regiment
84
Pte Downing T
6th Bn South Lancashire Regiment
85
Sub Lt Dyett E L A (RNVR)
Nelson Bn Royal Naval Division
86
Pte Earl W J
1st/7th Bn Lancashire Fusiliers
87
Pte Earp A G
1/5th Bn Royal Warwickshire Regiment
88
Pte Elford L D
7th/8th Bn King’s Own Scottish Borderers
89
Pte Evans A
1st Bn Royal Scots Fusiliers
90
Pte Eveleigh A E
1st Bn The Buffs (East Kent Regiment)
91
Pte Everill G
1st Bn North Staffordshire Regiment
92
Pte Fairburn E
18th Bn Canadian Expeditionary Force
93
Pte Farr H T
1st Bn West Yorkshire Regiment
94
Pte Fatoma A
West Africa Regiment
95
Pte Fellows E
3rd Bn Worcestershire Regiment
96
Pte Ferguson J
1st Bn. Royal Scots Fusiliers att Royal Engineers
97
Pte Flynn H
18th Bn Highland Light Infantry
98
Pte Foulkes T
1st/10th Bn Manchester Regiment
99
Private Fowles S McD
44th Bn. Canadian Expeditionary Force,
(New Brunswick Regiment)
100
Pte Fox J
2nd Bn. Highland Light Infantry
101
L/Cpl Fox J S V
1st Bn Wiltshire Regiment
102
Pte Frafra A
Gold Coast Regiment, German East Africa
103
Pte Fraser E
2nd Bn Royal Scots
104
Pte Fryer J W
12th Bn Queen’s (Royal West Surrey) Regiment
105
Pte Gawler R
1st Bn. The Buffs (East Kent Regiment)
106
Pte Gibson D
C” Coy 12th Bn Royal Scots
107
Pte Giles P
14th Bn Northumberland Fusiliers
108
Sgt Gleadow G E
1st Bn. West Yorkshire Regiment
109
L/Cpl Goggins P
19th Bn. Durham Light Infantry
110
Pte Gore F C
7th Bn The Buffs (East Kent Regiment)
111
Pte Graham J
2nd Bn Royal Munster Fusiliers
112
Pte Haddock A J
12th Bn Yorks & Lancs Regiment
113
Dvr Hamilton T G
72nd Battery, 38th Brigade, Royal Field Artillery
114
Pte Hamilton / Served as Blanchard A
14th Bn Durham Light Infantry
115
Pte Hanna G
1st Bn Royal Irish Fusiliers
116
Rfn Harding F
Kings Royal Rifle Corps
117
Private Harris E W J
10th Bn Lancashire Fusiliers
118
Pte Harris L
10th Bn West Yorkshire Regiment (Prince of Wales’s Own)
119
Pte Harris T
1st Bn Queen’s Own (Royal West Kent Regiment)
120
A Harris / Served as Bevistein A H
11th Bn Middlesex Regiment
121
Pte Hart B A
1st/4th Bn Suffolk Regiment
122
Pte Hartells H H
3rd Bn Worcestershire Regiment
123
Dvr Hasemore J W
Royal Field Artillery, “A” Bty. 180th Brigade
124
Pte Hawkins T
7th Bn The Queen’s (Royal West Surrey Regiment)
125
L/Cpl Hawthorne F
1st/5th Bn South Staffordshire Regiment
126
Pte Hendricks A
2nd Bn Leinster Regiment
127
Pte Higgins J
1st/9th Bn Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders
128
Pte Higgins J M
1st Bn Canadian Infantry
129
Pte Highgate T J
1st Bn Royal West Kent Regiment
130
Pte Hodgetts O W
1st Bn Worcestershire Regiment
131
L/Cpl Holland J
10th Bn Cheshire Regiment
132
Pte Holmes A
8th Bn King’s Own (Royal Lancaster Regiment)
133
Pte Holt E
19th Bn Manchester Regiment
134
Pte Hope R
a.k.a. Heppel/Hepple) (Served as Hepple,)
“D” Coy 1st Bn Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers
135
Pte Hope T
2nd Bn Leinster Regiment
136
Pte Hopkins T
1st/8th Bn Lancashire Fusiliers
137
Pte Horler E
12th Bn West Yorkshire Regiment
138
Pte Hughes F
2nd Bn Canterbury Regiment New Zealand Expeditionary Force
139
L/Cpl Hughes G E
7th Bn King’s Own (Royal Lancaster) Regiment
140
Pte Hughes J H
1st/5th Bn Yorks and Lancs Regiment
141
Pte Hunt W G
18th Bn Manchester Regiment
142
Pte Hunter G
2nd Bn Durham Light Infantry
143
Pte Hunter W
1st Bn Loyal North Lancashire Regiment
144
Rfn Hyde J J
10th Bn Kings Royal Rifle Corps
145
Pte Ingham A
18th Bn Manchester Regiment
146
Rifleman Irish/ a.k.a. Lee, Arthur James
2nd Bn Rifle Brigade
147
L/Cpl Irvine W J
1st Bn King’s Own (Royal Lancaster) Regiment
148
Cpl Ives F
3rd Bn Worcestershire Regiment
149
Pte Jackson E
24th Bn Royal Fusiliers
150
Pte Jeffries A L
6th Bn Somerset Light Infantry
151
Pte Jennings J
2nd Bn South Lancashire Regiment
152
Pte Johnson F/ Served as Charlton J
2nd Bn Border Regiment
153
Pte Jones J T
1st Bn Northamptonshire Regiment
154
Pte Jones R M
6th Bn South Lancashire Regiment
155
Pte Jones W
9th Bn Royal Welsh Fusiliers
156
Gunner Jones / served as Fox W
43rd Bty Royal Field Artillery
157
Pte Kerr H H
7th Bn Canadian Infantry
158
Pte Kershaw J
1st Bn King’s Own (Royal Lancaster) Regiment
159
Pte King J
1st Bn Canterbury Regiment (New Zealand Expeditionary Force)
160
Pte Kirk E
1st Bn West Yorkshire Regiment
161
Pte Kirman C H
7th Bn Lincolnshire Regiment
162
Pte Knight H J
1st Bn The Queen’s (Royal West Surrey Regiment)
163
Pte La Lancette J
22nd Bn Canadian Infantry
164
Pte La Liberte C
3rd Bn Canadian Expeditionary Force
165
Dvr Lamb A
21st Battery 2nd Brigade Royal Field Artillery
166
Cpl Latham G W
2nd Bn Lancashire Fusiliers
167
Pte Lawrence E A
2nd Bn Devonshire Regiment
168
Cpl Lewis C
12th Bn Highland Light Infantry
169
Pte Lewis G
2nd Bn South Lancashire Regiment
170
Pte Lewis J
5th Bn. Dorset Regiment
171
Pte Ling W N
2nd Bn Canadian Expeditionary Force
172
Pte Loader F
1st/22nd Bn London Regiment
173
Pte Lodge H E J
19th Bn Canadian Infantry
174
Pte Longshaw A
18th Bn Manchester Regiment
175
Pte Lawton G H
17th (S) Bn Sherwood Foresters (Welbeck Rangers)
176
Pte MacDonald H
12th Bn West Yorkshire Regiment
177
L/Cpl MacDonald J
12th Bn West Yorkshire Regiment
178
Pte Mackness E
1st Bn Cameronians
179
Sapper Malyon F
12th Field Company Royal Engineers attached Royal Field Artillery
180
L/Cpl Mamprusi A
Gold Coast
181
Pte Martin H
9th Bn Essex Regiment
182
Pte Mayers J
1st/13th Kensington Bn Royal Fusiliers
183
Rfn McBride S
2nd Bn Royal Irish Rifles
184
Private McClair H/ Served as Rowland
2nd Bn. Border Regiment
185
Pte McColl C F
1st/4th Bn East Yorkshire Regiment
186
Rfn McCracken J E
15th Bn Royal Irish Rifles
187
Pte McCubbin B
17th Bn Sherwood Foresters (Notts & Derby Regiment)
188
Pte McFarlane J
4th Bn King’s Liverpool Regiment
189
Pte McGeehan B
1/8th Bn King’s Liverpool Regiment
190
Pte McQuade J
18th Bn. Highland Light Infantry
191
Pte Michael J S
10th Bn Cameronians
192
Pte Milburn J B
24th/27th Bn Northumberland Fusiliers
193
Pte Milligan C M
10th Bn Cameronians (Scottish Rifles)
194
Pte Mills G
2nd Bn. Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry
195
Pte Mitchell A H
1st/6th Bn Lancashire Fusiliers
196
Pte Mitchell L
8th Bn Yorks & Lancs Regiment
197
Pte Moles T L
54th Bn Canadian Expeditionary Force
198
Pte Molyneaux J
1st Bn. Loyal North Lancashire Regiment
199
L/Cpl Moon W A
11th Bn Cheshire Regiment
200
Pte Morris H
6th Bn British West Indies Regiment
201
Dvr Mullany J
72nd Battery 38th Brigade Royal Field Artillery
202
Pte Murphy H T
Inniskillings
203
Pte Murphy A
9th Bn Cameronians (Scottish Rifles)
204
Pte Murphy P
47th Bn. Machine Gun Corps
205
Rfn Murphy W
1st/5th Bn Royal Scots
206
Pte Murray R
81st Brigade Royal Field Artillery
207
Pte Neave W
10th Bn West Yorkshire Regiment (Prince of Wales’s Own)
208
Pte Nelson W B
14th Bn Durham Light Infantry
209
Pte Nicholson C B
8th Yorkshire and Lancaster Regiment
210
Pte Nisbet J
1st Bn Leicestershire Regiment
211
Pte O’Connell B
1st Bn Irish Guards
212
Pte O’Neill F
1st Bn. Sherwood Foresters
213
Pte O’Neill A V
1st Bn South Wales Borderers
214
Pte Palmer H
1st/5th Bn Northumberland Fusiliers
215
Rfn Parker A E
7th Bn Kings Royal Rifle Corps
216
Pte Parry A
2nd Bn West Yorkshire Regiment (Prince of Wales’s Own)
217
Pte Pattison R G
7th Bn East Surrey Regiment
218
Private Penn (A or M)
1st Bn. Royal Welch Fusiliers
219
Pte Perry E
22nd Bn Canadian Expeditionary Force
220
Pte Phillips L R
6th Bn Somerset Light Infantry
221
Pte Phillips W T H
1st Bn Coldstream Guards
222
Pte Pitts A H
2nd Bn Royal Warwickshire Regiment
223
2nd Lt Poole E S
11th Bn West Yorkshire Regiment
224
Pte Poole H
7th Bn Yorkshire Regiment (Green Howards)
225
Cpl Povey G H
1st Bn Cheshire Regiment
226
Pte Randle W H
10th Bn Sherwood Foresters
227
Cpl Reid J
6th Bn Cameron Highlanders
228
Pte Reid I
2nd Bn Scots Guards
229
Pte Reynolds E J
3rd Bn Canadian Infantry CEF
230
Pte Richmond M R
1st/6th Bn Gordon Highlanders
231
Pte Rickman A
1st Bn Royal Dublin Fusiliers
232
Pte Rigby T H B
10th Bn South Wales Borderers
233
Pte Roberts J W
2nd Bn Canadian Mounted Rifles
234
Pte Roberts W T
4th Bn. Royal Fusiliers
235
Sgt Robins J
5th Bn Wiltshire Regiment
236
Pte Robinson A H
9th Bn Northumberland Fusiliers
237
Pte Robinson J
3rd Bn Worcestershire Regiment
238
Pte Robinson W
1st Bn Sherwood Foresters (Notts and Derby Regiment)
239
Pte Roe G E
2nd Bn King’s Own Yorkshire Light Infantry
240
Pte Rogers J
2nd Bn South Lancashire Regiment
241
Drummer Rose F
2nd Bn Yorkshire Regiment
242
Pte Sabongida S
3rd Bn Nigerian Regiment WAFF
243
Pte Salter H
6th Bn East Lancashire regiment
244
L/Cpl Sands P
1st Bn Royal Irish Rifles
245
Pte Scholes W
2nd Bn South Wales Borderers
246
Pte Scotton W
4th Bn Middlesex Regiment
247
Pte Seymour J
2nd Bn Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers
248
Pte Sheffield F
2nd Bn Middlesex Regiment
249
Pte Simmonds W H
23rd Bn Middlesex Regiment
250
Pte Sims R W
2nd Bn Royal Scots
251
Pte Siniski D
52nd Bn Canadian Expeditionary Force
252
Pte Skilton C W F
22nd Bn Royal Fusiliers
253
Pte Slade F W
2/6th Bn London Regiment
254
Pte Sloane J
1st /4th King’s Own (Royal Lancaster) Regiment
255
Pte Smith J C
King’s (Liverpool Regiment)
256
Rfn Smith John
1st Bn Loyal North Lancashire Regiment
257
Pte Smith William
2nd Bn Rifle Brigade
258
Pte Smith William
3rd/5th Bn Lancashire Fusiliers
259
Pte Smythe A
1st Bn Irish Guards
260
Dvr Spencer J
65th Battery 8th Brigade Royal Field Artillery
261
Pte Spencer V M
1st Bn (Otago) New Zealand Regiment
262
Pte Spry W T
2nd Bn Royal Fusiliers
263
Pte Stead F
2nd Bn Duke of Wellington’s (West Riding Regiment)
264
Pte Steadman J B
Machine Gun Corps
265
Pte Stevenson D
13th Bn Middlesex Regiment
266
Pte Stevenson R
1/4th Bn Loyal North Lancashire Regiment
267
Pte Stewart S
2nd Bn Royal Scots Fusiliers
268
L/Sgt Stones J W
19th Bn Durham Light Infantry
269
Pte Swain J
5th Bn Royal Berkshire Regiment
270
Dvr Swaine J W
54th Battery 39th Brigade Royal Field Artillery
271
Trooper Sweeney J J
1st Bn Otago Regiment (New Zealand Expeditionary Force)
272
Pte Tanner E
1st Bn Wiltshire Regiment
273
Pte Taylor John
15th Bn Lancashire Fusiliers
274
Pte Taylor John
2nd Bn South Staffordshire Regiment
275
Pte Taysum N H
9th Bn The Black Watch (Royal Highlanders)
276
Rfn Templeton J
15th Bn Royal Irish Rifles
277
Pte Thomas J
2nd Bn Welsh Regiment
278
Pte Thompson A D
3rd Bn Worcestershire Regiment
279
Pte Thompson W L
6th Bn The Buffs (East Kent Regiment)
280
Pte Tite R T
13th Bn Royal Sussex Regiment
281
Pte Tongue J
1st Bn King’s (Liverpool Regiment)
282
Pte Troughton A
1st Bn Royal Welch Fusiliers
283
Pte Turner F
6th Bn Northumberland Fusiliers
284
Pte Turpie W J
2nd Bn East Surrey Regiment
285
Sgt Wall J T
3rd Bn Worcestershire Regiment
286
L/Sgt Walton W
2nd Bn King’s Royal Rifle Corps
287
Pte Ward G
1st Bn Royal Berkshire Regiment
288
Pte Ward T
8th/10th Bn Gordon Highlanders
289
Pte Watkins G
13th Bn Welsh Regiment
290
Pte Watts T W
7th Bn East Yorkshire Regiment
291
Pte Watts W
1st Bn Loyal North Lancashire Regiment
292
Pte Webb H J
2nd Bn King’s Own Yorkshire Light Infantry
293
Pte Welsh C
8th Bn Canadian Infantry
294
Pte Westwood A H
8th Bn East Surrey Regiment
295
Pte Wild A
18th Bn West Yorkshire Regiment
296
Pte Williams H
1/9th Bn Royal Fusiliers (Queen Victoria’s Rifles)
297
Pte Wilson J H
4th Bn Canadian Expeditionary Force
298
Cpl Wilton J
15th Bn Sherwood Foresters (Notts and Derby Regiment)
299
Pte Wishard J
7th Bn Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers
300
Rfn Woodhouse J
12th Bn Kings Royal Rifle Corps
301
Pte Worsley E
2nd Bn Middlesex Regiment
302
Pte Wright F
1st Bn Queen’s (Royal West Surrey Regiment)
303
Pte Wycherley W
2nd Bn Manchester Regiment
304
Rfn Yeoman W
1st/12th Bn London Regiment (The Rangers)
305
Pte Young E
25th Bn Canadian Expeditionary Force
306
Pte Young R
11th Bn Worcestershire Regiment
307
Lcpl J R Short
24th Bn Northumberland Fusiliers
( Post Pictures by Steve Barrett from the NMA )
Combat Stress
World War I The soldiers returning home from World War I suffered greatly from the horrors they had witnessed. Many returning veterans suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder, called shell shock at the time.
Main article: Combat stress reaction In 1915 The British Army in France was instructed that: “Shell-shock and shell concussion cases should have the letter ‘W’ prefixed to the report of the casualty, if it were due to the enemy; in that case the patient would be entitled to rank as ‘wounded’ and to wear on his arm a ‘wound stripe’. If, however, the man’s breakdown did not follow a shell explosion, it was not thought to be ‘due to the enemy’, and he was to [be] labelled ‘Shell-shock’ or ‘S’ (for sickness) and was not entitled to a wound stripe or a pension. ” In the August of 1916 Charles Myers was made Consulting Psychologist to the Army. He hammered home the notion that it was necessary to create special centres near the line using treatment based on: Promptness of action. Suitable environment. Psychotherapeutic measures. He also used hypnosis with limited success. In the December of 1916 Gordon Holmes was put in charge of the northern, and more important, part of the western front. He had much more of the tough attitudes of the Army and suited the prevailing military mindset and so his view prevailed. By the June of 1917 all British cases of “Shell-shock” were evacuated to a nearby neurological centre and were labelled as NYDN–Not Yet Diagnosed Nervous”. “But, because of the Adjutant-General’s distrust of doctors, no patient could receive that specialist attention until Form AF 3436 had been sent off to the man’s unit and filled in by his commanding officer.” This created significant delays but demonstrated that between 4 -10% of Shell-shock W cases were “commotional” (due to physical causes) and the rest were “emotional”. This killed off shell-shock as a valid disease and it was abolished in September 1918. During the war, 306 British soldiers were executed for cowardice, many of them victims of shell shock On the 7th of November 2006 the government of the United Kingdom gave them all a posthumous conditional pardon.
This transcript sourced from Wikipedia.
_____________________________
The Grave of Private Ingham
Picture from Facebook and Google and Paul Kneller.
Special thanks also go to
Monica Kershaw and Janet Tattershall
and an unknown male from Nuneaton
who all helped with the pictures taken at the NMA Alrewas.