A very sad Anniversary today
Discussion
I wasn't aware of this anniversary, but (as it happens) appropriately enough I recently read "Death for Desertion", covering the case of SLt Edwin Dyett of the Royal Naval Division - he was 21 when he was shot for 'absenting himself from duty' during the Battle of the Ancre.
It seems pretty clear to me that SLt Dyett did take himself AWOL rather than go to the fight, and without any evidence of shell shock, nervous breakdown or other factors. He abandoned a party of wounded soldiers of his own division that he encountered, rather than report their position and so risk being sent into the action himself.
It was, in the baldest sense of the term, cowardice.
But he was also badly (barely) represented at his court martial, and circumstantial evidence strongly implies that he was, to an extent 'done in' by the prosecution whose main witness likely harboured existing ill-feeling towards him.
Even when found guilty, the court recommended that his sentence was commuted. But he became a pawn in wider military politics - there were growing grumbles in the Army that the Other Ranks were being treated more harshly for cases of cowardice than officers. So there needed to be an example made to 'redress the balance'. And Dyett was a naval officer serving in a division under Army control and jurisdiction, thus making him an attractive target to be that example.
Thus he was informed that the recommendation for mercy had, in fact, not been actioned just a couple of hours before the deed was done. He would be one of only three officers shot by firing squad in the war - one the other two being a 2nd Lieutenant who deserted and evaded the authorities for several months, then fatally shot the military policeman arresting him.
It seems pretty clear to me that SLt Dyett did take himself AWOL rather than go to the fight, and without any evidence of shell shock, nervous breakdown or other factors. He abandoned a party of wounded soldiers of his own division that he encountered, rather than report their position and so risk being sent into the action himself.
It was, in the baldest sense of the term, cowardice.
But he was also badly (barely) represented at his court martial, and circumstantial evidence strongly implies that he was, to an extent 'done in' by the prosecution whose main witness likely harboured existing ill-feeling towards him.
Even when found guilty, the court recommended that his sentence was commuted. But he became a pawn in wider military politics - there were growing grumbles in the Army that the Other Ranks were being treated more harshly for cases of cowardice than officers. So there needed to be an example made to 'redress the balance'. And Dyett was a naval officer serving in a division under Army control and jurisdiction, thus making him an attractive target to be that example.
Thus he was informed that the recommendation for mercy had, in fact, not been actioned just a couple of hours before the deed was done. He would be one of only three officers shot by firing squad in the war - one the other two being a 2nd Lieutenant who deserted and evaded the authorities for several months, then fatally shot the military policeman arresting him.
2xChevrons said:
I wasn't aware of this anniversary, but (as it happens) appropriately enough I recently read "Death for Desertion", covering the case of SLt Edwin Dyett of the Royal Naval Division - he was 21 when he was shot for 'absenting himself from duty' during the Battle of the Ancre.
It seems pretty clear to me that SLt Dyett did take himself AWOL rather than go to the fight, and without any evidence of shell shock, nervous breakdown or other factors. He abandoned a party of wounded soldiers of his own division that he encountered, rather than report their position and so risk being sent into the action himself.
It was, in the baldest sense of the term, cowardice.
But he was also badly (barely) represented at his court martial, and circumstantial evidence strongly implies that he was, to an extent 'done in' by the prosecution whose main witness likely harboured existing ill-feeling towards him.
Even when found guilty, the court recommended that his sentence was commuted. But he became a pawn in wider military politics - there were growing grumbles in the Army that the Other Ranks were being treated more harshly for cases of cowardice than officers. So there needed to be an example made to 'redress the balance'. And Dyett was a naval officer serving in a division under Army control and jurisdiction, thus making him an attractive target to be that example.
Thus he was informed that the recommendation for mercy had, in fact, not been actioned just a couple of hours before the deed was done. He would be one of only three officers shot by firing squad in the war - one the other two being a 2nd Lieutenant who deserted and evaded the authorities for several months, then fatally shot the military policeman arresting him.
Very informative, thank you.It seems pretty clear to me that SLt Dyett did take himself AWOL rather than go to the fight, and without any evidence of shell shock, nervous breakdown or other factors. He abandoned a party of wounded soldiers of his own division that he encountered, rather than report their position and so risk being sent into the action himself.
It was, in the baldest sense of the term, cowardice.
But he was also badly (barely) represented at his court martial, and circumstantial evidence strongly implies that he was, to an extent 'done in' by the prosecution whose main witness likely harboured existing ill-feeling towards him.
Even when found guilty, the court recommended that his sentence was commuted. But he became a pawn in wider military politics - there were growing grumbles in the Army that the Other Ranks were being treated more harshly for cases of cowardice than officers. So there needed to be an example made to 'redress the balance'. And Dyett was a naval officer serving in a division under Army control and jurisdiction, thus making him an attractive target to be that example.
Thus he was informed that the recommendation for mercy had, in fact, not been actioned just a couple of hours before the deed was done. He would be one of only three officers shot by firing squad in the war - one the other two being a 2nd Lieutenant who deserted and evaded the authorities for several months, then fatally shot the military policeman arresting him.
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