Shot at Dawn

In preparation for the field school I thought about what the different kinds of things I could expect to see. I was ready to see the battlefields where millions of men lost their lives, the trenches, no mans land, the dozens of cemeteries, the various war memorials, and all those things that one would expect from the war. Of course I had a sense of excitement to see these places but at the same time I did not know how I would react to seeing the places that represent so much death. The graveyards, a sea of white, thousands upon thousands of white head stones that seem to go on forever was shocking to say the least. Normally thinking about all the soldiers that lost their life you would think of an outrageous number that isn't comprehendable; however, seeing these head stones in person gives you the physical representation that forces you to truly realize just how many there are. Emotionally, seeing this is like a punch in the stomach, I couldn't help but just stare as I was trying to grasp at the site that was before my eyes. Borrowing from the cliche, one really needs to see it to believe it. But what I wasn't ready for was the small courtyard and cells in Poperinge where at least eight men lost their lives. It seems strange to say that I was more affected by the deaths of eight men when the graveyards are filled with thousands and thousands of fallen soldiers. The reality of war is that soldiers die, they fight for a cause against an enemy and in the drive for victory these opposing sides are going to kill eachother. The reality is tragic and it is something that should never happen but it is a part of our history and it is something that I am sure we will continue having to deal with.  Yet, what makes these eight soldiers different is that they didn't die in battle but were executed, not by the enemy but by their own comrades. The Poperinge site has eight confirmed executions of British soldiers between 1916 and 1919 while there may have been twice as much. Some were executed for murder and other serious offences but most were sentenced to death as deserters.

When you first get to the site you walk in through a small arch and turn right into what looks like a very small room. Once inside you realize that there are two rooms that were actually cells that soldiers would stay in until their time came. In the first room there is what looks like a wooden bed that is now covered with hundreds of poppies left by visitors. In the second room there is an exhibit about one of the soldiers that was executed at the site. On the walls in both rooms there are engravings left by the soldiers as they awaited their fate at dawn. Each soldier was given a proper trial and were able to defend themselves; yet, the majority of these soldiers were lower class uneducated privates that were going against upper class educated officers which more than likely put them at a disadvantage. They were usually found guilty for deserting and it was done so "pour encourager les autres." This is a French expression that means to encourage others or more specifically to make an example of the soldiers. Once they had been found guilty and sentenced to death the order is then confirmed by a series of commanding officiers and the soldier will be notified of the ruling the night before the execution. The next morning at dawn the soldier would be executed by firing squad (sometimes from the soldiers own unit). One of the members of the firing squad would have a loaded rifle and the others blank so to make it unclear who actually fired the bullet that killed the soldier. If the soldier did not die from the initial shot the officier in charge would have to deliver a coup de grace with a revolver shot at the man's head.

Part of the experience at the execution site is an exhibit on the life of one of the soldiers executed. Amongst pictures and letters there is a soundtrack chronicoling the last moments of the soldiers life. We all squeezed into the small cell and clicked the English button and the track began playing. It began with the soldier waking up and the chaplain giving the soldier his last rights. Then you follow the sound of his footsteps as he is marched to the shooting post, his last few steps of his life. He is then tied to the post and is sentenced to death for having deserted and to be executed and becoming an "example." The firing squad prepares their rifles, only one having the bullet to kill, and they steady themselves for the shot. A long pause, and then the guns are fired, and the soldiers slumps down the pole, dead. The mood in the room was a solemn one everyone a little caught off guard by the whole experience. Afterwards we walk outside of the cell and walk into the courtyard and see the original shooting post where soldiers lost their lives.

What is so sad about the whole experience is that the majority of soldiers that deserted did so because of their mental and physical states. Their symptoms was then called "shellshocked" but today we know it as post-traumatic stress disorder. During the war these symptoms were often overlooked and other soldiers saw these soldiers as "worthless soldiers" in the inability to perform. Yet, these soldiers could not perform, they were traumatised, they had mental and physical disorders that placed them in a mental state unable to act properly. Their options were to continue fighting yet for them it must have seemed like an impossible task otherwise all they could do was try and leave the army and risk being sentenced as a deserter. It wasn't a part of the war that I was expecting to experience. I hadn't expected to hear of soldiers being killed by their own. I understand the need to set an example of men deserting to prevent others from doing. Yet, there are some men that really are less beneficial to the whole by being there and needed help with their condition. There must have been other solutions than death by shooting squad, jail-time seems like the best choice as an alternative to death. The majority of the executed soldiers were doing the only thing that they could and that was to escape the war. They needed to get away, they had experienced more than anyone could have asked for. But, instead they are killed for their actions. Many were decorated soldiers, many were as young as seventeen, and many had already put their time in. Perhaps most shocking is that once they were executed their families wouldn't be notified, the only way that their families would be told would be through soldiers contacting the family individually. There was a drive to pardon the soliders executed in recent years in Britain yet no government was willing to take the task on. However, in the end the soldiers were pardoned, not to commerate them but for political reasons to satisfy the Irish government by Tony Blair. This story ultimately becomes one of the most disturbing legacies of the war. These soldiers were far from worthless, they were merely injured soldiers that still had a lot to offer, not in war but in their future; yet, they had their lives taken from them and never had the opportunity.

Execution totals from the armies fighting on the Western Front: France, between 350 and 700; Germany, 48; Belgians, 12; US Army, 10. 320 were executed by the British and Imperial Forces for military offences; two thirds were English; Scotland, 40; Ireland, 20; Wales, 15; Canada, 25; New Zealand, 5; Jamaica, 1; Egypt, 1; and China, 10.

Patrick Best