Shot at Dawn details

[Posh Pete]

Anyone got access to details of WW1 executions? I'm interested in this guy ...

64987 Driver J. Mullany

Reason being: I knew about the execution of a man from the same unit, 67440 Driver T. G. Hamilton. He was a relative of one of my pupils on my last school trenches trip and we visited the grave. Doing the prep for this year's trip, I discovered by accident that Mullany, from the same unit, was executed on the same day for the same offence: striking a senior officer. I got the gen on Hamilton from the family who had got access to the court martial records but would dearly love to find out the details of Mullany's offence. Two executions from the same unit, both for striking an officer? Begs a lot of questions ...

Anyone got any suggestions?

 

[ghiribizzo]

National Archives at Kew (online) About 60% of soldiers' records were destroyed in WWII.
More likely you'll find the officer's details as they were stored elsewhere. If you know who the officer was...

 

[thornley]

There was a book called For the sake of Example. Written by a judge whose name I totally forget. Maybe do a search. It covered a lot of executions in detail.

 

[Mick_rw]

There was a book called For the sake of Example. Written by a judge whose name I totally forget. Maybe do a search. It covered a lot of executions in detail.

The Book

 

[Taff]

Anyone got access to details of WW1 executions? I'm interested in this guy ... 64987 Driver J. Mullany

A quick Google search says

Driver JAMES MULLANY. 64987, 72nd Bty., Royal Field Artillery. who died. on 03 October 1916

64987 Driver J. Mullany, 72nd Battery, 38th Brigade, Royal Field Artillery, executed for striking a senior officer, 03/10/1916. Plot 3. K. 4 at Ribemont Cemetary, Somme.

Believed to be Irish.

Have you tried the Commonwealth War Graves Commission? Didn't Tony Robinson (Baldrick) do a documentary about this a couple of year ago?

There is a record of a "Medal Card" for a James Mullany in the National Archives (See HERE)

He is listed as a Driver but the Regiment No is 64907 not 64987.

 

[FERRET]

Sorry cant help with your question, however there is a very moving memorial to these poor soldiers at the National Memorial Arboretum at Alerwas, sadly it seems to have been shoe horned into the furthest corner of the site and i only came across it by chance on a visit there a few months ago.
The memorial is a group of 60 -70 (for want of a better description) 6ft high telegraph poles planted in the ground , with a statue of a soldier with a blindfold.

Found it a very moving experience and really made me think of the reasons these soldiers were executed.

I came to the conclusion that the majority if not all ,should not have been shot.

 

[thornley]

The Book

Anthony Babbington. Been racking my brains all day. I had the book for years but lent it to someone!