Military Executions during World War I

Military Executions during World War I

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Military Executions during World War I Gerard Oram Department of History The Open University

Gerard Christopher Oram 2003 Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 2003 978-1-4039-0694-6 All rights reserved. No reproduction, copy or transmission of this publication may be made without written permission. No paragraph of this publication may be reproduced, copied or transmitted save with written permission or in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, or under the terms of any licence permitting limited copying issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency, 90 Tottenham Court Road, London W1T 4LP. Any person who does any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages. The author has asserted his right to be identified as the author of this work in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. First published 2003 by PALGRAVE MACMILLAN Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire RG21 6XS and 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N. Y. 10010 Companies and representatives throughout the world PALGRAVE MACMILLAN is the global academic imprint of the Palgrave Macmillan division of St. Martin s Press, LLC and of Palgrave Macmillan Ltd. Macmillan is a registered trademark in the United States, United Kingdom and other countries. Palgrave is a registered trademark in the European Union and other countries. ISBN 978-1-349-51031-3 ISBN 978-0-230-28798-3 (ebook) DOI 10.1057/9780230287983 This book is printed on paper suitable for recycling and made from fully managed and sustained forest sources. A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Oram, Gerard. Military executions during World War I / by Gerard Oram. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-1-4039-0694-7 1. Capital punishment Great Britain History. 2. Military offenses Great Britain History. 3. World War, 1914-1918 Great Britain. 4. Executions and executioners Great Britain History. 5. Deserters, Military Great Britain History I. Title KD6333.O73 2003 343.41 0143 dc21 2002192469 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 12 11 10 09 08 07 06 05 04 03

For Phyllis May Oram (1905 2002) and Hope (2001) I miss you

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Contents List of Tables List of Figures Acknowledgements ix x xi Introduction 1 1 The administration of discipline by the English is very rigid :British Military Law and the Death Penalty 1868 1918 18 Background 20 Inquiry and reform 1865 81 22 Laying the foundations 1881 1914 30 The impact of modern war 1914 18 35 2 Military Discipline and the Nation at War 39 Regulating crime in the army 43 Discipline on the battlefield 48 Shell-shock a matter of discipline 60 The home front 65 Summation 68 3 Military Theory and Redefining Troop Morale 71 Assessing morale 82 Troop morale and mail censorship 93 Summation 97 4 Pour encourager les autres: Morale, Discipline and the Death Penalty on the Front Line 100 The three armies 102 The regular divisions 102 The Territorial Force 106 The New Army 108 The impact of the big offensives 111 The Battle of the Somme 115 Summation 128

viii Contents 5 Discipline and Morale in the Three Armies: Case Studies of Three British Infantry Divisions 131 7th, 23rd and 48th Divisions in France and Italy: an overview 132 The Divisions 134 The Italian Expeditionary Force 151 Conclusion 164 Appendix: Trials for Desertion and Cowardice in Italy, 1917 18 173 Notes 182 Bibliography 207 Index 220

List of Tables 1.1 Punishments inflicted by British courts martial 1865 1867 27 1.2 Offences punishable by death 31 1.3 Offences punishable by death only if committed on active service 31 2.1 Condemnations and executions in the British Army, shown annually 43 4.1 Condemnations and executions during the period of the Battle of the Somme 111 5.1 Courts martial statistics for British Army in Italy (other ranks only) 155 5.2 Number of trials for desertion in Italian Expeditionary Force 157 ix

List of Figures 4.1 Condemnations and executions in 3rd Division 104 4.2 Condemnation and executions in 6th Division 105 4.3 Condemnations in the First-Line Territorial Force 108 x

Acknowledgements I would like to acknowledge all the people who have assisted, advised or contributed in some form to this work. They are too numerous to list, but in particular I would like to thank my examiners Dr John Bourne and Professor Arthur Marwick, and my supervisors Dr David Englander and Professor Clive Emsley. Each deserves my unalloyed appreciation. I also owe thanks to the staff at numerous archives and libraries, especially the Public Record Office and the Imperial War Museum. To Julian Putkowski I offer my most sincere thanks for making available his own personal archive, for feeding and accommodating me on my trips into London and for continuing to contribute to the debate in his own indomitable style. There are more: Dr Christoph Jahr assisted me with some of the German material and Dr Nicolas Offenstadt with the French, and Professor Gerry Rubin has clarified some of the more complex points of military law. I have made every attempt to ensure that copyright has not been breached, by following the fair dealing guidelines, but if I have inadvertently done so I offer my apologies. Finally, I would like to acknowledge the ongoing support of my family and all my friends. During the past twelve months my wife and I have suffered personal tragedy and deep sadness, but also great joy. I cannot overstate how much I owe to Anna and now to our new baby daughter, Izzette. Life goes on. xi