SHOT AT DAWN
One of the biggest injustices of WW1 was the execution of soldiers who were shot at dawn for cowardice. Rightly so in 2006 the British Government pardoned 306 men who were executed by the British Army, although it remains a shame that it took the best part of 90 years for it to happen. These men are now officially honoured by the British Government along with their comrades who died during WW1, most of us however have always honoured them and knew them as the brave heroes that they were.
I try to remain none judgemental on this website, we have to remember that things happened a long time ago and it was a far different world to the one we now live in. However I have to admit that this subject has left me angry at how these men were treated. It is very upsetting to read about these events, but read them we must, and remember.
20 minutes, most court martial hearings lasted no longer than 20 minutes, it took just 20 minutes to decide a man's fate, once decided there was no appeal. During the hearing the man was often not allowed any legal representative, medical evidence proving some men were suffering from shell shock was often not submitted to the courts, if it was then it tended to be ignored. Basically an unfair trial sent these men to their deaths, with their execution often being carried out by their own comrades. The British government tried to keep it secret, but word spread about what was happening, as it did the question was brought up in the House of Commons and it was denied, they were lying, they knew.
Many people believe these men were executed to frighten other men into doing what they were told, intimidating them back into the trenches or scaring them into going over the top during an attack. Making an example of the executed men was a way of keeping others in line.
I try to remain none judgemental on this website, we have to remember that things happened a long time ago and it was a far different world to the one we now live in. However I have to admit that this subject has left me angry at how these men were treated. It is very upsetting to read about these events, but read them we must, and remember.
20 minutes, most court martial hearings lasted no longer than 20 minutes, it took just 20 minutes to decide a man's fate, once decided there was no appeal. During the hearing the man was often not allowed any legal representative, medical evidence proving some men were suffering from shell shock was often not submitted to the courts, if it was then it tended to be ignored. Basically an unfair trial sent these men to their deaths, with their execution often being carried out by their own comrades. The British government tried to keep it secret, but word spread about what was happening, as it did the question was brought up in the House of Commons and it was denied, they were lying, they knew.
Many people believe these men were executed to frighten other men into doing what they were told, intimidating them back into the trenches or scaring them into going over the top during an attack. Making an example of the executed men was a way of keeping others in line.
Consider if you will a British Tommy in the trenches, he is wet, cold, scared, under fire from shelling and sniping, he lacks sleep, he is always ready for the enemy attack, he is expected to do an order without question, he is on edge, he may be young, he does not want to die, he climbs out of a trench to attack, he faces machine guns, exploding shells, barbed wire, bayonets, noise, he hears the injured screaming, he sees his friends die, he bears witness to unimaginable horrors, in battle he is confused, often alone as his comrades have been killed, he hides like a rat in a shell hole, only the dead are his company, he waits till dark before he can crawl back to his lines, always expecting that bullet or shrapnel to get him. He does this over and over again, in the trench, out the trench. His nerves are hard to control, he is a changed man. If he loses his way in battle, if he shakes and can not move during an attack, if he loses his weapon, so many if's, but just one can label him a coward and he can be shot for an if. They were not cowards, they were heroes far braver than me.
All of the pardoned men deserve to be mentioned and have their stories told. I do not have the time to research every man, so I have chosen just one to focus on. He served with a Liverpool regiment and his story touches on something that is in my life and dear to me. All of those pardoned remain not forgotten, and remembered for the brave men that they were.
All of the pardoned men deserve to be mentioned and have their stories told. I do not have the time to research every man, so I have chosen just one to focus on. He served with a Liverpool regiment and his story touches on something that is in my life and dear to me. All of those pardoned remain not forgotten, and remembered for the brave men that they were.
PRIVATE BERNARD McGEEHAN
Bernard McGeehan was born in 1888 in Raphoe, County Donegal, Ireland. His parents later moved to Moat Street in Derry, where Bernard, his brother Niel and sister Nellie would settle. He did not do well at school and was thought of as not very bright, he later found work as a messenger boy for the Post Office in Derry before going on to work with his father who ran a business buying and selling horses in Ireland and England. He fitted in well with the horses, he had an obvious talent as a groom and appeared to prefer being in the background sharing their company. The family later moved to Dublin.
Today Bernard would come into the category of special needs. In my own opinion from what I have read about him it is clear he had a form of Autism.
On 11 November 1914 Bernard joined the 1/8th ( Irish ) King's Liverpool Regiment as Private 2974, he signed up in Liverpool and gave his address as 10 Daulby Street, Liverpool ( next to the Royal Liverpool Hospital ) this address is listed as Waites Boarding House, so it must be the digs he took when he came over from Ireland to enlist. Bernard would have spent time at the 8ths regiment base in nearby Shaw Street.
The grassed waste ground to the right of photo is where the 8th King's Liverpool HQ stood at 75 Shaw Street. The Building with the Scaffold is number 71.
His service records notes him as being 5 feet 5 1/2 inches tall, weighing 147 pounds with a chest measurement of 34 1/2 inches. His physical development is good, eyesight good, but his teeth are very bad, he gives his occupation as a Groom. His next of kin is given as Bernard McGeehan of 7 Annesley Place, North Strand, Dublin. this must have been his father, his mother is listed as having passed away on his enlistment papers.
Bernard's signature on his enlistment papers.
Bernard trained in the UK, with his regiment being mobilised in Canterbury, Kent. After training they sailed to France, arriving in Boulogne on 3rd May 1915. By 16th June they were seeing their first action at Artois in the Givenchy region of France, they suffered large losses here.
A few weeks later on 14 July 1915 Bernard was charged with being absent from duty and given 3 days field punishment Number 2, what this entailed was Bernard being kept in shackles and being made to do to hard labour. Bernard's time in the Army makes unhappy reading, he struggled to understand orders, sounds of machine gun and artillery fire would play on his nerves, and he was also being bullied by his fellow soldiers who ridiculed him and played cruel tricks on him to make him believe that he was under attack. Senior ranks and officers looked on Bernard as being a bit thick and useless as a soldier.
On 31st March 1916 Bernard was awarded 14 days Field Punishment Number 1 after being found guilty of neglecting to obey an order and for losing by neglect government ( Army ) property. The offence had happened on 24 March. He was also informed he was to repay the cost of the lost property from his wages. Field Punishment Number 1 was more severe to Number 2, it would see the man tied to a gun wheel or some other object in full view of other soldiers. The man would remain in this condition for up to 2 hours in a 24 hour period, often the man would be unable to move at all having been tied so tight. The soldiers called this punishment 'crucifixion' and due to the humiliation it caused they considered it as being unfair.
On 4 May 1916 he was sent to work in the store yard refilling points, this order kept him out of the front lines, however the huge losses suffered in the early days of the battle of the Somme meant he had to return to his regiment as they entered the trenches on 20 July 1916 at Guillemont. On 8 August 1916 they attacked and pushed through the German front lines, but they had advanced so rapid that their support was unable to keep up. Now surrounded they had to hold out as best they could, suffering many losses in the process with a number of men taken prisoner.
They stayed on the Somme for the next two months, in and out of action, facing daily danger. On 20 September as his regiment was about to enter the battle at Deaths Valley, Bernard slipped away and decided to go for a walk, it appears he had finally cracked with the stress, he was shell-shocked , shaking, bewildered and lost. when he tried to return he could not find them. For the next 5 days he walked around looking for them, then on 25 September he approached another British unit and asked for food and directions back to his regiment.
The unit he had asked were in Montreuil, this is 40-50 miles from where he had been, it shows how far he had walked. His own regiment had moved on into Belgium and by 28 September they were at Brandhoek in between Ypres and Poperinghe. Bernard was escorted to his regiment in Belgium, once there he was court-martialled on a charge of desertion and placed in confinement awaiting trial.
A few weeks later on 14 July 1915 Bernard was charged with being absent from duty and given 3 days field punishment Number 2, what this entailed was Bernard being kept in shackles and being made to do to hard labour. Bernard's time in the Army makes unhappy reading, he struggled to understand orders, sounds of machine gun and artillery fire would play on his nerves, and he was also being bullied by his fellow soldiers who ridiculed him and played cruel tricks on him to make him believe that he was under attack. Senior ranks and officers looked on Bernard as being a bit thick and useless as a soldier.
On 31st March 1916 Bernard was awarded 14 days Field Punishment Number 1 after being found guilty of neglecting to obey an order and for losing by neglect government ( Army ) property. The offence had happened on 24 March. He was also informed he was to repay the cost of the lost property from his wages. Field Punishment Number 1 was more severe to Number 2, it would see the man tied to a gun wheel or some other object in full view of other soldiers. The man would remain in this condition for up to 2 hours in a 24 hour period, often the man would be unable to move at all having been tied so tight. The soldiers called this punishment 'crucifixion' and due to the humiliation it caused they considered it as being unfair.
On 4 May 1916 he was sent to work in the store yard refilling points, this order kept him out of the front lines, however the huge losses suffered in the early days of the battle of the Somme meant he had to return to his regiment as they entered the trenches on 20 July 1916 at Guillemont. On 8 August 1916 they attacked and pushed through the German front lines, but they had advanced so rapid that their support was unable to keep up. Now surrounded they had to hold out as best they could, suffering many losses in the process with a number of men taken prisoner.
They stayed on the Somme for the next two months, in and out of action, facing daily danger. On 20 September as his regiment was about to enter the battle at Deaths Valley, Bernard slipped away and decided to go for a walk, it appears he had finally cracked with the stress, he was shell-shocked , shaking, bewildered and lost. when he tried to return he could not find them. For the next 5 days he walked around looking for them, then on 25 September he approached another British unit and asked for food and directions back to his regiment.
The unit he had asked were in Montreuil, this is 40-50 miles from where he had been, it shows how far he had walked. His own regiment had moved on into Belgium and by 28 September they were at Brandhoek in between Ypres and Poperinghe. Bernard was escorted to his regiment in Belgium, once there he was court-martialled on a charge of desertion and placed in confinement awaiting trial.
The court offered no help to Bernard when they failed to provide an officer to help him with his defence, meaning he had to represent himself. To sum it up his chances were hopeless before the trial had even started.
One record notes at least 6 witnesses who were brought in to confirm Bernard had deserted, while the officer reports tore shreads into his character. They described him as ' generally well behaved but an indifferent fighter, of weak intellect, who was incapable of understanding orders ' Another officer gave this shocking statement about Bernard ' He seems of weak character and is worthless as a soldier ' A soldier who had known him before the war told the court that ' He was inclined to be rather stupid '
Just two pieces of paper covered Bernard's trial, it took just two pieces of paper to decide that this man should be sentenced to death. At 6.16 a.m on 2 November 1916, Bernard McGeehan was shot by firing squad in Poperinghe, Belgium, he died instantly. He was buried at Poperinghe New Military Cemetery.
The trial makes depressing reading, there is no mention of any help being offered to Bernard at any time. Those giving evidence appear to have had great knowledge of Bernard's every weakness, his inability at fighting, his lack of understanding, his weakness of character, yet not one person suggested these as a reason for his nervousness. He was also the victim of bullying and it occurred to nobody at the trial that this could have made his nerves worse.
When Bernard spoke at his trial he said the following ' Ever since I joined up, all the men have made fun of me and I did not know what I was doing when I went away. Every time I go into the trenches, they throw stones at me and pretend it is shrapnel and they call me all sorts of names. I have been out here 18 months and have had no leave ' I have no shame in admitting that when I read what Bernard had said that I found myself wiping a tear from my eye.
These are the words of a 28 year old man and again it brings me back to my opinion that he had a form of Autism. He appears different to his fellow men who bully him and convince him he is under attack in the trenches, officers have described how he found it difficult to understand simple orders, and he is described as being a bit thick and stupid. He was not thick or stupid he just saw the world in a different way.
Bernard also had problems with machine gun and shell fire playing with his nerves. Today one of the most commonly reported challenges for people with Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) is hypersensitivity to sound, individuals have been known to cover their ears and flee from situations that might include undesirable sounds. Take this into account along with Bernard's problems with socialising and understanding commands and it does appear that he fits the spectrum.
Back in 1916 he was shown no compassion at his trial. Of course we know a lot more about ASD today than back then, but they clearly knew he was a bit different to the other men. In my own opinion I believe that Bernard had become little more than a nuisance to those around him at war, and that when he came to trail his only use was seen as being an example and deterrent to others through his execution.
Today Bernard's trial would break so many rules that it would be classed as a war crime and murder. But we can not look at today's rules against those of a war torn 1916. It was a different world back then, but in my own opinion I still firmly believe that the trial was unfair and a sham. No man who walks around looking for his regiment before asking another unit directions where to find them is deserting
Bernard McGeehan was clearly never going to thrive as a combat soldier, the Army however missed a great opportunity to use the talent that he shined in. Bernard's talent lay with horses and this was a war that relied on horse power. He could have been an big asset if used in this capacity, his skills would have helped the cause. Both horse and man would have gained from this union and helped each other to ease the nerves during these trying times.
In August 2006 the British Government granted posthumous pardons to 306 men who had been executed during WW1, Bernard McGeehan was among them. The DFA report on his trial and execution makes emotional reading.
The DFA ( Department of Foreign Affairs ) report said: "This would seem to be a man that needed the protection of the upper echelons of the military." It is a "damning indictment" of those who confirmed the death sentence that they did not see a connection between character references describing McGeehan as incapable of understanding orders and his subsequent action in the trenches. "It was well known that he was intellectually incapable of even the most basic of tasks."
One story tells of the cell where Bernard spent his final hours, and how it was later discovered to have the word 'Derry' roughly inscribed on its wall. Though I remain unsure as to how true this is.
Bernard's service records have survived. One document dated 6 November 1920 shows his brother Niel is still living at the family home at 7 Annesley Place, North Strand, Dublin. It also notes that his father had passed away by this date.
Army document showing Bernard in confinement awaiting trial, sentence, date and time
of death.
His medal card notes that he was awarded the Victory Medal, The British Medal and The 1915 Star Medal. It also notes that he was shot for desertion.
Pity me not as I wander alone, seeking only a place for my dreams.
Hold no regrets, stem anger and sorrow.
I am happy now, I am free.
If you shall remember me, for who I was.
Then I remain, I live on.
of death.
His medal card notes that he was awarded the Victory Medal, The British Medal and The 1915 Star Medal. It also notes that he was shot for desertion.
Pity me not as I wander alone, seeking only a place for my dreams.
Hold no regrets, stem anger and sorrow.
I am happy now, I am free.
If you shall remember me, for who I was.
Then I remain, I live on.
Grave of Bernard McGeehan at Poperinghe New Military Cemetery, Belgium.
Moat Street, Derry. Bernard McGeehan lived in this street in his youth.
7 Annesley Place, North Strand, Dublin. Former home of Bernard McGeehan.
The link below takes you to a recording of the song ' BERNARD ' that was wrote and performed in honour of Bernard McGeehan by Tracey McRory.
In 2006 The Playhouse Theatre in Derry put on a production of ' The Worthless Soldier ' written by Sam Starrett. It told the story of Bernard McGeehan, his trial and his final hours before his death. The play proved such a success that it was later performed in Dublin.
