Not only are families losing a member of their own, but they have to live with the stigma of their sons being labelled a coward, such sad stories that you’ve handled with dignity Kevin, may they ALL rest in peace.
@@garethaustin6049 There is no black and white, but the shades of gray. there is also a quote: "Death of a man is a tragedy, deaths of a million - statics". It is not a common judgement of road-crossing where it's not allowed or painting a graffiti, where you are fined, it's a certain doom. Who you are to judge? What gives you right to say about persons you even didn't know? At my work I come across loads of circuits I can't understand for, why so complicated? How on earth one fixes them? But do I need to kill the creator if I don't understand it? No! Bad products and trademarks die themselves. Step aside and think it was you to be trialed and found guilty of crime you never committed
Suicide in the Trenches by Siegfried Sassoon. I knew a simple soldier boy Who grinned at life in empty joy, Slept soundly through the lonesome dark, And whistled early with the lark. In winter trenches, cowed and glum, With crumps and lice and lack of rum, He put a bullet through his brain. No one spoke of him again. You smug-faced crowds with kindling eye Who cheer when soldier lads march by, Sneak home and pray you'll never know The hell where youth and laughter go.
If you actually read about the men who were shot by the British it's more like they committed suicide. The fewest incidents of desertion I remember reading was 4. And that's 4 official instances. Usually it was closer to 8 official and 4 warnings. These guys were given every chance to stop deserting
Executions are never pretty but they help keep the moral of the men up and remind them what happens to deserters. Imagine if they didn't punish them and soldiers just up and left whenever they felt like it, you'd be speaking German now.
What makes your Chanel so Special, when you speak it’s like listening to a Family member or a Teacher. You have a tremendous presence .If i grew up near you i would mow your lawn for free just to hear you talk and educate me
My dear boy I'll say it again, this channel should have millions of subscribers. The amount of effort and passion that you put into this is not lost on me. I sincerely appreciate what you do and for sharing your passion for history with us. What you provide is truly a gift. Greetings from Boston, Massachusetts!
This video made me want to cry . The total insanity of the first world war in general didn't need anymore barbaric killing . The veteran you spoke to who said " how do you think they kept them there " was spot on . War is insane the loss of life , the mental trauma and the grief of family are all such terrible terrible results of this waste of life .
It's a sad case of war but what else can you do? Almost 3 million of the UKs fighting force was conscripts who didn't sign up and were forced into the war, nobody would fight if they didn't have a gun to thier backs , so to speak. They'd just go to a military stockade and wait out the war. These measures kept the moral of the troops up and in fighting spirit. It's just how it is and nobody likes it.
Kevin! I must write to tell you just how much I appreciate your amazing content. My paternal grandfather was involved in the battle of the Somme - as a British sniper. My maternal grandfather as a tank crew-member in Monty's North Africa campaign in WW2. Their entire surviving generation was seriously marked by the dreadful experiences they had gone through. As I grew up around Aldershot, old men sat often alone in the quiet corners of working mens' clubs nursing their beers and staring off into middle distance. Men who had seen too much but stuck through it, probably wondering how the hell they managed. Thankyou so much for the stories of some that suffered at the hands of brutal, unbending military discipline.
The brutality of the ruling officer class during World War One was how they forced soldiers to fight . I remember seeing a tv show called the Monocled Mutineer about true rebellion in the trenches . Very moving . Soldiers trying to maintain their humanity in such inhuman conditions.
am surprised at how much more compelling the content here is than much of media oriented storytelling is today. There is a grit on this channel that is either not allowed or simply overlooked in mainstream reporting
Not sure if you’ll see this Kevin, but I’ve been watching your stuff for the last few weeks, and I have to say Thank you. It’s truly awesome to see so much passion and knowledge together. From one service member to another, Thank you for your service and all you continue to do.
Kevin, I absolutely love your channel; your knowledge and presentation is of the highest quality! This video is heartbreaking but of course highly informative. My paternal grandfather fought in WW1 and survived, but, he suffered horrific shellshock. According to my late father - who was born 10 years after the Great War ended - his father outright refused to ever discuss his experiences of that war. Thanks Kevin for all the hard, dedicated work you put into your channel. And thank-you for your service too.
What a sad, but necessary subject to discuss. Those of us with a passion for history must acknowledge and remember the human side of war. Thank you again Kevin, and congratulations for our rapidly growing History Squad community, well done history is so compelling. I look forward to more lessons in your unique and entertaining style.
I first found your videos from your Henry V arrowhead removal and have since watched everything you produce when I can. This video in particular, I've read about and seen others tackle this topic, but never in the way that you did. Thank you very much for this. It's also good to know, that the British Ministry of Defence have offered pardons to all the soldiers executed.
Hi Kevin , that was truly interesting and very sad too like you said yourself in the video . Me as a Belgian living in the part of Flanders where the Great War raged ,we still remember and honor the fallen of the British commonwealth until this day . It doesn't matter how they were killed i can only imagine how devastating the grief have must been for their wives , parents , children ,brothers and sisters . God bless them.
ThanksNate & you're welcome. It's very important to us, and while the subscriber numbers are still manageable we'll continue to respond where we can. 👍🏻
Because they’re not proper soldiers, kid wear the uniform. As said they were the “ruling class” of the time. There’s various stories of officers being shot or killed by their own men.
I always found deeply upsetting and disturbing that many of those executed for cowardice etc, may well have been suffering from what we would now call PTSD, at least things have moved on from those dark days, RIP to all who fallen in times of war, regardless of the cause, peace🙏
Fortunately for the second period of unpleasantness with the Germans the Army had a better process for dealing with such casualties of war. The report on dealing with Shell Shock was published in 1922.
What a brilliant video. Poor lads were shot needlessly. The conditions were so horrific that it was used as a deterrent and an example, in other words fear. I agree with the presenter “Good on Australia!”
The Australian Imperial Force was the only Commonwealth Army not to have Capital Punishment. This was because of unjust executions Lieutenant Harold Harbord Morant and Lieutenant Peter Joseph Handcock of the Bushveldt Carbineers. To this day, no Australian service member can be tried by an allied nation.
My grandfather was in WWI. My dad in WWII. My grandfather died before I was born. He was an Army cook. Thank you for sharing the stories of these young men and for reminding us that war is never easy and results in needless suffering.
You know I learn much more from this man than history classes in school because he actually tells me these stories with his voice. I hate having to read this stuff on paper and annotate words because I never remember that way. Thanks for the way you tell it, sir
When reading my grandfathers military records was surprised to find out he went AWOL in the WW2, he went out drinking. He was lucky he was an Aussie He got 7 days hard labour.❤🇭🇲❤
Even though it’s a particularly grim topic when I saw the title to this vid, I instantly thought of the Black Adder scene where Black Adder meets his own firing squad - amazing video as usual Kev keep em comin!
Wow! My wife’s granddad was a WW 1 vet. Four of her mom‘s brothers were world war two vats and two and Pacific war as well. One was in the battle of the bulge. He never was the same after that drank heavily would disappear for days the Eastman chemical company he worked for took care of him and never fired him. I’m not sure exactly what he went through that put him over the edge Ive heard two or three stories but the one I think most likely was he hid underneath dead buddies in a foxhole for quite some time ! Thank you for another great story
Nicely made, the hard truth where people were used to set an example and to scare the rest... in a way like.... it can happen to you too... I started with it in the distant past photographing all the VCs... At one point I read about the Shot at Dawns and most of their stories made me so sad that I started looking for and photographing them too, especially because they should not be forgotten. They lost their lives but their families had to live with the shame, in both cases unjustly. I have an enormous respect for Albert INGHAM's father for he dared to put the truth on his son's headstone. I was very moved when I stood in front of his grave.
Kevin, you do a great thing by telling these stories. Being 20 now, I feel sickened to think that boys 4 years my younger were executed by the British army for minor or non-existent crimes. This was not so long ago as many now believe. Such a horrific and tragic situation - something I think you relayed excellently. I truly love your content and look forward to much more. Thank you.
Another excellent vid, Kevin. The accusation that they were "lions led by donkeys" isn't often heard today but these donkeys have a lot to answer for even now. Men selected for the firing squad were often too full of rum to make a clean job of the shot and mutiny must have been on many minds at the time. My grandfather made it through to the end, hence I'm here. Keep up the good work!
I'm a member of a group called The Forgotten Remembered that researches and remembers the soldiers that were shot at dawn. Thank you for covering this subject.
@@thehistorysquad I've been making videos for the group UA-cam channel on the soldiers over the last couple of years, I thought I had covered some of the soldiers you mentioned but it appears not, so I will make these the subjects of the next few videos.
Hi Kevin, Recently started getting recommendations for your channel by the UA-cam algorithm and decided to check this one out. Let me say you have earned yourself a big fan today. This is history that is rarely talked about in schools or in popular literature and the depth of your research on this one particular topic is fascinating. The way you handle this subject matter both through the lens of personal experience and objectively as a historian is impressive. I am excited to check out your back catalogue of videos. Cheers
This is a hard one to watch. You feel so much sorrow at those who lost their lives, yet the stories of those poor souls being shot for being a coward is too much to bear. A lot of these men suffering from what we would now call PTSD their war records spoke volumes for them. Countless had carried out their DUTY with bravery, until finally they snapped. There’s only so much a human body can take. I can’t imagine anyone came back after witnessing the horrors of war as the same person that went. It’s heartbreaking.
Such painful stories. Thank you Kevin, as always, for such great videos. Executing those young men just to set an example, absolutely heart wrenching. I shed a tear for those young men. We must remember to keep peace and love in our hearts, for without peace and love what else do we have?
Very interesting and very upsetting in how this was carried out with no proper procedure. As you were narrating, I kept seeing "Paths of Glory" in my mind. Thank you.
thank you sir for making this vide, i am from india and a lot of indian soldiers fought and died in the great war, i have always been interested reading about this war. I came to know about these 'shot at dawn' cases 2 years ago and it was really heartbreaking... may their souls rest in peace and thanks again for making this video, just subscribed to you, cheers :)
Another excellent presentation! I read "Shot at Dawn" and the final scene of "Breaker Morant" still brings me to tears... Thank you again for such great work! Cheers from an American veteran.
The one thing that most molded my opinion about the whole thing was an interview with a WWI soldier that I saw about 20 or so years ago (though the interview was from the 60s, I think). The program was about men who'd been shot at dawn for cowardice, but I remember them focusing a lot on men who'd been shell shocked (i.e. severe PTSD) and had then been shot for cowardice. And the veteran who was talking about his experience, the phrase he said that sticks in my mind to this day was, "...they were no more coward than me." And he said it with a catch in his throat.
Greetings once again from nova Scotia, I hesitate to say that I liked this video, I would be afraid of the one who did. This was an awesome, most unsettling subject matter to listen to, but absolutely needed to be examined. Thank you for the hard work, and more so, the time. As always best regards, Arthur
Such sad stories, well done for honouring the lads so well by telling them. Thank you..this history means a lot to me lol even though I’m only 35, I’ve always been fascinated by medieval and wartime events since childhood..epic channel 😊
"Kevin, at the end of the day, how do you think they kept us in those trenches?" actual chills down my spine, I guess I'd never thought of it like that.
Loving the wwI stories Kevin and Julie. I had great difficulty with finding the death of one great uncle at the Somme. 7 brothers left Birmingham (Deritend) one was my Grandad..5 came home,. one gt uncle had a gravestone, but no info on the one who went missing. I saw you also had a great G with no record. In the end I researched where his regiment was everyday up to the day of death. The regimental diary details. In this way I found what battle, what area, reason for the battle (bridge) which may be the reason he was killed that day which gave some closure and a remembrance passage to write in my grandchildren's family history book. I cannot imagine my Gt Gran saying goodbye to all 7 sons. I hope you find some info for your family member. I would be happy to do some research for you if it would help.
Hey, thanks Vincent, so you were from 'dirty-end' as we Nechells boys would call it. Such a poignant comment, these stories are like historical liquid gold in my hands. The price that Birmingham paid both in the first and second world wars is incredible. My GGF was Rifle Brigade, 8th Btn, and he was killed around about 26th Aug 1918 upon the Arras front, and that's all I know.....except for the cost to my family. 👍🏻
"Shot at dawn. A worthy son of his father." That caused me to tear up. Thank you for this presentation Kevin, it's excellent as always. Perhaps one of the best films ever made is Kubrick's Paths of Glory, which, while a work of fiction, I believe illustrates the absolute unfairness of these kangaroo courts that are military courts martial, and especially these ad hoc war time trials. I hyptohesize that some of the characters are closely based off of some of the stories you told in this video. Also Kevin, have you ever heard of/thought about collaborating with another Canadian youtube channel called "britishmuzzleloaders?" I believe you would enjoy the content he produces and you two would be excellent in collaboration. On a personal note, not to make things about me but to relate some of this to my own, narrow experience with military justice... Jesus Christ I couldn't imagine being put to a life-or-death trial by my *Battalion* after the absolute clown show that was my non-judicial punishment. That power dynamic you described between the officers and junior enlisted in an environment like that still very much so exists. It is absolutely farcical to believe that a 19 year-old high school-educated Lance Corporal (me) would be able to represent himself in front of and reason with career officers and staff NCOs who have much more intimate knowledge of the UCMJ and who want nothing else than to be somewhere else. No matter how moving my statment might be or how well-reasoned my arguments were they would give me the maximum punishment, because that is just how the Marine Corps works. I simply refused my right to speak and plead guilty. Maximum punishment received. Aye, sir. Good afternoon, Gentlemen. I wear it as a badge of pride, really. That unit was a total clown show before I got there, after I left, and seemingly right up to the end as in 2021 it became the most recent and only USMC infantry battalion to be stood down since the "Walking Dead" in 2014. Every junior enlistedman in the Marine Corps tries to claim their unit is the worst as a way of appearing "hard," or because the grass is always greener, but our Battalion was actually the worst. Morale was so bad, the Marine Corps began giving the BN a bunch of new toys to test out, because that's seen as an easy way to improve a units morale by HQMC. Our unit got the new DMRs based on the M27/HK416, an entire Infantry Company outfitted with suppressed M27s, we were the first unit to get the new Humvee replacement, the JLTV. No matter how hard they tried to bribe us with new gear or how many times the Commandant of the Marine Corps came to visit and speak to us, our unit continued to have major problems. One of the worst things that can happen to a unit is to be singled out in the press for a scandal and it seemed our unit got caught in a scandal by the Marine Corps Times at least twice per year. Off the top of my head I can recall articles about our previous BC getting sacked, rampant hazing cases, a PFC getting shot/killed in training, an LSD drug ring, our new BC and SgtMaj embellishing funds from a posthumous Silver Star recipient's family and a Marine stabbing his wife to death. And this is a peace time, all-volunteer military in the modern day. The poor leadership, absolute lack of morale, and imprecise nature of military justice only compounds when there is a war of annihilation being fought by armies of conscripts several times in size. For me, it is very easy to see how ordinary men could be killed by their officers under the circumstances the men of the First War were under.
I feel your pain, because sometimes you feel helpless by those above you, many of whom have only pushed a pen, never a bayonet. 👍🏻 Just a very quick one....I used to get on pretty well with officers right up until I was decorated by the Queen for an operation I'd done. When I found that my officer commanding suddenly turned against me and I was informed simply that because I outranked him in the medal stakes he was jealous and in his upper-class way he always tried to put me down, but I was time served so I left.
The way you say it is haunting honestly. "Take aim. Fire" Imagine these are the last words you ever hear. And these guys are so young too, I'm only 25 and to think of an 18 year old being put into that position *on either side* is crazy. Edit: I only just made it to the end, and as an Australian it made me so proud to hear we didn't allow our men to be executed. Always look after your mates.
This is both fascinating and heart breaking in equal measure. I can't imagine how it would feel to have to take the life of another person in such circumstances. Thank you for this education, its so important we remember the past.
It's so sad that these young men lost their lives and it just shows how callous those in power can be! Thank you for what you are doing to restore honor to these warriors who were wrongfully executed! God bless you
Ouch, subbed. My nephew is 16, that last story hit me hard, the other two screwed to high hell as well, but his age, and the promise the enlisting officer made me sick. There is a world of difference between a soldier and a high school age child, and look if that sounds confusing because they are only separated by a couple of years... Such is the difference between being an actual baby and a young child.
RIP to all civilians who die in stupid wars. Bless the ones who only pick up a weapon when their town or family is attacked. Military is for losers and criminals. A million peacefull jobs. Go boxing in the gym, when you want to fight. That's how real men do it.
Boxing is literally training for combat. All “sport” martial arts are training for a life and death fight. Hell, virtually everything except the performance art “sports” during the Olympics are training for combat. I’ve heard some really dumb things but that takes the cake.
@@soonerfrac4611 Yes. NBA is about life and death and Lebron will absolutely be a great tank diver and be the best US pilot in the next war you start. Maybe you Google the olympic thought. Many Americans in general are poorly educated.
@@soonerfrac4611 your comment is literally the dumbest fucking thing I’ve read all day. Boxing is not training to for combat and neither are the majority of sports. What the hell are you talking about?
Your way of presenting history makes it accessible, fascinating, and touching. I appreciate the humanity you bring to the subjects you cover. Your enthusiasm comes across very clearly, and yet you hold a reverence to the difficult subject matter. Keep up the great work!
Thanks for relating this rather disgraceful episode in our history. My wife and I visited the NMA a couple of years back and found this particular memorial extremely moving. Back at the reception I bought a book on this subject to learn more about this subject and was surprised to learn that the death sentence was a bit of a lottery. As you said it was usually to make an example, sometimes if it was felt a particular regiment was suffering from a lack of discipline then out would pop a death sentence. But what was particularly shocking to me was when in the final hours before sentence was carried out and the Padre was sent to be with the victim to give spiritual guidance, more often than not the Padre was entirely lacking in sympathy. These so called Christians were actually of the opinion that the condemned actually deserved their fate. Shocking.
It's awful isn't it. In my experience in the British Army you would rarely get a Padre who could talk at the level of the common soldier. Many I came into contact with were quite aloof, however occasionally you would find one that was very good.
Just 4 years after the war a report of the treatment of soldiers with shell shock was published meaning that ever since then such casualties of war have been treated more humanely. One such casualty from WW2 was Spike Milligan who wrote some of the best Goon Shows whilst suffering from bouts of manic depression.
Your history pieces are excellent. I enjoy the way you present all of them. This is a sad topic from a different era. It seems a lot of these poor soldiers were used to keep the men in the trenches. I wonder whether Australia stopped executing men because we were not happy when this happened to our troops in the Boer War? I recently noted my grandfather lost pay for insubordination when serving in Australian army in France in WW1 .
Kevin, your research is fantastic. Please keep doing it. My great uncle is listed on the tablets of the missing on the Somme memorial. Cpl Robert Frederick.
Thank you Kevin. The Great War has been of particular interest to me for many years, and this video brought me to tears! I'm wondering if any of the men in the firing squad ever spoke about what they had to do to their loved ones. I'm guessing many would've taken it to their graves. It's heart breaking to me, that, given the current situation in the world, the human race has learnt nothing in the past 100+ years, and the ruling classes still send others to die in their behalf. Thanks for all of your other videos too, so so interesting 😁
Kevin, thank you for getting into the gritty history that many mainstream outlets do not like to cover. There truly is no better way to understand the atrocities committed during the First World War - and I never expected that they would be against their own men. In your personal (and professional) opinion, do you think a larger number of soldiers would have deserted the battlefields had there not been a penalty of execution?
Hmmm 🤔. I think a larger number actually did, given that only 10% of those found guilty had the sentence of death carried out. Given the rest of our colonial forces, I feel the British were particularly severe.
Excellent as usual! From a newly subscribed member of your channel. Your superior, brilliant expertise and presentation of History is second to none! Thank You! From the Rocky Mountain Region, United States of America
Wow, as the mother of two sons, coming from a long line of U.S. veterans on both sides of my family, the dignity and solemnity you delivered this with, just heartbreaking.
If my History teachers taught with this much enthusiasm and charisma I'd have made straight A's in every History class...instead of the miserable grades I received!
Not only are families losing a member of their own, but they have to live with the stigma of their sons being labelled a coward, such sad stories that you’ve handled with dignity Kevin, may they ALL rest in peace.
Koo
Ddrr4rrrrlorroo Ddrr4rrrrlorroo
a lot of the soldiers executed were put down as killed in action,, the usual gov bs!!
These people were not all good people a lot did deserved the bullet or the noose.
@@garethaustin6049 There is no black and white, but the shades of gray. there is also a quote: "Death of a man is a tragedy, deaths of a million - statics". It is not a common judgement of road-crossing where it's not allowed or painting a graffiti, where you are fined, it's a certain doom. Who you are to judge? What gives you right to say about persons you even didn't know? At my work I come across loads of circuits I can't understand for, why so complicated? How on earth one fixes them? But do I need to kill the creator if I don't understand it? No! Bad products and trademarks die themselves.
Step aside and think it was you to be trialed and found guilty of crime you never committed
Suicide in the Trenches by Siegfried Sassoon.
I knew a simple soldier boy
Who grinned at life in empty joy,
Slept soundly through the lonesome dark,
And whistled early with the lark.
In winter trenches, cowed and glum,
With crumps and lice and lack of rum,
He put a bullet through his brain.
No one spoke of him again.
You smug-faced crowds with kindling eye
Who cheer when soldier lads march by,
Sneak home and pray you'll never know
The hell where youth and laughter go.
That's a hard truth right there
right on.
That was deep
@@ricardoabreu4997 Very much so indeed!
Awesome
Each headstone, should have the inscription "Enlisted by duty, betrayed by nation"
If you actually read about the men who were shot by the British it's more like they committed suicide. The fewest incidents of desertion I remember reading was 4. And that's 4 official instances. Usually it was closer to 8 official and 4 warnings. These guys were given every chance to stop deserting
Executions are never pretty but they help keep the moral of the men up and remind them what happens to deserters.
Imagine if they didn't punish them and soldiers just up and left whenever they felt like it, you'd be speaking German now.
@@BoleDaPole How exactly does killing your own brothers in arms keep moral up?
What makes your Chanel so Special, when you speak it’s like listening to a Family member or a Teacher. You have a tremendous presence .If i grew up near you i would mow your lawn for free just to hear you talk and educate me
Haha, how lovely, thanks Sam.
"That's against the fundamentals of our laws..." thank you for that, and God bless you, sir.
My dear boy I'll say it again, this channel should have millions of subscribers. The amount of effort and passion that you put into this is not lost on me. I sincerely appreciate what you do and for sharing your passion for history with us. What you provide is truly a gift. Greetings from Boston, Massachusetts!
How lovely of you thank you.
This video made me want to cry . The total insanity of the first world war in general didn't need anymore barbaric killing . The veteran you spoke to who said " how do you think they kept them there " was spot on . War is insane the loss of life , the mental trauma and the grief of family are all such terrible terrible results of this waste of life .
It's a sad case of war but what else can you do? Almost 3 million of the UKs fighting force was conscripts who didn't sign up and were forced into the war, nobody would fight if they didn't have a gun to thier backs , so to speak. They'd just go to a military stockade and wait out the war.
These measures kept the moral of the troops up and in fighting spirit. It's just how it is and nobody likes it.
I appreciate the humility exhibited in Kevin's retelling of British history. Sad as it is, it should be recognized.
Kevin! I must write to tell you just how much I appreciate your amazing content. My paternal grandfather was involved in the battle of the Somme - as a British sniper. My maternal grandfather as a tank crew-member in Monty's North Africa campaign in WW2. Their entire surviving generation was seriously marked by the dreadful experiences they had gone through. As I grew up around Aldershot, old men sat often alone in the quiet corners of working mens' clubs nursing their beers and staring off into middle distance. Men who had seen too much but stuck through it, probably wondering how the hell they managed. Thankyou so much for the stories of some that suffered at the hands of brutal, unbending military discipline.
You're most welcome Mark, I really appreciate your comment 👍
The brutality of the ruling officer class during World War One was how they forced soldiers to fight . I remember seeing a tv show called the Monocled Mutineer about true rebellion in the trenches .
Very moving . Soldiers trying to maintain their humanity in such inhuman conditions.
Paul McGann?
Yes, I remember that, based on a true story - very moving.
I recall that film as well.
The Monacled Mutineer was fiction base loosely on fact, it is a bit like thinking Medieval Britain is like Mel Gibson's Braveheart.
@@slightlyconfused876 Percy Toplis ?
am surprised at how much more compelling the content here is than much of media oriented storytelling is today. There is a grit on this channel that is either not allowed or simply overlooked in mainstream reporting
Wow, that's really kind of you to say so and much appreciated. 👍🏻
Yes I love Kevin's way of telling the story too, he doesn't pull punches but shows great empathy
I remember that several were shot for nothing more than being injured and unable to fight. Its a sad reflection on the brutality of war. Thank you.
Not sure if you’ll see this Kevin, but I’ve been watching your stuff for the last few weeks, and I have to say Thank you. It’s truly awesome to see so much passion and knowledge together. From one service member to another, Thank you for your service and all you continue to do.
I appreciate that mate, thank you 👍🏻
Yet another great video, Kevin. Very moving stories, and really makes you realise how mad some of the stuff that went on in WW1 really was.
Cheers Craig, I'm glad you found this one interesting.
I was a military policeman in the US Army and historically we were the one’s charged with execution of our fellow servicemen.
It really hasn't changed all that much mind!
Kevin, I absolutely love your channel; your knowledge and presentation is of the highest quality! This video is heartbreaking but of course highly informative. My paternal grandfather fought in WW1 and survived, but, he suffered horrific shellshock. According to my late father - who was born 10 years after the Great War ended - his father outright refused to ever discuss his experiences of that war.
Thanks Kevin for all the hard, dedicated work you put into your channel. And thank-you for your service too.
How lovely Andy, thank you for your kind comment & recollections of your family's experiences.
As my father - a veteran of the Vietnam War - once told me, "Dying is easy. It's living that's hard."
What a sad, but necessary subject to discuss. Those of us with a passion for history must acknowledge and remember the human side of war. Thank you again Kevin, and congratulations for our rapidly growing History Squad community, well done history is so compelling. I look forward to more lessons in your unique and entertaining style.
How lovely, thanks Kitty, there'll be lots more to come 👍🏻
your own humanity shines through this presentation- well done
I first found your videos from your Henry V arrowhead removal and have since watched everything you produce when I can. This video in particular, I've read about and seen others tackle this topic, but never in the way that you did. Thank you very much for this. It's also good to know, that the British Ministry of Defence have offered pardons to all the soldiers executed.
Thank you Kevin someone has to tell it like it is, as heartbreaking as it is.
Thank you for making this video, Mr.
Hicks. Our boys wont be forgotten.
Eye opening. This practice should be reconsidered.
Hi Kevin , that was truly interesting and very sad too like you said yourself in the video . Me as a Belgian living in the part of Flanders where the Great War raged ,we still remember and honor the fallen of the British commonwealth until this day . It doesn't matter how they were killed i can only imagine how devastating the grief have must been for their wives , parents , children ,brothers and sisters . God bless them.
Thanks for that. At least three of my ancestors are buried near Poperinghe.
What sad events! But very sympathetically told. Thank you Kevin.
The sad thing is, PTSD wasn’t entirely understood back then.
Wow very interesting .. very sad for those 300 plus soldiers.
My surname is crozier too hence I’d came across this channel thank you for sharing
Quickly becoming one of my favorite history channels. Thanks for taking the time to read and respond to our questions and comments.
ThanksNate & you're welcome. It's very important to us, and while the subscriber numbers are still manageable we'll continue to respond where we can. 👍🏻
I always found it very strange that no officers were prosecuted and shot.
Because they’re not proper soldiers, kid wear the uniform. As said they were the “ruling class” of the time. There’s various stories of officers being shot or killed by their own men.
@@streetwisehercules9956 they called it fragging in my dad's day in the 60s he told me stories it happened in the war on terror too
There was one belonging to the r n d on the somme
Proportionally more officers died in the British army than enlisted ranks
I always found deeply upsetting and disturbing that many of those executed for cowardice etc, may well have been suffering from what we would now call PTSD, at least things have moved on from those dark days, RIP to all who fallen in times of war, regardless of the cause, peace🙏
Fortunately for the second period of unpleasantness with the Germans the Army had a better process for dealing with such casualties of war. The report on dealing with Shell Shock was published in 1922.
And they shot them wen they had flu aswell 😔
,..
@@neiloflongbeck5705 I bn o
Maby they just did not want to kill someone !
What a brilliant video. Poor lads were shot needlessly. The conditions were so horrific that it was used as a deterrent and an example, in other words fear. I agree with the presenter “Good on Australia!”
The Australian Imperial Force was the only Commonwealth Army not to have Capital Punishment.
This was because of unjust executions Lieutenant Harold Harbord Morant and Lieutenant Peter Joseph Handcock of the Bushveldt Carbineers.
To this day, no Australian service member can be tried by an allied nation.
It did have capital punishment but this had to be approved at government level.
My grandfather was in WWI. My dad in WWII. My grandfather died before I was born. He was an Army cook.
Thank you for sharing the stories of these young men and for reminding us that war is never easy and results in needless suffering.
You know I learn much more from this man than history classes in school because he actually tells me these stories with his voice. I hate having to read this stuff on paper and annotate words because I never remember that way. Thanks for the way you tell it, sir
Thanks Zachary I appreciate that. We all have different learning styles and I'm so glad you find this one engaging. 👍🏻
@@thehistorysquad Haha awesome you replied! Keep doing what you do, love it
thanks Kev, another eye opener to the reality of war.
Sad and unjust. Thanks for watching 👍🏻
This guy Kevin is such a charismatic storyteller. He has earned my subscription
Hey, thanks JD, your sub is really appreciated 👍🏻
When reading my grandfathers military records was surprised to find out he went AWOL in the WW2, he went out drinking. He was lucky he was an Aussie He got 7 days hard labour.❤🇭🇲❤
Even though it’s a particularly grim topic when I saw the title to this vid, I instantly thought of the Black Adder scene where Black Adder meets his own firing squad - amazing video as usual Kev keep em comin!
Thanks, will do 👍🏻
Wow! My wife’s granddad was a WW 1 vet. Four of her mom‘s brothers were world war two vats and two and Pacific war as well. One was in the battle of the bulge. He never was the same after that drank heavily would disappear for days the Eastman chemical company he worked for took care of him and never fired him. I’m not sure exactly what he went through that put him over the edge Ive heard two or three stories but the one I think most likely was he hid underneath dead buddies in a foxhole for quite some time ! Thank you for another great story
Thanks for watching 👍
Nicely made, the hard truth where people were used to set an example and to scare the rest... in a way like.... it can happen to you too... I started with it in the distant past photographing all the VCs... At one point I read about the Shot at Dawns and most of their stories made me so sad that I started looking for and photographing them too, especially because they should not be forgotten. They lost their lives but their families had to live with the shame, in both cases unjustly. I have an enormous respect for Albert INGHAM's father for he dared to put the truth on his son's headstone. I was very moved when I stood in front of his grave.
Thank you Geerhard, for your comment and your beautiful and poignant images. 👍🏻
Thank you for sharing sir. Cheers from across the pond.
Kevin, you do a great thing by telling these stories. Being 20 now, I feel sickened to think that boys 4 years my younger were executed by the British army for minor or non-existent crimes. This was not so long ago as many now believe. Such a horrific and tragic situation - something I think you relayed excellently. I truly love your content and look forward to much more. Thank you.
Hi Ronan, I'm glad you enjoyed this, it was a hard one for me to shoot. 👍🏻
It's a sad topic, and one that pisses me off as it breaks my heart. However its something that we should never forget, nor allow to be forgotten.
This and the King Henry V arrow extraction earned my sub. Well done, sir.
Thanks Jacob, welcome aboard 👍🏻
Thanks for that information presentation very well done what that ex soldier told you spoke volumes. Brought tears to my eyes
Brilliant as always!! Love that you dress up for your videos, and thank you for your service!
Love from the Lincs
Thank you! I've yet to be a Roman 😉
That is just heart wrenching. They weren’t men they were children.
Another excellent vid, Kevin. The accusation that they were "lions led by donkeys" isn't often heard today but these donkeys have a lot to answer for even now. Men selected for the firing squad were often too full of rum to make a clean job of the shot and mutiny must have been on many minds at the time. My grandfather made it through to the end, hence I'm here. Keep up the good work!
Thanks for the comment Bryan. My great grandfather was killed in WW1, 3 months after his daughter (my grandmother) was born.
I'm a member of a group called The Forgotten Remembered that researches and remembers the soldiers that were shot at dawn. Thank you for covering this subject.
My pleasure Sam
@@thehistorysquad I've been making videos for the group UA-cam channel on the soldiers over the last couple of years, I thought I had covered some of the soldiers you mentioned but it appears not, so I will make these the subjects of the next few videos.
@@sameyers2670 How lovely, good on you Sam, they all deserve to be remembered.
@@thehistorysquad Thank you, I agree they all deserve to be remembered.
Hi Kevin,
Recently started getting recommendations for your channel by the UA-cam algorithm and decided to check this one out. Let me say you have earned yourself a big fan today. This is history that is rarely talked about in schools or in popular literature and the depth of your research on this one particular topic is fascinating. The way you handle this subject matter both through the lens of personal experience and objectively as a historian is impressive. I am excited to check out your back catalogue of videos. Cheers
Hi Sean, thank you & welcome aboard. I hope you continue to enjoy my videos as there are plenty more to come. 👍🏻
I love your story-telling ability. So much better than most of the other media today.
Wow, that's really kind, thank you. 👍🏻
This is a hard one to watch. You feel so much sorrow at those who lost their lives, yet the stories of those poor souls being shot for being a coward is too much to bear. A lot of these men suffering from what we would now call PTSD their war records spoke volumes for them. Countless had carried out their DUTY with bravery, until finally they snapped. There’s only so much a human body can take. I can’t imagine anyone came back after witnessing the horrors of war as the same person that went. It’s heartbreaking.
This is actually scary but also heartbraking stuff. Done very realistic through your way of storytelling. Thanks.
Such painful stories. Thank you Kevin, as always, for such great videos. Executing those young men just to set an example, absolutely heart wrenching. I shed a tear for those young men. We must remember to keep peace and love in our hearts, for without peace and love what else do we have?
Thank you. I am 71 years old. I served six years. I am interested in this topic. You did a spot on job.
Thanks for watching Luis 👍🏻
Very interesting and very upsetting in how this was carried out with no proper procedure. As you were narrating, I kept seeing "Paths of Glory" in my mind. Thank you.
Thanks for the story. These people deserve to be remembered.
I love your story telling abilities
Thank you very much 👍🏻
thank you sir for making this vide, i am from india and a lot of indian soldiers fought and died in the great war, i have always been interested reading about this war. I came to know about these 'shot at dawn' cases 2 years ago and it was really heartbreaking... may their souls rest in peace and thanks again for making this video, just subscribed to you, cheers :)
Hi Souvik, you're most welcome. I plan to cover Indian soldiers in WW1 at some point, so stay tuned 👍🏻
@@thehistorysquad wow thats great, cant wait :), thanks for replying
this channel is a hidden gem. love your work, kevin. you're a good actor, too.
Cheers 👍🏻
Facts that I never knew , superb
Another excellent presentation! I read "Shot at Dawn" and the final scene of "Breaker Morant" still brings me to tears... Thank you again for such great work! Cheers from an American veteran.
You're welcome, thanks buddy 👍🏻
Sad subject, but a wonderful way to maintain the memories of those effected. Also an important history lesson.
The one thing that most molded my opinion about the whole thing was an interview with a WWI soldier that I saw about 20 or so years ago (though the interview was from the 60s, I think).
The program was about men who'd been shot at dawn for cowardice, but I remember them focusing a lot on men who'd been shell shocked (i.e. severe PTSD) and had then been shot for cowardice. And the veteran who was talking about his experience, the phrase he said that sticks in my mind to this day was, "...they were no more coward than me." And he said it with a catch in his throat.
I've seen that interview, a terrible feeling to be so scared. This was a tough topic to shoot, thanks for watching. 👍🏻
Some men, in defiance of the verdict of cowardice, demanded to face the firing squad without a blindfold. What a powerful image!
Greetings once again from nova Scotia, I hesitate to say that I liked this video, I would be afraid of the one who did. This was an awesome, most unsettling subject matter to listen to, but absolutely needed to be examined. Thank you for the hard work, and more so, the time. As always best regards, Arthur
Thank you very much! This was a really tough one for me to shoot, as I said it's a subject very close to my heart. Best regards, Kevin
Such sad stories, well done for honouring the lads so well by telling them. Thank you..this history means a lot to me lol even though I’m only 35, I’ve always been fascinated by medieval and wartime events since childhood..epic channel 😊
Thanks James 👍
"Kevin, at the end of the day, how do you think they kept us in those trenches?"
actual chills down my spine, I guess I'd never thought of it like that.
Kinda one of those things of life: if your gun isnt pointed at someone, someone's gun is pointed at you. Even if its a friend.
Good afternoon, Kevin. I attend the Regimental pilgrimage at the NMA every year. I have found a great place to stay at a pub in Rugeley
Loving the wwI stories Kevin and Julie. I had great difficulty with finding the death of one great uncle at the Somme. 7 brothers left Birmingham (Deritend) one was my Grandad..5 came home,. one gt uncle had a gravestone, but no info on the one who went missing. I saw you also had a great G with no record. In the end I researched where his regiment was everyday up to the day of death. The regimental diary details. In this way I found what battle, what area, reason for the battle (bridge) which may be the reason he was killed that day which gave some closure and a remembrance passage to write in my grandchildren's family history book. I cannot imagine my Gt Gran saying goodbye to all 7 sons. I hope you find some info for your family member. I would be happy to do some research for you if it would help.
Hey, thanks Vincent, so you were from 'dirty-end' as we Nechells boys would call it. Such a poignant comment, these stories are like historical liquid gold in my hands. The price that Birmingham paid both in the first and second world wars is incredible. My GGF was Rifle Brigade, 8th Btn, and he was killed around about 26th Aug 1918 upon the Arras front, and that's all I know.....except for the cost to my family.
👍🏻
Thank for the way you covered such a serious subject with such humanity.
"Shot at dawn. A worthy son of his father."
That caused me to tear up. Thank you for this presentation Kevin, it's excellent as always.
Perhaps one of the best films ever made is Kubrick's Paths of Glory, which, while a work of fiction, I believe illustrates the absolute unfairness of these kangaroo courts that are military courts martial, and especially these ad hoc war time trials. I hyptohesize that some of the characters are closely based off of some of the stories you told in this video.
Also Kevin, have you ever heard of/thought about collaborating with another Canadian youtube channel called "britishmuzzleloaders?" I believe you would enjoy the content he produces and you two would be excellent in collaboration.
On a personal note, not to make things about me but to relate some of this to my own, narrow experience with military justice... Jesus Christ I couldn't imagine being put to a life-or-death trial by my *Battalion* after the absolute clown show that was my non-judicial punishment. That power dynamic you described between the officers and junior enlisted in an environment like that still very much so exists. It is absolutely farcical to believe that a 19 year-old high school-educated Lance Corporal (me) would be able to represent himself in front of and reason with career officers and staff NCOs who have much more intimate knowledge of the UCMJ and who want nothing else than to be somewhere else. No matter how moving my statment might be or how well-reasoned my arguments were they would give me the maximum punishment, because that is just how the Marine Corps works. I simply refused my right to speak and plead guilty. Maximum punishment received. Aye, sir. Good afternoon, Gentlemen.
I wear it as a badge of pride, really. That unit was a total clown show before I got there, after I left, and seemingly right up to the end as in 2021 it became the most recent and only USMC infantry battalion to be stood down since the "Walking Dead" in 2014. Every junior enlistedman in the Marine Corps tries to claim their unit is the worst as a way of appearing "hard," or because the grass is always greener, but our Battalion was actually the worst. Morale was so bad, the Marine Corps began giving the BN a bunch of new toys to test out, because that's seen as an easy way to improve a units morale by HQMC. Our unit got the new DMRs based on the M27/HK416, an entire Infantry Company outfitted with suppressed M27s, we were the first unit to get the new Humvee replacement, the JLTV.
No matter how hard they tried to bribe us with new gear or how many times the Commandant of the Marine Corps came to visit and speak to us, our unit continued to have major problems. One of the worst things that can happen to a unit is to be singled out in the press for a scandal and it seemed our unit got caught in a scandal by the Marine Corps Times at least twice per year. Off the top of my head I can recall articles about our previous BC getting sacked, rampant hazing cases, a PFC getting shot/killed in training, an LSD drug ring, our new BC and SgtMaj embellishing funds from a posthumous Silver Star recipient's family and a Marine stabbing his wife to death.
And this is a peace time, all-volunteer military in the modern day. The poor leadership, absolute lack of morale, and imprecise nature of military justice only compounds when there is a war of annihilation being fought by armies of conscripts several times in size. For me, it is very easy to see how ordinary men could be killed by their officers under the circumstances the men of the First War were under.
what a stinging report
I feel your pain, because sometimes you feel helpless by those above you, many of whom have only pushed a pen, never a bayonet. 👍🏻
Just a very quick one....I used to get on pretty well with officers right up until I was decorated by the Queen for an operation I'd done. When I found that my officer commanding suddenly turned against me and I was informed simply that because I outranked him in the medal stakes he was jealous and in his upper-class way he always tried to put me down, but I was time served so I left.
@@thehistorysquad Such is life. I still find myself waxing nostalgic about it.
Fortune Favors the Strong! 3/8!
@@jamiestewart48 America's finest!
Very interesting and tragic stories.
Great video as always Kevin!
Cheers buddy 👍🏻
Wonderful video!
The way you say it is haunting honestly. "Take aim. Fire"
Imagine these are the last words you ever hear. And these guys are so young too, I'm only 25 and to think of an 18 year old being put into that position *on either side* is crazy.
Edit: I only just made it to the end, and as an Australian it made me so proud to hear we didn't allow our men to be executed. Always look after your mates.
Thanks for watching 👍🏻. Some of my ancestors were the first convict settlers in Australia, I still have family there.
This is both fascinating and heart breaking in equal measure. I can't imagine how it would feel to have to take the life of another person in such circumstances. Thank you for this education, its so important we remember the past.
The officers involved should have all their honours striped. Their graves should state that they are common murders.
You’re an incredible storyteller…mesmerizing.
It's so sad that these young men lost their lives and it just shows how callous those in power can be! Thank you for what you are doing to restore honor to these warriors who were wrongfully executed! God bless you
Ouch, subbed. My nephew is 16, that last story hit me hard, the other two screwed to high hell as well, but his age, and the promise the enlisting officer made me sick. There is a world of difference between a soldier and a high school age child, and look if that sounds confusing because they are only separated by a couple of years... Such is the difference between being an actual baby and a young child.
Thanks for watching and for your sub. It's a tough topic but one that needs to be remembered and learned 👍🏻
all of these were utterly heartbreaking.
Excellent 👌
You’re an amazing historian. Thank you for your time and energy on these subjects. Rip to British, Australian, Canadian, and American soldiers.
Thank you very much, I'm glad you're enjoying the content 👍🏻
RIP to all civilians who die in stupid wars. Bless the ones who only pick up a weapon when their town or family is attacked. Military is for losers and criminals. A million peacefull jobs. Go boxing in the gym, when you want to fight. That's how real men do it.
Boxing is literally training for combat. All “sport” martial arts are training for a life and death fight. Hell, virtually everything except the performance art “sports” during the Olympics are training for combat. I’ve heard some really dumb things but that takes the cake.
@@soonerfrac4611 Yes. NBA is about life and death and Lebron will absolutely be a great tank diver and be the best US pilot in the next war you start. Maybe you Google the olympic thought. Many Americans in general are poorly educated.
@@soonerfrac4611 your comment is literally the dumbest fucking thing I’ve read all day. Boxing is not training to for combat and neither are the majority of sports. What the hell are you talking about?
Your way of presenting history makes it accessible, fascinating, and touching. I appreciate the humanity you bring to the subjects you cover. Your enthusiasm comes across very clearly, and yet you hold a reverence to the difficult subject matter. Keep up the great work!
That's so kind of you, thank you.
Such a fantastic video but yes such a gruesome and tragic subject. 😥
Very emotional.
Thanks for relating this rather disgraceful episode in our history. My wife and I visited the NMA a couple of years back and found this particular memorial extremely moving. Back at the reception I bought a book on this subject to learn more about this subject and was surprised to learn that the death sentence was a bit of a lottery. As you said it was usually to make an example, sometimes if it was felt a particular regiment was suffering from a lack of discipline then out would pop a death sentence. But what was particularly shocking to me was when in the final hours before sentence was carried out and the Padre was sent to be with the victim to give spiritual guidance, more often than not the Padre was entirely lacking in sympathy. These so called Christians were actually of the opinion that the condemned actually deserved their fate. Shocking.
It's awful isn't it. In my experience in the British Army you would rarely get a Padre who could talk at the level of the common soldier. Many I came into contact with were quite aloof, however occasionally you would find one that was very good.
Your channel is such a gem
Interesting, but gosh, that was incredibly heartbreaking
Thanks Joshua 👍🏻
Really enjoying history squad ,greatly appreciated
Just 4 years after the war a report of the treatment of soldiers with shell shock was published meaning that ever since then such casualties of war have been treated more humanely. One such casualty from WW2 was Spike Milligan who wrote some of the best Goon Shows whilst suffering from bouts of manic depression.
Spike was my absolute hero, he's one man I would love to have met. I suffer from shell shock, and it can be awful.
@@thehistorysquad sorry, I didn`t know that.
Tugs the heart strings this story does.
Your history pieces are excellent. I enjoy the way you present all of them. This is a sad topic from a different era. It seems a lot of these poor soldiers were used to keep the men in the trenches. I wonder whether Australia stopped executing men because we were not happy when this happened to our troops in the Boer War? I recently noted my grandfather lost pay for insubordination when serving in Australian army in France in WW1 .
Kevin, your research is fantastic. Please keep doing it. My great uncle is listed on the tablets of the missing on the Somme memorial. Cpl Robert Frederick.
Thank you Kevin. The Great War has been of particular interest to me for many years, and this video brought me to tears! I'm wondering if any of the men in the firing squad ever spoke about what they had to do to their loved ones. I'm guessing many would've taken it to their graves.
It's heart breaking to me, that, given the current situation in the world, the human race has learnt nothing in the past 100+ years, and the ruling classes still send others to die in their behalf.
Thanks for all of your other videos too, so so interesting 😁
Thanks so much for your moving comment.
Kevin, thank you for getting into the gritty history that many mainstream outlets do not like to cover. There truly is no better way to understand the atrocities committed during the First World War - and I never expected that they would be against their own men.
In your personal (and professional) opinion, do you think a larger number of soldiers would have deserted the battlefields had there not been a penalty of execution?
Hmmm 🤔. I think a larger number actually did, given that only 10% of those found guilty had the sentence of death carried out. Given the rest of our colonial forces, I feel the British were particularly severe.
Excellent as usual! From a newly subscribed member of your channel. Your superior, brilliant expertise and presentation of History is second to none! Thank You! From the Rocky Mountain Region, United States of America
Thank you kindly and welcome to the channel 👍🏻
Wow, as the mother of two sons, coming from a long line of U.S. veterans on both sides of my family, the dignity and solemnity you delivered this with, just heartbreaking.
Spot on again
If my History teachers taught with this much enthusiasm and charisma I'd have made straight A's in every History class...instead of the miserable grades I received!
Thank you, but it's obviously not deterred your enthusiasm for history now, thank goodness 👍🏻