What Alternative Punishment Is There?”: Military Ex- Ecutions During World War I Thesis How to Cite

Open Research Online The Open University’s repository of research publications and other research outputs “What alternative punishment is there?”: military executions during World War I Thesis How to cite: Oram, Gerard Christopher (2000). “What alternative punishment is there?”: military executions during World War I. PhD thesis, The Open University. For guidance on citations see FAQs. c 2000 The Author Version: Version of Record Copyright and Moral Rights for the articles on this site are retained by the individual authors and/or other copyright owners. For more information on Open Research Online’s data policy on reuse of materials please consult the policies page. oro.open.ac.uk (. 31 0249596 6 I1 I 111 I Ill 66What alternative punishment is there PS9 Military Executions during World War I Gerard Christopher Oram \ MPhil, BA, PGCE Thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of 0 Philosophy in History EX12 THE OPEN UNIVERSITY RESEARCH SCHOOL -4 JAN 2001 Library Authorisation Form I Please return this form to the Research School with the t\vo bound copies of your thesis to be deposited I with the University Library. All candidates should complete parts one and two of the form. Part three only applies to PhD candidates. Part One: Candidates Details Name: .........................................................................G€(ZAD o&m PI: .................................r”\IGS?Kf7 Degree:’-$ .............................................................................................................oCToR QF QwLosQ ?MY t* Thesis title: ‘.......................................................................................................... b\& &d-wbJk (?;:.,.~khek‘-K k de ? (h/C[7,q(Z)‘ e- ............................................................................................................................E%FLmCQh)x-2?LCMf Udfl’Q uB\c 2 Part Two: Open University Library Authorisation I confirm that I am wi!ling for my thesis to be made available to readers by the Open University Library, and that iy7.i.ezthediscretion of the Librarian. Signed: .. .-&%%?.. ................................... Date: Part Three: British Library Authorisation [PhD candidates only] If you want a copy of your PhD thesis to be available on loan to the British Library Thesis Service as and when it is requested, you must sign a British Libray Doctoral Thesis Agreement Form. Please return it to the Research School with this form. The British Library will publicise the details of your thesis and may request a copy on loan from the University Library. Information on the presentation of the thesis is given in the Agreement Form. Please note the British Library have requested that theses should be printed on one side only to enable them to produce a clear microfilm. The Open University Library sends the fully bound copy of theses to the British Library. The University has agreed that your participation in the British Library Thesis Service should be voluntary. Please tick either (a) or (b) to indicate your intentions. l/r I am willing for the Open University to loan the British Library a copy of my thesis. A signed Agreement Form is attached loan the British Library a copy of my thesis. Signed: .................... Date: hvaxm\~vord\fornAE).(12 c Abstract The power to inflict the death penalty formed a vital part of the disciplinary process in all the major armies during the First World War. Yet serious historians have neglected the subject. This thesis addresses the topic in a critical manner and challenges the view that executions were arbitrary, reflecting a distant and uncaring High Command. Analysis of military and criminal law in Europe and the United States establishes a comparative framework from which to proceed. Changing ideas about discipline and duty as the war impacted on both the military and British society are assessed. The concept of morale - so important to military commanders during the war - is evaluated in the context of changing demands on the army as it adjusted to the absorption of 'citizen soldiers' and conscripts as well as disappointment on the battlefield. Differences between Regular, Territorial and 'New Army' formations are assessed. So too is the impact of the big offensives such as the Battle of the Somein 1916. Finally, three divisions (one Regular, one Territorial, and one 'New Army') are subjected to detailed analysis from their initial deployment on the Western Front then 0 to the Italian Front where a different disciplinary approach can be detected. The central theme of the thesis is that whilst some British commanders adopted a progressive approach to discipline most clung to traditional ideas of deterrence. In this they were encouraged by the very nature of British military law which differed from continental and American models in vital areas. Driven by the fear of a collapse in discipline amongst their 'citizen soldiers' some commanders took refuge in traditional methods of punishment to maintain what they termed 'fighting spirit'. This, however, altered at the end of 1917 when traditional approaches gave way to new forms of management. .... .-..... ,.__" ;B .... .......... ..- .... Contents Table of Figures and Illustrations .............................................................. 1 htroduction ............... .................................................................. 2 Chapter 1 ."The administration of discipline by the English is very rigid": British Military Law and the Death Penalty 1868-19 18 .................... 32 ;. i) Background ............................................................................ 36 i ii) Inquiry and Reform 1865-1 88 1 ..................................................... -40 iii) Laying the Foundations 1881-1914 ................................................. 57 iv) The Impact ofModern War 1914-1918 ............................................ 65 Chapter 2 .Military Discipline and the Nation at War .................................... 73 i) Regulating Crime in the Army ...................................................... 82 ii) Discipline on the Battlefield ......................................................... 91 iii) Shellshock - a matter of discipline ................................................ 112 iv) The Home Front ..................................................................... 123 V> Summation ........................................................................... 129 Chapter 3 .Military Theory adRedefining Troop Morale ............................ 134 i) Assessing Morale .................................................................... 156 ii) Troop Morale and Mail Censorship ............................................... 176 iii) Summation ........................................................................... 184 ........... ~ :... -$;'; ...... ... .....- .. .......... __ . ... -. ....... Chapter 4 - Pour encourager les autres: 4 \ Morale, Discipline and the Death Penalty on the Frontline .............. .188 i j i i> The Three Armies .................................................................... 191 ii) The Regular Divisions .............................................................. ,193 iii) The Temtorial Force ............................................................... .198 iv) The New Army ..................................................................... ..202 V) The Impact of the Big Offensives ................................................ ,307 vi) The Battle of the Some ............................................................ 2 16 vii) Summation ................................................ .......................... .239 Chapter 5 - Discipline and Morale in the Three Annies: I Case studies of three British infantry divisions ........................... ..244 i) The 7&, 23d and 48~Divisions in France and Italy: an overview ............ 246 ii) The Divisions ....................................................................... .250 ii.1) The 7th Division ...................................................................... .250 ii.2) The 48th Division .................................................................. 264 e ii.3) The 23rd Division ..................................................................... 272 iii) The Italian Expeditionary Force .................................................. .280 i I Conclusion .................................................................................... .304 f i i ................................................................................... JL I 1 Table of Figures and Illustrations Figure 1: Punishments inflicted by British courts-martial 1865-1867......................... 49 Figure 2: Offences punishable by death ....................................................................... 57 Figure 3: Offences only punishable by death if committed on active service ............. 58 Figure 4: Condemnations and Executions in the British army. shown annually ......... 80 Figure 5: Condemnations and Executions in 3'd Division ......................................... 195 0 Figure 6: Condemnation and Executions in gfhDivision ........................................... 196 Figure 7: Condemnations in the First-Line Territorial Force .................................... 201 Figure 8: Condemnations and Executions during the period of the Battle of the Somme (executions are shown in brackets) ........................................................ 208 Figure 9: Courts-martial statistics for British Army in Italy (other ranks

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