Standalone title (with Cathryn Corns)
The definitive history of the British soldiers executed by their own Army during World War I
Three hundred and fifty-one men were executed by British Army firing squads between September 1914 and November 1920. By far the greatest number, 266 were shot for desertion in the face of the enemy. The executions continue to haunt the history of the war, with talk today of shell shock and posthumous pardons.
Using material released from the Public Records Office and other sources, the authors reveal what really happened and place the story of these executions firmly in the context of the military, social and medical context of the period.
Available for purchase
UK: Bookshop Search search engine (independents) | Amazon (paperback
USA: NewPages (independents) | Amazon (Kindle ebook
Canada: FindaBookstore.ca search engine | Amazon (Kindle ebook
India: Bookstores in India (independents) | Amazon (Kindle ebook
Ireland: Bookshop Search (independents) | Amazon (paperback
Australia: Bookshops.com.au (independents) | Amazon (Kindle ebook
New Zealand: Find a Bookshop search engine (independents) | Amazon (Kindle ebook
South Africa: Bookshops map (independents) | Amazon (Kindle ebook
Rest of the world: Book Depository
Book reviews
‘Meticulous research backed by elegant and eloquent writing’ BBC History magazine
Reader reviews
‘An engrossing read, hard to put down. Well researched, it enables the reader to understand the realities of soldiering during Word War I and how and why these executions took place within the military, social, legal and medical context of the period.’
‘This is an excellent analysis of this difficult issue. Corns and Hughes-Wilson have looked at all the aspects of the Great War military executions, putting them into the social, military and medical context of the time, instead of trying to judge yesterday by the standards of today. A good read, well-written and excellently researched.’
John Hughes-Wilson 