Too Young to Go to War but Old Enough to be Executed

blindfolded soldier herbert burden

National Memorial Arboretum, blindfolded soldier.

A short account of Herbert Burden, a 17 year old boy executed by the British Army for desertion during the First World War. Burden was among 306 British and Commonwealth soldiers executed by the British Military for ‘cowardice and desertion’ during the First World War. The article originally appeared on the WordPress blog Running Past.

Attachments

Too Young to Go to War but Old Enough to be Executed.pdf (248.24 KB)

Comments

Thanks for posting this up

Thanks for posting this up here!

You're

You're welcome!

Unfortunately, I wasn't able to add the external URL links (leading to referenced documents) included in the text of the original article into the pdf that I made.

Related content

Mutinies 1917-1920 - Dave Lamb

Solidarity's excellent pamphlet on mutinies in the British armed forces towards the end of World War I.

New recruits at Etaples, 1918

The Etaples mutiny, 1917 - Dave Lamb

A short history of one of the early big mutinies of British troops in Europe as World War I came to an end.

British and German troops fraternise, Boxing Day 1914

The Christmas truce, 1914 - Steven Johns

A short history of the widespread but unofficial truce between British and German troops on the Western front over Christmas, 1914 during World…

Luton Town Hall smouldering after the riot

The Luton riots, 1919

The history of the riots which flared up in Luton. Ex-servicemen and their families, angered by extravagant publicly-funded victory celebrations…

The British West Indies Regiment mutiny, 1918 - Steven Johns

A short history of the mutiny at Taranto in Italy by West Indian soldiers in the British army at the…

Conscientious objectors in a work camp in Aberdeen

Anarchists before the military tribunals, 1914-1918

A short account of the hearings of two anarchists in front of the courts during World War One