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British Soldiers of Irish ethnicity Shot at Dawn were:-

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  • British Soldiers of Irish ethnicity Shot at Dawn were:-

    For some years recently, a campaign has been organized on a worldwide basis by John Hipkin of Newcastle-upon-Tyne to clear the names of those innocent men and he is seeking a full pardon for them.

    John who was born in 1927 was at the age of 14 Britain’s youngest prisoner of war in the Second World War. He was serving as a cabin boy on a merchant navy ship; ‘The Lustos’, which was sunk by the German battleship ‘Scharnhorst’ in February 1941, he was captured and put into a prisoner of war camp in Germany. After a few months in the camp, he witnessed a German soldier shoot dead a teenage prisoner over a bowl of soup.

    In October of 2000 John Hipkin as the guest of the Mid-Ulster branch of the Friends of the Somme gave a lecture in the Royal Hotel, Cookstown, on the subject of his work in seeking a pardon for the men "Shot at Dawn".

    The campaign led by John Hipkin, a retired teacher, still attracts attention in the media. His group has sought the help of the Irish Government to have pardoned the 26 Irishmen who were court-martialed and executed by the British army during the First World War.

    Irish, Scottish & North of England soldiers made up 50% of soldiers shot at dawn; their fate was kept secret for 75 years. Perhaps the Irish & Scottish Parliaments along with the Welsh and Northern Ireland assemblies could unilaterally pardon their own nations. (John Hipkin)

    British Soldiers of Irish ethnicity Shot at Dawn were:-

    1. Patrick Joseph Downey, Limerick. Monday 27th December 1915.

    2. Stephan Byrne, Dublin. Sunday 28th October; 1917.

    3. Thomas Murphy/Hogan, Kerry, Monday 14thMay, 1917.

    4. Joseph Carey, Dublin, Friday 15th September 1916.

    5. Thomas Cummings, Belfast, Thursday 28thJanuary, 1915.

    6. Albert Smythe, Ireland, Thursday 28th January 1915.

    7. Thomas Hope, Westmeath, Tuesday 2nd March 1915.

    8. Thomas Davis, Clare, Friday 2nd July 1915.

    9. Peter Sands, Belfast, Wednesday 15th September 1915.

    10. James Graham, Cork, Tuesday 21st December 1915.

    11. James Crozier, Belfast, Sunday 27thFebruary, 1916.

    12. James Templeton, Belfast. Sunday March 19th 1916.

    13. J.F. McCracken, Belfast, Sunday March 19th 1916.

    14. James H. Wilson, Limerick, Sunday 9th July 1916.

    15. James Cassidy, Ireland, Sunday 23rd July 1916.

    16. Albert Rickman, Naas, Friday 15th September 1916.

    17. James Mullany, Ireland, Tuesday 3rd October 1916.

    18. Bernard McGeehan, Derry, Thursday 2nd November 1916.

    19. Samual McBride, Ireland, Thursday 7th December 1916.

    20. Arthur Hamilton, Belfast, Tuesday 27th March 1917.

    21. J. Wishart, Omagh, Tuesday 5th June 1917.

    22. Robert Hepple(Hope), Ireland, Thursday 5th July 1917.

    23. George Hanna, Belfast, Tuesday, 6th November 1917.

    24. John Seymour, Ireland. Thursday 24th January 1918.

    25. Benjamin O’Connell, Wexford, Thursday 8th August 1918.

    26. Patrick Murphy, Dublin, Thursday 12th September 1918.

    May those who died + Rest In Peace + Never to be Forgotten.

  • #2
    Part II

    In the year 2003 the Church of Ireland standing committee at a meeting in Dublin has given its unanimous support to the shot at dawn campaign. In November 2003 the Irish Government pledged support for the campaign.

    In 1998 a bill sponsored by John Hume, Rev. Ian Paisley and Sir David Steele to allow for pardons was defeated in the House of Commons. There is no doubt about the bravery of the unfortunate young men who were Shot at Dawn, their courage was only matched by the Chaplains who supported them to the end.


    While the official records show 26 Irishmen executed at dawn, there were another 24 Irishmen who were resident in England, Scotland, Canada and New Zealand and joined regiments there who were also executed making a total of 52 men.

    1. Private Joseph Brennan – 16th July 1916.

    2. Private Joseph Carey, Royal Irish Fusiliers – 15th September 1916.

    3. Private John Docherty, 15th February 1916.

    4. Rifleman Thomas Donovan, 31st October 1917.

    5. Private Richard Flynn, Dublin Fusiliers, 6th November 1920.

    6. Private Hugh Flynn, 15th November 1916.

    7. Lance – Corporal Joseph Fox, age 20. 20th April 1915.

    8. Private J. Fox, 12th May 1916.

    9. Private J. M. Higgins, 7th December 1916.

    10. Private Frank Hughes, Irish/ New Zealand. 28th August 1916.

    11. Private Henry Hendrick, age 46, from the U.S.A. but in an Irish Regiment. 23rd August 1918.

    12. Private Francis Murray, 1st October 1916.

    13. Driver Robert Murray, 3rd march 1917.

    14. Rifleman William Murphey, 7thJuly 1917.

    15. Private Allen Murphy, 17th August 1916.

    16. Private Charles Milligan, 3rd March 1917.

    17. Private John McQuade, 6th November 1916.

    18. Private A. O’Neill. 30thApril 1916.

    19. Private Frank O’Neill, 16th May 1918.

    20. Private John Rogers, 9th March 1917.

    21. Trooper John Sweeney, in a New Zealand regiment. Irish/Australian. 2nd October 1916.

    22. Private George Ward, age 20. 26th October 1914.

    23. Private Thomas Ward, age 23. 16th October 1914.

    24. Private James Joseph Daly*, Connaught Ranger. Age 20. 2nd November 1920.

    May they +Rest In Peace +

    * In India, post WW1 during the Connaught Ranger mutiny.

    By Regiment:-

    Royal Irish Rifles - 5 executed.

    Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers - 5 executed.

    Irish Guards - 3 Executed.

    Royal Dublin Fusiliers. - 3 executed.

    2 Leinster Regiment. - 3 executed.

    Royal Irish Fusiliers. - 2 executed.

    Munster Fusiliers - 2 executed.

    Connaught Rangers - 1 Executed.

    Connaught Stranger

    Comment


    • #3
      a lot of them poor guys were probably suffering from shell shock...

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      • #4
        It was nearly 100 years ago, have people nothing better to do?
        Everyone who's ever loved you was wrong.

        Comment


        • #5
          history is not your forte trj ???

          Comment


          • #6
            Originally posted by The real Jack View Post
            It was nearly 100 years ago, have people nothing better to do?
            Is this not the History section of the Forum?

            Connaught Stranger.

            Comment


            • #7
              Originally posted by The real Jack View Post
              It was nearly 100 years ago, have people nothing better to do?
              If you had a relative who was branded a coward and executed, you woud consider this to be a top priority.


              Catch-22 says they have a right to do anything we can't stop them from doing.

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              • #8
                Not necessarily, you may think that it was a long time ago, there was a terrible war going on at the time and bad things happen in war, and that no good can come of digging it all up again.

                Comment


                • #9
                  Originally posted by jaeger View Post
                  Not necessarily, you may think that it was a long time ago, there was a terrible war going on at the time and bad things happen in war, and that no good can come of digging it all up again.
                  The "good" is getting the name of a man or in many cases a young boy, many of poor education, cleared after a hastily convened Military Court-martial where some did not get all the benefits of a proper defense or a credible way of presenting their side of the story, in other cases the evidence presented was found to be flawed.

                  To the descendants of these men, this will always be in their family history and the subject of debate, as much as those who talk about their relatives who were heroes in the First or any war.

                  Were there men who were guilty as charged ? = Yes

                  Were they ALL guilty as charged? = Highly doubtful.

                  Did all the charges, rate the ultimate penalty of a death sentence? = No.

                  Connaught Stranger.

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    One of the Irishmen murdered by these slack jaw inbreds was to

                    refuse a order to put his cap back on.

                    Why not the Irish government make a declaration of innocence for

                    all Irishmen who were victims of these people.


                    Considering we were volunteer's. they should have being thanking

                    those men for turning up.
                    Last edited by sofa; 4 March 2011, 23:48.

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      If you look at the dates most were shot before 1918 when the Allied forces were getting the upper hand.As Hemlingway put it ,"shoot a coward and win the war". Shows a complete lack of iq on the part of the establisment.

                      Please also remember we kept firing squads busy here 1922/23 shooting our own.

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Originally posted by danno View Post
                        Please also remember we kept firing squads busy here 1922/23 shooting our own.
                        good point danno. and it wasn't just Irishmen shot at dawn - there were far more English, Welsh and Scots as well as God knows who else was there at the time.

                        perhaps the Germans were doing the same on their side - i don't know.

                        i think it's best we just remember them with honour rather than plough the mud again.
                        RGJ

                        ...Once a Rifleman - Always a Rifleman... Celer et Audax

                        The Rifles

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Originally posted by danno View Post
                          If you look at the dates most were shot before 1918 when the Allied forces were getting the upper hand.As Hemlingway put it ,"shoot a coward and win the war". Shows a complete lack of iq on the part of the establisment.

                          Please also remember we kept firing squads busy here 1922/23 shooting our own.
                          Firing squads in 1922/23 were not dealing with disciplinary issues.


                          These men were shot by the British Army as examples for often minor or trumped up charges. These men deserve to have their Names cleared and apologies made to their rewlatives.

                          I am sure if any of you had a member of your family shot at dawn you would be seeking to have the record set straight.

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                          • #14
                            I thought they had received pardons.

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                            • #15
                              I knew I wasn't imagining it.

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