Why Have Two First World War Soldiers Recently Been Pardoned For Cowardice?

Actually, over 300 World War I soldiers were recently (Feb 2007) pardoned in a move by Defense Secretary John Reid.

The first two of the executed soldiers to have their names added to a war memorial in London have received the most publicity. They were Privates Harry Farr and James Swaine, both executed in 1916.

Farr had already served for 2 years, and was 25 years old and probably suffering from severe shell-shock when he refused to return to front-line fighting. He was shot at dawn for cowardice.

Swaine was a driver during the war. He served on the front line for 17 months, but failed to return to duty after a home visit. He was age 35 when he was arrested in a pub in Britain, and then transported back to France where he was shot for desertion.

They were pardoned because the modern preception is that unbearable demands were placed on these (and other men) who had served their country well previously but simply could no longer stand the strain of the war's horrific conditions.

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In August 2006, the long campaign to get two First World War soldiers pardoned after 90 years finally came to an end. The two soldiers were judged to be cowards because they were completely incapable of fighting because of shell shock.

In February this year, their local community finally honoured them by adding their names to the war memorial. They are now no longer considered to be cowards who did not fight - they are judged as having shell shock, or post-traumatic stress disorder, as we now know it.

Privates Harry Farr James Swaine now have their names on the Wealdstone war memorial in north-west London.

The story of the campaign was reported widely in the press and the stories of the sad suffering that the two soldiers families experienced are heart rending. Cowardice was considered such a terrible stigma that their lives were made a misery by the thought of it

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