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Irish Government Pledge
MINISTER COWEN PLEDGES
SUPPORT FOR THE SHOT AT DAWN CAMPAIGN
14 November 2003:
The Minister for Foreign
Affairs, Mr Brian Cowen T.D., today announced his support for the Irish Shot at
Dawn Campaign. "The offences with which each Irishman was charged, convicted and
summarily executed were repealed by the British authorities in 1930 following
sustained lobbying by ex-servicemen disillusioned by the military system of the
time" stated the Minister. "That itself indicated serious public concern at the
time about the credibility of the convictions and sentences passed by the
British military system of justice in the awful conditions prevailing on and
near the battlefields. "Moreover, it reflected serious concerns that the
regularity and severity of disciplinary action for offences such as desertion,
especially in the Irish Divisions, was envisaged by military commanders of the
era as a means of deterrence to others rather than an expression of justice. In
addition, the failure to give consideration to ameliorating medical conditions
known at the time undermine, in my view, those convictions.
I have instructed my officials
to begin discussions with their British counterparts to re-establish the good
names of these Irishmen." The Minister commended the work of Mr Mulvany and also
that of Mr John Hipkin, the British Shot at Dawn Coordinator. "The determination
and selfless effort of those involved in the Campaign over the last number of
years does them great credit and I applaud the substantial efforts made by them
toward recognition of their goals."
The Minister concluded: "Over the past decade, great progress has been made on
this island in embracing all of our rich and varied heritage. The Good Friday
Agreement is a part of that process and represents an historic accommodation
between nationalists and unionists. As part of the momentum toward
reconciliation, we have also embraced the sacrifice made by Irishmen who joined
the British Army prior to Independence on the basis that they were fighting for
small nations, men who were urged by political leaders to see Ireland's fate
bound up with the outcome of World War I. It is an intrinsic part of this
process that we show our concern at the treatment of those men, particularly in
regard to treatment which resulted unfairly in their disgrace and execution."
NOTE FOR EDITORS
The Shot at Dawn Campaign, based in Britain, has been working for pardons for
306 British soldiers who it is claimed were unjustifiably executed following
field courts-martial during World War I. Specifically, the Campaign is focussed
on those offences that were repealed in the British Army and Air Force Acts of
1928 and 1930 (cowardice, desertion, falling asleep at post etc). The Shot at
Dawn Campaign (Irl), coordinated by Mr Peter Mulvany, is seeking a retrospective
pardon for 26 of those executed men who it is thought were born in Ireland.
The current British position, as set out in a statement to the House of Commons
in July 1998 by the then Minister for the Armed Forces, Dr. John Reid, is based
on a review of the issue carried out by that Minister.
Following a review of material pertaining to the matter, Department officials
identified a number of points which support Minister Cowen's position:
§ The disciplinary standards which soldiers of the day were subjected to
were of concern to Parliament and public alike as early as 1915, and only
continued to intensify until the death penalty was removed for the
offences in question, in the British Army and Air Force Acts of 1928 and 1930.
§ Statistics are compelling with regard to the pattern of discrimination
experienced by Irish troops. In comparison to British, Canadian and New Zealand
troops, Irish soldiers were four times more likely to be executed as a result of
courts-martial.
§ The prevalence of the British military to impose a harsh disciplinary
stance toward lower ranks, and not the commissioned officers, suggests a
judicial courts-martial system that was not impartial.
§ Soldiers suffering from shellshock, post traumatic stress disorder,
mental breakdown etc, received little or no medical assistance, and the effects
of these conditions on the mental state of the executed men were not taken into
account in any substantive manner.
§ The campaign enjoys cross border, and cross community, support.
Nationalists and Unionists alike have expressed concern with regard to the
executions, and have articulated a desire to see the commemoration of all those
who died or suffered as a result of the war.
§ Concern about the safety of the convictions led the New Zealand
Government to enact legislation in 2000 pardoning the five New Zealanders
executed (The"Pardon for Soldiers of the Great War Act 2000"). In the words of
the Act, "their execution was not a fate that they deserved".
END
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The Irish Shot at Dawn Campaign to secure pardons for Irish born British
soldiers executed for military offences 1914 -18
