Not Guilty, But Shot
Below is a copy of a letter from Brigadier General H O'Donnell who commanded the 106th Infantry Division. He appears to have acted like a dull "donkey" in condemning soldiers to death. It is difficult to think of anything so scandalously crude. Any sense of justice was callously betrayed. This case involved six soldiers - Lance-Corporal's J Macdonald and P Goggins, and Pte's T Ritchie, D Forrest, A Davies and M Dowsey.
I forward herewith the Proceedings of a Field General Court Marital in the case of the men marginally noted.
In each case the men have been found guilty of the charge and have been sentenced to "Death". I am doubtful, however, if the evidence is sufficient for a conviction. From enquiries made the men in character and behaviour appear to be of the average in their battalion.
The battalion, however, has not done well in the fighting line. They suffered somewhat severely from heavy shelling while in the SOMME fighting in July and were very shaky in the advanced trenches before GUILLEMONT in August.
I am reluctantly compelled to recommend that should the finding be confirmed the sentence be carried out for the purpose of example and to show that cowardice in the presence of the enemy will not be tolerated in the British Army.
H. O'Donnell Brig-Gen 1 1/17
