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Remembered Today:

Field Punishment No 2


SMG65

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Can anyone tell me what 'Field Punishment No 2' would entail.

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I'm not 100% sure off the top of my head but I understand the punishment as follows:

Field Punishment No1: the prisoner was shackled an tied to a fixed object, often a gun wheel or similar, for up to 2 hours in 24, but not for more than 3 days in 4 or for more than 21 days of a sentence.

Field Punishment No2: was the same but the soldier was not fixed to anything.

Others will confirm or correct this.

Regards

Carninyj

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I've just looked in Tommy (Prof. Richard Holmes) and on page 558 he gives the same explanation, or rather, having read the book, I seem to have given you precisely what I must have read there.

Regards

Carninyj

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  • 7 months later...

Just bringing this back up to ask a further question.....

With FP1, it's self-evident that the soldier must have been in a particular place whilst he was undergoing punishment (as he was fixed to something)

But what about FP2? Where would this have been undertaken? Battalion HQ or somewhere else? Would he have been "on parade"?

My current batch of Stockport researchees served with the AIF and getting FP2 seems to have been almost a hobby with many of them. Bit like collecting stamps. :ph34r:

John

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Someone on the forum gave me this when I was researching my Grandfather’s records. To my shame I must admit I cannot remember the name of the member or find the original post. It might even be from the Long Long Trail, but if it is I cannot re-find it.

Rules for Field Punishment under Section 44 of the Army Act.

1/. A court-martial, or a commanding officer, may award field punishment for any offence committed on active service, and may sentence an offender for a period not exceeding, in the case of a court-martial three months, and in the case of a commanding officer twenty-eight days, to one of the following field punishments, namely:–

Field Punishment No. 1

Field Punishment No. 2.

2/. Where an offender is sentenced to field punishment No. 1, he may, during the continuance of his sentence, unless the court-martial or the commanding officer otherwise directs, be punished as follows:–

A/. He may be kept in irons, i.e., in fetters or handcuffs, or both fetters and handcuffs; and may be secured so as to prevent his escape.

B/. When in irons he may be attached for a period or periods not exceeding two hours in any one day to a fixed object, but he must not be so attached during more than three out of any four consecutive days, nor during more than twenty-one days in all.

C/. Straps or ropes may be used for the purpose of these rules in lieu of irons.

D/. He may be subjected to the like labour, employment, and restraint, and dealt with in like manner as if he were under a sentence of imprisonment with hard labour.

3/. Where an offender is sentenced to field punishment No. 2, the foregoing rule with respect to field punishment No. 1 shall apply to him, except that he shall not be liable to be attached to a fixed object as provided by paragraph of Rule 2.

4/. Every portion of a field punishment shall be inflicted in such a manner as is calculated not to cause injury or to leave any permanent mark on the offender; and a portion of a field punishment must be discontinued upon a report by a responsible medical officer that the continuance of that portion would be prejudicial to the offender’s health.

5/. Field punishment will be carried out regimentally when the unit to which the offender belongs or is attached is actually on the move, but when the unit is halted at any place where there is a provost marshal, or an assistant provost marshal, the punishment will be carried out under that officer.

6/. When the unit to which the offender belongs or is attached is actually on the move, an offender awarded field punishment No. 1 shall be exempt from the operation of Rule (2), but all offenders awarded field punishment shall march with their unit, carry their arms and accoutrements, perform all their military duties as well as extra fatigue duties, and be treated as defaulters.

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Kim

Thanks for the links. I'd got caught up in the "shackling" part that I'd missed the fact that he was also having to do extra duties.

Presumably those undertaking FP1 woyuld also be given extra duties but would be tied to the fixed point for part of the day.

Think I've got it now.

John

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