General Amnesty

[Broznitsky]

I have a service record that states: "1914-08-17 Returned from Desertion on Mobilization and granted the benefit of the King's Pardon under Special Army Order of 7th August 1914."

Can any Pal tell us more about this Special Order, who initiated it, how it would have been advertised, and how many men took advantage of it??

If a man did not take advantage of the amnesty, would he have been dealt with more harshly if captured during war-time?

Peter

[Muerrisch]

A ten-minute search of Manual of Military Law 1914 finds it curiously mute on your point, that of desertion before the war:

desertion "when on active service or under orders for active service" carried the death penalty.

But can a man who deserted before receiving such orders be deemed to have received them? The copious footnotes seem to have been written by someone who had not considered the possibility.

Assuming the non-returning deserter was not liable to the death penalty, then, for a first offence, imprisonment, and for a subsequent, penal servitude.

We really need a lawyer here.

[Guest FRANKBARTHOLOMEW]

I read of a case where a deserter left his regiment at Guernsey and was en route to South Wales to find work in the pits, when he saw a recruiting poster and turned back to meet his regiment at Devonport (?). This was taken from the testimony of a Junior officer.

[Guest FRANKBARTHOLOMEW]

Sorry, I forgot to mention- he was welcomed back with open arms- even though the Junior Officer concerned couldn't stand the fellow.

[AndrewThornton]

I have come across a couple of news reports relating to a Thomas Pickerill (or Pickeroo according to the Walsall Observer), who was a deserter from the Grenadier Guards. He handed himself into Cannock Magistrates Court on 8th August 1914 and when asked by the Magistrate if he would report back to his battalion (1st Battalion) at Warley without escort, he replied that he would and was given enough money to cover his train fare. He was then reported to have marched out of the court with the bearing of a Guardsman, something that impressed those who were present.

I don't know if Thomas Pickerill did eventually return to the Grenadier Guards, but there is this CWGC record that may have been him:

T PICKERILL

Lance Serjeant

14079

5th Bn., Grenadier Guards

who died on

Friday 18 August 1916 . Age 27 .

Son of Alfred and Hannah Pickerill, of 28 Ebenezer St., Roseville, Coseley.

Cemetery: COSELEY (PROVIDENCE) BAPTIST CHAPELYARDStaffordshire, United Kingdom

[Broznitsky]

Just bringing this back to the top in case any new research has happened.

[jmoha]

It occurs to me that the order may be have been issued under special circumstances. A general amnesty would make sense to entice back trained soldiers to the colours in a time of National emergency. Many of these soldiers may have left for only short periods and then have been concerned that they may have faced the ultimate penalty if they returned after war was declared.

This may explain why Kings Regs doesn't have anyhting about it, it was a solution to a special set of circumstances for a short period only. I would have thought that the amnesty would have only applied for a short while and after that period, the AWOL or deserted soldier would have then faced the full penalty for wasting the chance to redeem themselves in time of war.

Just my 2p, not got any hard evidence but seemed logical

James O'Hara

[Broznitsky]

Just bringing this back to the top in case any new research has happened, specifically about the order itself.

[Broznitsky]

Just bringing this back to the top in case any new research has happened, specifically about the order itself.

[Broznitsky]

Just bringing this back to the top in case any new research has happened, specifically about the order itself.

[Gardeb]

Hello all.

I have no additional knowledge of this particular order but 20 odd years ago an elderly gent I knew told me about his brothers medals in his possession.

He said that his brother was a pre-war deserter who rejoined the colours and was subsequently killed in 1918 as a sergeant having been once wounded and returned to the front with a stiff arm.

Gareth

[Ron Clifton]

This is the first time I have seen this thread.

A Special Army Order would have been issued under the authority of the Army Council. Since it involved the granting of a pardon, the King's approval would also have been required.

The fact that it happened on 7 August strongly suggests that its issue had been considered earlier, probably arising out of the discussions which led to the preparation of the so-called "War Book". This was a set of instructions, covering all government departments and setting out the procedures to be taken in the event of impending war.

There are copies of these instructions, as they relate to the War Office, in class WO33 at Kew. If you put "War Book" into the Forum search engoine you will find further references in other threads.

Amnesties, by their nature, are special measures taken to cope with special circumstances. It is therefore not surprising that no references are given in the Manual of Military Law. But it does seem to be an eminently practical way of obtaining the return of trained soldiers to the Colours at a time when they are urgently needed.

Ron

[Broznitsky]

Just bringing this back to the top in case any new research has happened, specifically about the order itself.

[ss002d6252]

There was an amnesty .

The Times, 8 Aug 14

Craig

[Willywombat]

I can confirm that an amnesty was granted for the Royal Navy.

I have researched an RN officer who 'jumped ship' in May 1914. He'd applied to resign before that, but the Navy (not surprisingly bearing in mind the political situation at the time) wanted good reasons why. Going by his conduct reports, I think the officer was basically fed up and thought the Navy was just dragging its feet. He hopped-it to go and work on his brother's tea plantation in Ceylon, along with his new wife, expecting the paperwork to catch up with him. On arrival there he had second thoughts when he found his brother had returned to the UK to enlist!

He surrendered himself, was pardoned and even retained his old seniority. He was, however, (having previously had his own small-boat command) assigned to watch-keeping duties aboard the battleship HMS Russell where he could be closely supervised. He died when she was sunk by a mine outside Malta harbour on 27 April 1916.

The amnesty was a very successful idea, at least as far as the RN was concerned. Between 1871 and 1900 over 3,500 sailors deserted from the Royal Navy and the figure for the years preceding the war was probably correspondingly similar.

After all, many experienced and capable servicemen who deserted before the war (just fed up with service life, like my man) would be perfectly happy to return to fight, but would be unlikely to do so if they were to face a court martial.

[centurion]

I believe that there were quite a few men who had deserted before the war rejoined when it was declared. Just been looking at an account (written in 1916) by an officer who went out with the BEF in August 1914 and he had some of these in his unit. Apparently a flyer was sent round to remind people of offences (including desertion) that now attracted the death penalty when a few days earlier they had not. He read it out to his battery and said that it had quite a sobering effect on these men

BTW what's breaking a safeguard? - its one of the offences

[Willywombat]

"Forcing a Safeguard" is indeed one of the capital offences. Looking at the context in the list below, it seems to be in the same category as offences against people and property - possibly a guard posted to prevent plunder?

• Leaving his CO to go in search of plunder.

• Breaking into a house in search of plunder.

• Committing an offence against the person of a resident in the country in which he was serving.

• Forcing a safeguard.

• Forcing a soldier when acting as sentinel.

• Doing violence to a person bringing provisions to the forces.

[centurion]

"Forcing a Safeguard" is indeed one of the capital offences. Looking at the context in the list below, it seems to be in the same category as offences against people and property - possibly a guard posted to prevent plunder?

Would have thought that covered by Forcing a soldier when acting as a sentinel. I wondered if it was breaking into a warehouse or depot

Interestingly Wellington issued similar rules in the Peninsular and some effort was made to enforce them. One effect was that when the British Army arrived in France in 1814 there is evidence that the local populace preferred having the British in the vicinity to the French Army as the British did tend to pay (admittedly not very well) for what they took whereas the French just shot you for treason if you demurred.

I think that in 1914 many people in authority expected the war to be very much a matter of manoeuvre in open country with the occasional big encounter battle and the same ground rules would apply as 100 years earlier.

[Guest]

Hansard

" In August, 1914, His Majesty was pleased to approve of pardons being granted to deserters who surrendered before the 4th September, 1914, at home or the 4th October, 1914, if abroad. Desertion in war-time, however, is such a serious offence that I am afraid I could not be responsible for the adoption of the suggestion of my hon. Friend. "

Mike

[Moonraker]

10439 George Williams joined the Welsh Regiment in 1910 (having previously enlisted in the DCLI as 8392 Pte H J Jackson), deserted from Bordon Camp in June 1914, walked into Hammersmith police station on August 8 admitting he was a deserter, and departed for the Front four days later.

(He fought at Mons, the Marne, the Aisne and Ypres, was taken prisoner on October 31 and in June 1916 was an internee in Switzerland, being repatriated in March 1918, only to be "absent from review and apprehended by civil police", and discharged "as no longer physically fit" in December 1918.)

Information from When the Call Came, Heytesbury Primary School's excellent war memorial project.

Moonraker

[centurion]

10439 George Williams joined the Welsh Regiment in 1910 (having previously enlisted in the DCLI as 8392 Pte H J Jackson), deserted from Bordon Camp in June 1914, walked into Hammersmith police station on August 8 admitting he was a deserter, and departed for the Front four days later.

(He fought at Mons, the Marne, the Aisne and Ypres, was taken prisoner on October 31 and in June 1916 was an internee in Switzerland, being repatriated in March 1918, only to be "absent from review and apprehended by civil police", and discharged "as no longer physically fit" in December 1918.)

Information from When the Call Came, Heytesbury Primary School's excellent war memorial project.

Moonraker

Definitely "Hostilities only" and not alone in this.

[Broznitsky]

Thank you Craig for posting The Times article, and thanks to others for your comments.

[Michael Johnson]

There is a Kipling short story about a soldier who deserts to be with his girlfriend (a servant girl), but when she reads of the amnesty she makes him go back, even though she is dying of TB. I can't quite remember which book it is in.

Michael