Failed Suicide Bid

[NeilEvans]

Does anybody have any accounts of what, if any, punishment were dished out to men who failed in a suicide bid?

I've only come across one service record which recorded a failed suicide attempt. The man in question was admitted to an asylum, not charged/convicted. Three years later, still in the asylum, he suceeded.

Neil

[centurion]

George Grosz the German artist attempted suicide whilst serving in the German Army. He was charged with attempted desertion and after a court martial held whilst he was in hospital (and thererfore did not attend) sentenced to death. Fortunately sentence was not carried out and he was eventually discharged as unfit.

[Michael Johnson]

That is the most perverted logic I have ever run across! He tried to commit suicide, so we'll execute him.

[truthergw]

Grosz was very political. His drawings are savagely critical of the ruling classes, the Junkers and industrialists. He was lucky they did not take the chance to rid themselves of a very sharp thorn in their sides.

[centurion]

Grosz was very political. His drawings are savagely critical of the ruling classes, the Junkers and industrialists.

But not whilst he was actualy serving in the army!

Its a great piece of logic that equates attempted suicide with attempted desertion.

[truthergw]

I don't think he suddenly became a socialist critic of the ruling classes after he left the army. I was not defending the findings of the court martial, I was indicating a possible reason for it.

[truthergw]

To return to the original question, one would have to look at the sentences passed on men found guilty of self inflicted wounds. Where one would draw the line between that and attempted suicide would be for the prosecutors. A man who was deemed to have attempted suicide may have received different treatment from one who was charged with SIW.

[centurion]

I don't think he suddenly became a socialist critic of the ruling classes after he left the army. I was not defending the findings of the court martial, I was indicating a possible reason for it.

No but he wasn't publishing his cartoons etc when in the army so logically the ruling classes were best off keeping him there. The approach to some other dissidents was pack'em off to an asylum. With an attempted suicide they had the perfect excuse.

I wonder if this asylum approach was taken with British attempted suicides. I would have thought the dividing line between that and an SIW was what his immediate officers reported it as.

[Desdichado]

That is the most perverted logic I have ever run across! He tried to commit suicide, so we'll execute him.

Sometimes logic and the law do not go hand-in-hand. In the early 20th century, suicide was legally "self-murder"; ergo. a failed attempt would be an attempted self-murder. Pretty perverse isn't it? However, one could not be executed for an attempted offence but a lengthy gaol sentence could have been meted out.