SAD- why at dawn?

[burlington]

This point was raised by me as part of another posting but I thought it should be aired now in it's own right. Also I can't find in the archives that it had been raised before- doubtless Chris will tell me otherwise!

Why were people shot at dawn? It is the a**e end (or beginning) of the day. My view is that it was purely intended to intimidate others.

IF all avenues of appeal have failed then surely a swift end is the best. I know that the US like to keep people hanging on (no pun intended) for years but I do think that the Chinese way of doing things (probably apocryphal though) with a quick bullet in the back of the neck is the best.

Mind you, we are discussing this some 90 years on. It must be great to be wise after the event.

[Rosemary Clarke]

This point was raised by me as part of another posting but I thought it should be aired now in it's own right. Also I can't find in the archives that it had been raised before- doubtless Chris will tell me otherwise!

Why were people shot at dawn? It is the a**e end (or beginning) of the day. My view is that it was purely intended to intimidate others.

IF all avenues of appeal have failed then surely a swift end is the best. I know that the US like to keep people hanging on (no pun intended) for years but I do think that the Chinese way of doing things (probably apocryphal though) with a quick bullet in the back of the neck is the best.

Mind you, we are discussing this some 90 years on. It must be great to be wise after the event.

I cannot find the earlier posting either, which included a response from me!

Nobody seems to have found a good reason for dawn as a time of execution . Of course, this ranged varied by several hours, depending upon the time of year; stating the obvious but a valid point, I think bearing in mind that would have meant a much longer last night for some, than for others.

I also mentioned that Anthony Babington has 'discussed' the matter in For the Sake of Example and will try to locate the passge, unless somebody beats me to it.

Rosemary

[Guest Ian Bowbrick]

Civil executions in the UK from the 1920s to the last execution in 1964 were all carried out at 8am. The method of execution, hanging, was regarded as the most humane, as fracture of the neck led to instantaneous death. Being shot in the back of the neck does not lead to instantaneous death - Pte Stanley Lester who was a bantam in the Lancashire Fusiliers was injured as such at the Third Ypres and lived to be 82!

Ian