Madam, - Jim Cantwell (An Irishman's Diary, September 11th) does well to remind us of the summary execution of Private Thomas Highgate, 1st Battalion, Royal West Kent Regiment, who offended (if he offended at all), was tried, and sentenced on September 6th, 1914 and shot on the morning of September 8th.
The trial (if such it can be called) was sanctioned by Lieut-Gen Sir Horace Smith-Dorrien and the punishment confirmed by the Commander-in-Chief of the British Expeditionary Force, Sir John French, on September 7th, 1914. It is a wonderful example of military efficiency in the face of crushing defeat, for the BEF had been obliged to retreat from Mons and Le Cateau under constant pressure from the German First Army.
Private Highgate had fought at Le Cateau where the West Kents were heavily engaged (having dug in near the Roman Road) and in the subsequent retreat. By the end of August 26th the BEF had already lost more than 7,800 men killed, wounded, or missing. Had Sir John and Sir Horace nothing better to do on September 6th to 8th than to bring death to Thomas Highgate and dishonour and ruin to his family? War pensions were denied to families whose men were executed in this fashion, so that to lasting shame was added material destitution for dependent relatives.
The case of Tommy Highgate is not isolated, but paradigmatic, and has caused justifiable outrage among those who have studied the characteristically British (I am sorry to say) policy of summarily executing young volunteers in the first World War. We owe it to the memory of young people such as Tommy Highgate and his sweetheart Mary MacNulty to continue our protest in support of pardons for all 306 young men (including 26 Irishmen) unjustly shot at dawn in 1914-1918. I welcome the expressions of support from politicians such as John Bruton and Brian Cowen, and in particular to applaud the magnificent efforts of Peter Mulvany of the Irish Seamen's Relatives Association (1939-46). - Yours, etc.,
GERALD MORGAN, FTCD,
Trinity College,
Dublin 2.;