British general’s brutal ruling on Falls man
By Ciarán Barnes
30/11/2007
A FASCINATING new book contains the chilling British army death warrant issued against a young West Belfast soldier shot dead for deserting during World War I. Lance-Corporal Peter Sands, from Abyssinia Street off the Falls Road, was executed by firing squad in France in 1915.
His court martial papers, signed by Commanding Officer Douglas Haig of the 1st Army, ominously read: “This is a bad case and I recommend the extreme penalty be carried out.”
Sands’ killing, like those of the 27 other Irish soldiers killed for alleged breaches of discipline at the front, was controversial. The 26-year-old had been allowed to leave the trenches of the Western Front for a few days home leave. In Belfast he lost his travel papers. He went to his local barracks, but it had no record of him and told him to go home.
After a few months living openly in uniform in Belfast, Sands was arrested by the Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC) and charged with desertion. He was returned to France and after a court martial was executed by firing squad.
The court martial papers were uncovered by BBC journalist Stephen Walker in the National Archive in London. The award-winning reporter has just published a poignant yet gripping book on the 28 Irishmen who fought for the British army during World War I and who were executed for cowardice or desertion.
‘Forgotten Soldiers – The Irishmen Shot at Dawn’ gives a remarkable insight into the events leading up to the local man’s execution.
After his arrest in Belfast he told his captors: “Had I intended to desert I would have worn plain clothes, but up to the time I was arrested I always wore uniform.”
He also explained that he had lost his travel papers and had approached his local barracks, but was refused a return to the battlefield.
Despite this perfectly reasonable excuse, good character references, and nine years of military service, the soldier was sentenced to death.
Sands was executed by firing squad at Fleurbaix on September 15, 1915. He was buried in a nearby churchyard, but after the war his grave could not be found, so his name was later commemorated in Cabaret-Rouge Military Cemetery at Souchez.
Reflecting on Sands’ case, Stephen Walker’s background in investigatory journalism leads him to conclude that the case of the Falls Road man contains more questions than answers.
“The papers do not give a detailed explanation of why the death penalty was necessary, nor does it appear that Sands’ story about his lost travel warrant was thoroughly investigated,” writes the author.
“Was Corporal Wright, who Sands claims he spoke to at the Belfast barracks, ever interviewed to confirm his account? If so, did he confirm Sands’ story? On the issue of Sands’ previous good behaviour, was this not considered worthy enough to have led to the sentence being commuted?”
• Forgotten Soldiers – The Irishmen Shot at Dawn. By Stephen Walker. Published by Gill & Macmillan
