Desertion | Battlefields.ca https://battlefields.ca Canadian First and Second World War Battlefield Tours, Books and TV Series Documentaries Mon, 01 Nov 2021 04:00:39 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.1 For Freedom And Honour https://battlefields.ca/battlefield-books-dvds/for-freedom-and-honour/ Sat, 06 Sep 2014 22:27:38 +0000 http://www.battlefields.ca/?post_type=product&p=17226 The First World War was the first total war in the history of mankind. It threw hundreds of thousands of men into a cauldron of inhuman conditions. The stress on living and dying was often too much and for the first time expressions like shell-shock or self-inflicted wound became part of day-to-day vocabulary. Desertion was also a problem. Generals needed to keep up the discipline of their men, so in keeping with military law draconian measures could be taken "for the sake of example". Twenty-five Canadian volunteers were executed by Firing Squad, a small, but sad footnote to Canada's great contribution to the war.

by A. B. Godefroy

The post For Freedom And Honour first appeared on Battlefields.ca.]]>