British Army: Courts Martial: First World War, 1914-1918

Military Records Information 75

1. Death Sentences

Death sentences were passed by the British Army in courts martial between 1914 and 1924, for offences such as sleeping on duty, cowardice, desertion, murder, mutiny and treason, on

Over 90% of these sentences were later changed to other punishments - hard labour or penal servitude. For all offences except mutiny, start with G Oram and J Putkowski, Death Sentences passed by the Military Courts of the British Army, 1914-1924 (London, 1998). This gives

Each entry gives a reference number. Add WO to the front of this number, and you have the full National Archives reference. Most records of courts martial are in WO 213 ; WO 92 or WO 90

2. Mutinies

Over 2000 men were charged with mutiny between 1914 and 1922.

Start with J Putkowski, British Army Mutineers, 1914-1922 (London, 1998). This gives

Each entry gives a full National Archives reference, including the internal page number. When ordering one of these documents, leave out the page number.

Most records of courts martial of mutineers are in WO 86 , WO 90 , WO 92 and WO 213 .

3. Lesser Offences

For courts martial which did not pass a death sentence, you need to track down the records of the court in The National Archives or perhaps in the regimental museum.

For more information, consult British Army: Courts Martial, 17th-20th Centuries

4. Statistics and Other Sources

(ri2295) Last updated: 28 June 2004 | © Crown Copyright 2002