The controversial story of the men forced to shoot their fellow Tommies 'A volley rings out - a nervous volley it is true, yet a volley. Before the fatal shots are fired I had called the battalion to attention. There is a pause, I wait. I see the medical officer examining the victim. He makes a sign, the subaltern strides forward, a single shot rings out. Life is now extinct We march back to breakfast This is war.' Brigadier-General Crozier describes an execution he has ordered of a man who fell asleep on sentry duty Much has been written about the 302 British and Commonwealth soldiers who were executed for military offences during the First World War, but there is usually only a passing reference to those who took part - the members of the firing squad, the officer in charge, the medical officer and the padre. What are their stories? Through extensive research, David Johnson explores the controversial story of the men forced to shoot their fellow Tommies, examining how they were selected, how they were treated before, during and after the executions and why there were so many procedural variations in the way that the executions were conducted. SELLING POINTS: "I aimed blindly and when the gunsmoke had cleared away [I was] horrified to see that, although wounded, the intended victim was still alive. Still blindfolded, he was attempting to make a run for it still strapped to the chair." Army executions on the frontline of World War I remain controversial today The Shot at Dawn memorial is the most visited site at the National Memorial Arboretum 32pp colour and 40 b/w

Author Biography

David Johnson is a passionate First World War historian and is the author of The Man Who Didn't Shoot Hitler: The Story of Henry Tandey VC and eight other titles.