Canadian Volunteers Executed During the First World War
Twenty-five Canadians soldiers met death by firing squad. Twenty-three of them were shot because they didn’t want to get killed and the other two were shot for being killers. That’s a fine distinction considering the fact that these executions took place during one of the largest mass slaughters of human beings in recorded history.
Finally, after nearly a hundred years, on December 11, 2011, Veteran Affairs Minister Ron Duhamel announced in the House of Commons that the names of twenty-three executed were added into the First World War Book of Remembrance alongside those of their colleagues, despite protests from some who think that this decision would reflect on the conduct of those responsible for their executions – like military historian Desmond Morton of McGill, who said that the pardons would “unfairly taint the actions of commanders who legitimately ordered executions.”
Professor Morton is right. The official pardons do challenge the legitimacy not only of the officers directly responsible for the executions, but also of the war itself.
In that sense these men did not die in vain.
Note that, of the twenty-five soldiers executed, seven are francophone, reflecting prejudices of the time.
1. William Alexander
10th Battalion, 2nd Brigade, 1st Canadian Infantry Division
Company Quartermaster Sergeant
Shot: October 18, 1917
Desertion – Absent without leave for two days
2. Frederick Stanley Arnold
1 Battery, 1 Brigade, Canadian Field Artillery
Lancer-Bombardier
Shot: July 25, 1916
Desertion – Absent without leave; arrested in plain clothes
3. Fortunat Auger
14th Battalion, 3rd Brigade, 1st Canadian Infantry Division
Private
Shot: March 26, 1916
Desertion – Absent without leave for three days
4. Harold George Carter
73rd Battalion
Private
Shot: April 20, 1917
Desertion – Captured after five days
5. Gustave Comte
22nd Battalion, 5th Brigade, 2nd Canadian Infantry Division
Private
Shot: July 3, 1917
Desertion – Absent for six weeks
6. Arthur Charles Degasse
22nd Canadien-Français Battalion, 5th Brigade,
2nd Canadian Infantry Division
Private
Shot: March 15, 1918
Desertion – Escaped and was absent for five months before being arrested in Paris
7. Leopold Delisle
22nd Canadien-Français Battalion, 5th Brigade,
2nd Canadian Infantry Division
Private
Shot: May 21, 1918
Desertion – Absent at roll call; he was arrested outside of Arras five days later
8. Edward Fairburn
18th Western Ontario Battalion, 4th Brigade,
2nd Canadian Infantry Division
Private
Shot: March 2, 1918
Desertion – Remained missing for ten months before being arrested just north of Arras
9. Stephen McDermott Fowles
44th Manitoba Battalion, 10th Brigade,
4th Canadian Infantry Division
Private
Shot: June 19, 1918
Desertion – Was not detained for desertion until he gave himself up
10. Maurice John Higgins
1st Western Ontario Battalion, 1st Brigade,
1st Canadian Infantry Division
Private
Shot: December 7, 1916
Desertion – Absent for sixteen days
11. Henry Hesey Kerr
7th British Columbia Battalion, 2nd Brigade, 1st Canadian Division
Private
Shot: November 21, 1916
Desertion – Absent for twenty-four hours
12. Joseph Lalancette
22nd Canadien-Français Battalion, 5th Brigade, 2nd Canadian Infantry Division
Private
Shot: July 3, 1917
Desertion – Absent for one month
13. Come Laliberté
3rd Toronto Battalion, 1st Brigade, 1st Canadian Infantry Division
Private
Shot: August 4, 1916
Desertion – Arrested after refusing to follow orders
14. Wilson Norman Ling
2nd Eastern Ontario Battalion, 1st Brigade, 1st Canadian Infantry Division
Private
Shot: August 12, 1918
Desertion – Went absent and was arrested almost a year later in Mazingarbe
15. Harold Edward James Lodge
19th Central Ontario Battalion, 4th Brigade, 2nd Canadian Infantry Division
Private
Shot: March 13, 1918
Desertion – Absent for five weeks
16. Thomas L. Moles
54th Kootenay Battalion, 11th Brigade, 4th Canadian Infantry Division
Private
Shot: October 22, 1917
Desertion – Ordered to rejoin his company, he deserted and was arrested three weeks later
17. Eugene Perry
22nd Canadien-Français Battalion, 5th Brigade, 2nd Canadian Infantry Division
Private
Shot: April 11, 1917
Desertion – Missing on duty at Vimy Ridge and captured seven hours later
18. Edward James Reynolds
3rd Toronto Battalion, 1st Brigade, 1st Canadian Infantry Division
Private
Shot: August 23, 1916
Desertion – Arrested after refusing to follow orders
19. John William Roberts
2nd Canadian Mounted Rifles, 8th Brigade, 3rd Canadian Infantry Division
Private
Shot: July 30, 1916
Desertion – Went awol in Canada and later deserted in France
20. Dimitro Simizki
52nd Northern Ontario Battalion, 9th Brigade, 3rd Canadian Infantry Division
Private
Shot: October 9, 1917
Cowardice – Arrested after refusing to follow orders
21. Charles Welsh
8th Battalion (90th Winnipeg Rifles), 2nd Brigade, 1st Canadian Infantry Division
Private
Shot: March 6, 1918
Desertion – Went missing at Passchendaele and captured four months later
22. James H. Wilson
4th Central Ontario Battalion, 1st Brigade, 1st Canadian Infantry Division
Private
Shot: July 9, 1916
Desertion – Discharged for infractions as “undesirable for military service,” he was later reinstated and then charged with desertion
23. Elsworth Young
25th Nova Scotia Battalion, 5th Brigade, 2nd Canadian Infantry Division
Private
Shot: October 29, 1916
Desertion – Failed to report on duty for Battle of Courcelette
24. Alexander Butler
Royal Canadian Dragoons Trooper
Shot: July 2, 1916
Murder – Shot trooper five times in the chest
25. Benjamin De Fehr
1st Canadian Reserve Park
Shot: August 25, 1916
Murder – Shot and killed sergeant major