Peter Goggins: Difference between revisions
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{{short description|British Army soldier}} |
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| ⚫ | [[Lance Corporal]] '''Peter Goggins''' (1894 – |
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{{distinguish|Peter Goggin}} |
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{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2020}} |
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{{Infobox military person |
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| name = Peter Goggins |
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| image = |
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| caption = |
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| birth_date = 1894 |
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| death_date = 18 January 1917 (aged 23) |
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| birth_place = [[South Moor]], [[County Durham|Durham]] |
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| death_place = near [[Arras]], France |
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| placeofburial = |
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| placeofburial_label = |
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| placeofburial_coordinates = <!-- {{Coord|LAT|LONG|display=inline,title}} --> |
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| nickname = |
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| birth_name = |
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| allegiance = United Kingdom |
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| branch = {{army|United Kingdom}} |
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| serviceyears = |
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| rank = [[Lance Corporal]] |
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| servicenumber = |
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| unit = [[Durham Light Infantry]] |
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| commands = |
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| battles = [[First World War]] |
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*[[Western Front (World War I)|Western Front]] |
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| awards = |
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| relations = |
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| laterwork = |
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| signature = |
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}} |
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| ⚫ | Born in [[South Moor]], [[County Durham|Durham]], Goggins was a [[Mining|miner]] who joined the 19th Battalion, [[Durham Light Infantry]] as a volunteer, although his occupation exempted from [[conscription]].<ref name="Ellman">{{cite |
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==Biography== |
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| ⚫ | On November |
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| ⚫ | Born in [[South Moor]], [[County Durham|Durham]], Goggins was a [[Mining|miner]] who joined the 19th Battalion, [[Durham Light Infantry]] as a volunteer, although his occupation exempted him from [[conscription]].<ref name="Ellman">{{cite news|url=http://www.sundaymirror.co.uk/news/sunday/2005/10/30/sacrificed-98487-16311805/|author=Ellman, Dennis|title=Sacrificed|newspaper=The Sunday Mirror|date=30 October 2005|accessdate=20 November 2007}}</ref> |
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| ⚫ | On 26 November 1916, Goggins was guarding a position near [[Arras]] on the [[Western Front (World War I)|Western Front]] with Corporal John McDonald. Sergeant [[Joseph Stones]], fleeing a [[German Empire|German]] ambush, ran past their position shouting "Run for your lives; the Huns are on top of you!", and Goggins and McDonald retreated to a reserve [[trench]] {{convert|20|yd}} away. Both men were subsequently charged with deserting their posts, and in spite of Stones' evidence that he had given the order to retreat, they were convicted at [[court martial]] on Christmas Eve and sentenced to death.<ref name="Jones">{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/military/story/0,,1851222,00.html|author=Jones, Sam|title=Shot at dawn: the soldiers' stories|newspaper=The Guardian|date=16 August 2006|accessdate=20 November 2007}}</ref><ref name="Goggins">{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2006/08/16/npardon216.xml|title=Sgt Peter Goggins|newspaper=The Daily Telegraph|date=16 August 2006|accessdate=20 November 2007}}{{dead link|date=July 2021|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref><ref name="Englebrecht">{{cite news|url=http://archive.thisisthenortheast.co.uk/2006/6/21/229449.html|author=Englebrecht, Gavein|title='My uncle was shot at dawn for simply following orders'|newspaper=The Northern Echo|date=21 June 2006|accessdate=20 November 2007}}</ref> Stones was sentenced to death at a separate court martial several days later for casting away his rifle in the same incident. The sentences were supported by [[Brigadier General|Brigadier-General]] Henry O'Donnell, who wrote that he had doubts about the quality of the evidence, but felt that the executions were necessary to set an example to other men in the battalion.<ref name="Lloyd ">{{cite web|url=http://archive.darlingtonandstocktontimes.co.uk/2006/8/16/226639.html|author=Lloyd, Chris|title=The final victory|publisher=Darlington and Stockton Times|date=16 August 2006|accessdate=20 November 2007}}</ref><ref>O'Donnell's letter is reproduced at [http://www.janpieterchielens.be/shotatdawn/page28.html http://www.janpieterchielens.be/shotatdawn/page28.html] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080919023417/http://www.janpieterchielens.be/shotatdawn/page28.html |date=19 September 2008 }} by the Shot at Dawn Campaign group.</ref> All three men were executed on 18 January. The chaplain who prayed with them before their deaths remarked that he had never met three braver men.<ref name="Elliott">{{cite news|url=http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/legal/article66375.ece|author1=Elliott, Francis|author2=Stummer, Robin|name-list-style=amp|title=Is a pardon in sight for Billy Nelson, one of 306 soldiers shot by firing squad in WWI?|newspaper=The Independent|date=28 March 2004|accessdate=19 November 2007|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://archive.today/20130420211427/http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/legal/article66375.ece|archivedate=20 April 2013}}</ref> |
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| ⚫ | Goggins' execution had a devastating effect on his family. His wife of six months disappeared soon afterwards, and his mother had a [[Mental breakdown|nervous breakdown]].<ref name="Goggins" |
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| ⚫ | Goggins' execution had a devastating effect on his family. His wife of six months disappeared soon afterwards, and his mother had a [[Mental breakdown|nervous breakdown]].<ref name="Goggins"/> He was seldom mentioned by his family, who saw his conviction as a source of shame, and his niece, Marina Brewis, who had simply been told that he died in the war, only learned his true fate years later from a television documentary.<ref name="Jones"/> On learning the truth she began a campaign for her uncle to be pardoned.<ref name="Diffley">{{cite web|url=http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/tm_objectid=16784168&method=full&siteid=50081&headline=justice-looms-at-last-name_page.html| author=Diffley, Jamie|title=Justice looms at last|publisher=The Evening Chronicle (Newcastle)|date=7 March 2006|accessdate=20 November 2007}}</ref> |
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| ⚫ | Goggins' case became a well-publicised example of the injustices of the First World War due to the efforts of Marina Brewis, the fact that he had apparently been following orders, and the fact that the triple execution was unique.<ref name="Englebrecht"/> In 2006, Goggins was finally pardoned along with the other 305 British and British Empire soldiers executed for cowardice during the First World War, under the terms of the [[Armed Forces Act 2006]].<ref name="Iggulden">{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/core/Content/displayPrintable.jhtml?xml=/news/2006/08/17/npardon17.xml&site=5&page=0|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130421055609/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/core/Content/displayPrintable.jhtml?xml=/news/2006/08/17/npardon17.xml&site=5&page=0|url-status=dead|archive-date=21 April 2013| author=Iggulden, Amy|title= Tears for the families who lived with shame|newspaper=The Daily Telegraph|date=17 August 2006|accessdate=20 November 2007}}</ref><ref name="BBC">{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4796579.stm|title=300 WWI soldiers receive pardons|work=BBC News|date=16 August 2006|accessdate=19 November 2007}}</ref> His case had been one of those discussed in [[Parliament of the United Kingdom|Parliament]] during the passage of the Act.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theyworkforyou.com/debates/?id=2006-11-07b.766.0&s=fathers| title=Armed Forces Bill (Programme) (No. 2)|publisher=Hansard|date=7 November 2006|accessdate=20 November 2007}}</ref> |
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==See also== |
==See also== |
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*[[Harry Farr]] |
*[[Harry Farr]] |
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*[[Shot at Dawn Memorial]] |
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*[[:fr:Soldat fusillé pour l'exemple|{{fr}} Soldat fusillé pour l'exemple]] |
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==References== |
==References== |
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{{ |
{{Reflist}} |
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{{Authority control}} |
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Goggins, Peter}} |
{{DEFAULTSORT:Goggins, Peter}} |
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[[Category:1917 deaths]] |
[[Category:1917 deaths]] |
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[[Category:Durham Light Infantry soldiers]] |
[[Category:Durham Light Infantry soldiers]] |
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[[Category: |
[[Category:British Army personnel executed during World War I]] |
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| ⚫ | |||
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[[Category:20th-century executions by the United Kingdom]] |
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[[Category:Executed military personnel]] |
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[[Category:Executed British people]] |
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[[Category:People executed by the British military]] |
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[[Category:Recipients of British royal pardons]] |
[[Category:Recipients of British royal pardons]] |
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[[Category:Deaths by firearm in France]] |
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[[Category:People from South Moor]] |
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| ⚫ | |||
| ⚫ | |||
[[Category:People who have received posthumous pardons]] |
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Latest revision as of 05:27, 19 January 2024
Peter Goggins | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1894 South Moor, Durham |
| Died | 18 January 1917 (aged 23) near Arras, France |
| Allegiance | United Kingdom |
| Service |  British Army |
| Rank | Lance Corporal |
| Unit | Durham Light Infantry |
| Battles / wars | First World War |
Lance Corporal Peter Goggins (1894 – 18 January 1917) was a British soldier who was executed for desertion during the First World War. His case later became a well publicised example of the injustices of British military discipline during the war, and he was pardoned in 2006.
Biography
[edit]Born in South Moor, Durham, Goggins was a miner who joined the 19th Battalion, Durham Light Infantry as a volunteer, although his occupation exempted him from conscription.[1]
On 26 November 1916, Goggins was guarding a position near Arras on the Western Front with Corporal John McDonald. Sergeant Joseph Stones, fleeing a German ambush, ran past their position shouting "Run for your lives; the Huns are on top of you!", and Goggins and McDonald retreated to a reserve trench 20 yards (18 m) away. Both men were subsequently charged with deserting their posts, and in spite of Stones' evidence that he had given the order to retreat, they were convicted at court martial on Christmas Eve and sentenced to death.[2][3][4] Stones was sentenced to death at a separate court martial several days later for casting away his rifle in the same incident. The sentences were supported by Brigadier-General Henry O'Donnell, who wrote that he had doubts about the quality of the evidence, but felt that the executions were necessary to set an example to other men in the battalion.[5][6] All three men were executed on 18 January. The chaplain who prayed with them before their deaths remarked that he had never met three braver men.[7]
Goggins' execution had a devastating effect on his family. His wife of six months disappeared soon afterwards, and his mother had a nervous breakdown.[3] He was seldom mentioned by his family, who saw his conviction as a source of shame, and his niece, Marina Brewis, who had simply been told that he died in the war, only learned his true fate years later from a television documentary.[2] On learning the truth she began a campaign for her uncle to be pardoned.[8]
Goggins' case became a well-publicised example of the injustices of the First World War due to the efforts of Marina Brewis, the fact that he had apparently been following orders, and the fact that the triple execution was unique.[4] In 2006, Goggins was finally pardoned along with the other 305 British and British Empire soldiers executed for cowardice during the First World War, under the terms of the Armed Forces Act 2006.[9][10] His case had been one of those discussed in Parliament during the passage of the Act.[11]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Ellman, Dennis (30 October 2005). "Sacrificed". The Sunday Mirror. Retrieved 20 November 2007.
- ^ a b Jones, Sam (16 August 2006). "Shot at dawn: the soldiers' stories". The Guardian. Retrieved 20 November 2007.
- ^ a b "Sgt Peter Goggins". The Daily Telegraph. 16 August 2006. Retrieved 20 November 2007.[dead link]
- ^ a b Englebrecht, Gavein (21 June 2006). "'My uncle was shot at dawn for simply following orders'". The Northern Echo. Retrieved 20 November 2007.
- ^ Lloyd, Chris (16 August 2006). "The final victory". Darlington and Stockton Times. Retrieved 20 November 2007.
- ^ O'Donnell's letter is reproduced at http://www.janpieterchielens.be/shotatdawn/page28.html Archived 19 September 2008 at the Wayback Machine by the Shot at Dawn Campaign group.
- ^ Elliott, Francis & Stummer, Robin (28 March 2004). "Is a pardon in sight for Billy Nelson, one of 306 soldiers shot by firing squad in WWI?". The Independent. Archived from the original on 20 April 2013. Retrieved 19 November 2007.
- ^ Diffley, Jamie (7 March 2006). "Justice looms at last". The Evening Chronicle (Newcastle). Retrieved 20 November 2007.
- ^ Iggulden, Amy (17 August 2006). "Tears for the families who lived with shame". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 21 April 2013. Retrieved 20 November 2007.
- ^ "300 WWI soldiers receive pardons". BBC News. 16 August 2006. Retrieved 19 November 2007.
- ^ "Armed Forces Bill (Programme) (No. 2)". Hansard. 7 November 2006. Retrieved 20 November 2007.
