Execution by firing squad in the United Kingdom has been limited to times of war, armed insurrection, and within the military.
Within the military, Admiral John Byng was one of the most senior officers to be shot, and the last of his rank, during the Seven Years' War. On March 14 1757 he was shot at Portsmouth for "failing to do his utmost" in an encounter with the French fleet (or "to encourage the others" as Voltaire wryly commented).
Following the 1916 Easter Rising in Ireland, the 15 leaders were shot.
In World War I, 11 captured German spies were shot in the Tower of London. The Tower was used the last time in World War II; the German spy, Corporal Josef Jakobs , was shot on August 15 1941.
Since the 1960s there has also been some controversy concerning 306 British and Imperial troops (including 25 Canadians, 22 Irish and 5 New Zealanders) who were shot for cowardice, many of whom are now thought to have been suffering from combat stress reaction or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (or "shell-shock" as it was then known). The New Zealand government pardoned their troops in 2000; the British government declined to do so, although in 1998 they did express sympathy for the victims.
Capital punishment in the UK, including the military, was formally outlawed when the European Union Amsterdam Treaty came into force in May 1999, although there had been no executions by any method since 1964.
See also
Last updated: 08-21-2005 20:49:57
