The Red Cloud chief., 1913-01-16
PENALTIES FOR TOMMY ATKINS.
How British Soldier 10 Punished for offenses IN
Time Of War.

When a soldier proceeds on active service he
has to mind his p's" and "qs." for offenses when
in peace time would be lightly punished may In
the field render him liable to death. says London
Tit.Bits. In time of peace. II Tommy Atkins, De
ing on sentry so. sleeps or IL drunk on MS post
or quits 1t without being properly relieved. ne
will probably get off with short dose of impris-
onment or perhaps OF detention only. On ac-
tive service the penalty for these onenses Ia
death.
II would not usually be enforced nowadays.
except for n repeated offense or where. owing 10
the prevalence Of msbehavior among sentrIes. IL
Is necessary to make an example,, but sun the
liability to death is there.
In peace the maximum penalty for deserton
Ia two years Imprisonment, with or without hard
labor but in practice lrst offense will get a
short term OF Imprisonment On active service
the deserter takes the risk OF death II recaptured
and II the offense is committed actually In face OF
the enemy he will probably be shot.
Similarly, acts OF insubordination which In the
ordinary way would be comparatively venial Of
lenses become punishable by death on active
service. In passing 1t may be mentioned that
even In peace nsubordinate soldier may be
sentenced to death II convicted by general
court.martial on one or another Of the following
charges: Striking or using or offering any
violence to his superior officer. being In the exc
cution OF his Office; or disobeying. In such man.
ner as to show willful defiance OF authority
perior officer in the execution OF his ofhca
whether the same Is given orally or In writing
or by signal or otherwise.
In peace. however the maximum penalty has
not been inflicted for these offenses for many
years,
Active service brings into being ofIenses which
practically do not exist In peace One OF the
most serious OF crimes peculiar to active service
is forcing a safeguard" The commander OF an
invading army will often detach parties of his
own men to protect the persons and property OF
civilian inhabitants from violence by his own
side. To force such a safeguard almost invar
ably means death,
Breaking into a house or any other place in
search OF punder may also mean death. even
when there is no safeguard; but as a rule les
penalty would be inflicted. It depends
good deal on the commander. Some generals
wink at loOting others--Lord Roberts, for one
are very severe on II.
During the Boer war more than one Of our
men was executed for the sake OF Boer fowl
or bottle Of square. face" On one occasion only
the readiness OF an Irish Tommy" saved him
from the firing party or the gallows He was
caught with couple OF fowls under his coat and
by no less a parsonage than "Bobs" himself. out
riding with his staff
Asked for an explanation, he instantly replied
that he had caught the fowls running loose on
the veldt and that. hearing the commander in
chief was on short rations. he was on his way to
ask his lordship to accept them as a present
The fowls and the explanation were accepted
1t is possible for a soldier to show cowardice
In time OF peace. In such a he would prob
ably be charged with act conduct ito the
prejudice Of good order and military discipline"
sentenced to a stin dose Of imprisonment and to
be discharged with ignominy,"
; On active service any act OF cowardice Is pun
ishable by death. while soldier who in action
or previously to going into action. uses words cal
cuated to create unnecessary alarm or despon
dency." ia liable to penal servitude.
Who carries out a sentence OF death on active
service? This Is the duty of the provost marsha,
who, with large force. Is an officer OF fairly
high rank He Is responsible for making all ar
rangements for the execution and, II necessary
he must himself act as executioner. In the Roer
war one provost-marshal was Major (now Col
oneD r. NJ Poore. the famous Hampshire crick
eter.