Shot at Dawn Memorial The Shot at Dawn Memorial is a British Monument at the National Memorial Arboretum near Alrewas , in Staffordshire , UK . It memorialises the 306 British and Commonwealth soldiers executed after courts - martial for cowardice or desertion during World War I . The memorial was created by the British public artist Andy De Comyn . It was commissioned in 2000 and unveiled at the National Memorial Arboretum by Mrs . Gertrude Harris , daughter of Private Farr , in June 2001 . Mrs . Marina Brewis , the great niece of Lance Corporal Goggins , also attended the service . The real usual cause for their offences has been re - attributed in modern times to post - traumatic stress syndrome and combat stress reaction . Soldiers accused of cowardice were often not given fair trials ; they were often not properly defended , and some were under age . Another perspective is that the decisions to execute were taken in the heat of war when the commander ' s job was to keep the army together and fighting . The families of these victims often carried the stigma of the label of " coward " . Another side to this form of " justice " is the lasting emotional pain caused to those who were in the firing squads , shooting the " deserters " . Britain was one of the last countries to still dishonour these victims of shell shock and , to this date , none of their names appear on any British war memorial . John Major emphasised this in 1993 when he told the Commons that pardoning the ' deserters ' would be an insult to those who died honourably on the battlefield and that everyone was tried fairly . However , in 2007 , the Armed Forces Act 2006 was passed allowing the soldiers to be pardoned posthomously , although section 359 ( 4 ) of the act states that the pardon " does not affect any conviction or sentence . " The memorial portrays a young British soldier blindfolded and tied to a stake ready to be shot by a firing squad . The memorial was modelled on the likeness of 17 - year - old Private Herbert Burden , who lied about his age to enlist in the armed forces and was later shot for desertion . It is surrounded by a semicircle of stakes on which are listed the names of every soldier executed in this fashion . These included : Harry Farr , Thomas Highgate , Second Lieutenant Eric Poole , Lance Corporal Peter Goggins , Victor Spencer , Pte . Albert Ingham 18 / Manchester Regiment ( Attd . 90th Coy . MGC ) , Pte . Herbert Chase of 2 / Lancashire Fusiliers , Private Joseph Bateman 2 / South Staffs Regt . , Lance Corporal James Holland , 10th Cheshire Regiment , Private Thomas Brigham , 1 / 10th Bn . Manchester Regt . , Rifleman James Crozier . 9th Bn , The Royal Irish Rifles , Private Albert Botfield of the 9th South Staffordshire Regiment , Private Thomas Downey , 6th Leinster Regiment , SERGEANT JOHN ROBINS , 5TH WILTSHIRE REGIMENT , Private James Archibald , 17th Royal Scots , James Archibald of 17 / Royal Scots , Private William Bowerman of 1 / East Surrey Regiment , Private William Hunter , 1 / Loyal North Lancashire Regiment , Private Thomas Downing , 6th South Lancashire Regiment , Private Robert Burton , 6th South Lancashire Regiment , Pte . William Hunt 18 / Manchester Regiment , John Abigail , 8 / Norfolk Regiment , Sapper Robert Bell , 123 Field Company Royal Engineers , Private Alfred Longshaw 18 / Manchester Regiment .