This being the centrepiece is a statue of a young man Private Herbert Francis Burden

of the 1st Battalion Northumberland Fusiliess who was the first to be shot a dawn.

21st July 1915 aged 17

http://youtu.be/d7FFW40AZxA

The National Arboretum Croxall Road, in the village of Alrewas, Staffordshire UK

This being the centrepiece is a statue of a young man ­ age 17 Private Herbert Burden of the 1st Battalion Northumberland Fusiliess who was the first to be shot. He was blindfolded and strapped to a post, surrounded by 306 other posts, each with the name, age and ­regiment of a man who was executed.

Conceived as a place of national remembrance not only for the fallen, but also for those who have served the nation. There are over 250 memorials the centrepiece of which is The Armed Forces Memorial. There is also a memorial to those who were ‘Shot at Dawn’ over three hundred men who were shot as cowards, but many we would now recognise as suffering from post traumatic stress disorder. The first being Private Herbert Burden, of the 1st Battalion Northumberland Fusiliers, was shot at Ypres, Belgium on 21st July 1915 aged 17.

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.

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 include:

Private John Abigail, 8/Norfolk Regiment

Private George Ainley, 1st/4th Battalion, Kings Own Yorkshire Light Infantry

Private James Archibald, 17th Battalion, Royal Scots

Lance Serjeant H. Ashton, 11th Battalion, Cameronians

Private William Baker, 26th Battalion, Royal Fusiliers

Rifleman R. L Barker, 6th Battalion, Royal Fusiliers

Private Joseph Bateman, 2/South Staffs Regiment

Sapper Robert Bell, 123 Field Company, Royal Engineers

Private J. Bennett, 1st Battalion, Hampshire Regiment

Private D. J. Blakemore, 8th Battalion, North Staffordshire Regiment

Private Albert Botfield, 9th Battalion, South Staffordshire Regiment

Private William Bowerman, 1/East Surrey Regiment

Private Thomas Brigham, 1/10th Battalion, Manchester Regiment

Private C. Britton, 1/5th Battalion, Royal Warwickshire Regiment

Private F. Broadrick, 11th Battalion, Warwickshire Regiment

Private A. Brown, 10th Battalion, Black Watch

Private Archibald Browne, 2nd Battalion, Essex Regiment

Private Herbert Francis Burden, 1st Battalion, Northumberland Fusiliers

Private Robert Burton, 6th Battalion, South Lancashire Regiment

Private J. Byers, 1st Battalion, Royal Scots Fusiliers

Private Herbert H. Chase, 2nd Battalion, Lancashire Fusiliers

Rifleman F. W. Cheeseman, 18th Kings Royal Rifle Corps

Private G. E. Collins, 1st Battalion, Lincolnshire Regiment

Private J. Crampton, 9th Battalion, Yorks & Lancs Regiment

Rifleman James Crozier. 9th Battalion, The Royal Irish Rifles

Private J. J. Daly, 1st Battalion, Connaught Rangers

Private Edward Delargy, 1st/8th Battalion, Royal Scots

Private Thomas Docherty, 2nd Battalion, King’s Own Scottish Borderers

Rifleman Thomas Donovan, 16th Battalion, King’s Royal Rifle Corps

Private Walter Dossett, 1st/4th Battalion, York and Lancaster Regiment

Private Thomas Downey, 6th Leinster Regiment

Private Thomas Downing, 6th South Lancashire Regiment

Sub Lieutenant Edwin Dyett, Nelson Battalion, Royal Naval Division

Private A. Evans, 1st Battalion, Royal Scots Fusiliers

Private Alfred E. Eveleigh, 1st Battalion, The Buffs (East Kent Regiment)

Private G. Everill, 1st Battalion, North Staffordshire Regiment

Private Harry Farr, 1st Battalion, West Yorkshire Regiment

Private Ernest Fellows, 3rd Battalion, Worcestershire Regiment

Lance Corporal J. S. V. Fox, 1st Battalion, Wiltshire Regiment, attached 3rd Division Cyclists’ Company

Private A. Frafra, Gold Coast Regiment

Private Evan Fraser, 2nd Battalion, Royal Scots

Private J. W. Fryer, 12th Battalion, Queen’s (Royal West Surrey) Regiment

Private Robert Gawler, 1st Battalion, The Buffs (East Kent Regiment)

Private D. Gibson of 12th Battalion, Royal Scots

Lance Corporal Peter Goggins, 19th Battalion, Durham Light Infantry

Private F. C. Gore, 7th Battalion, The Buffs (East Kent Regiment)

Private Thomas Harris, 1st Battalion, Queen’s Own (Royal West Kent Regiment)

Private Bert Hartells, 3rd Battalion, Worcestershire Regiment

Private T. Hawkins, 7th Battalion, Royal West Surrey Regiment (Queen’s)

Private Thomas Highgate, 1st Battalion, Royal West Kent Regiment

Lance Corporal James Holland, 10th Cheshire Regiment

Private R. Hope, 1st Battalion, Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers

Private Thomas Hope, 2nd Battalion, Leinster Regiment

Private H. Hughes, 1st/5th Battalion, Yorks and Lancs Regiment

Private William Hunt, 18/Manchester Regiment

Private William Hunter, 1/Loyal North Lancashire Regiment

Private J. J. Hyde, King’s Royal Rifle Corps

Private Albert Ingham, 18/Manchester Regiment (Attd. 90th Coy. MGC)

Corporal Frederick Ives, 3rd Battalion, Worcestershire Regiment

Private W. Jones, 9th Battalion, Royal Welsh Fusiliers

Private C. La Liberte, 3rd Battalion, Canadian Expeditionary Force

Driver Alexander Lamb, 21st Battery, 2nd Brigade, Royal Field Artillery

Private Ernest Lawrence, 2nd Battalion, Devonshire Regiment

Private F. Loader, 1/22nd Battalion, Royal Fusiliers

Private Alfred Longshaw, 18/Manchester Regiment[2][8]

Lance Corporal Allassan Mamprusi, Gold Coast Regiment

Rifleman Samuel McBride, 2nd Battalion, Royal Irish Rifles

Private Charles McColl, 1st/4th Battalion, East Yorkshire Regiment

Private John McFarlane, 4th Battalion, King’s Liverpool Regiment

Private B. McGeehan, 1/8th Battalion, King’s Liverpool Regiment

Private J. S. Michael, 10th Battalion, Cameronians

Private L. Mitchell, 8th Battalion, Yorks and Lancs Regiment

Private Thomas Lionel Moles, 54th Battalion, Canadian Expeditionary Force

Private H. Morris, 6th Battalion, British West Indies Regiment

Private Joseph Nisbet, 1st Battalion, Leicestershire Regiment

Private A. Parry, 2nd Battalion, West Yorkshire Regiment

Private Louis Phillips, 6th Battalion, Somerset Light Infantry

Private Albert Henry Pitts, 2nd Battalion, Royal Warwickshire Regiment

Second Lieutenant Eric Skeffington Poole, 11th Battalion, West Yorkshire Regiment

Corporal George Povey, 1st Battalion, Cheshire Regiment

Private Albert Rickman, 1st Battalion, Royal Dublin Fusiliers

Sergeant John Robins, 5th Wiltshire Regiment

Private John Robinson, 3rd Battalion, Worcestershire Regiment

Private George Ernest Roe, 2nd Battalion, King’s Own Yorkshire Light Infantry

Private William Scotton, 4th Battalion, Middlesex Regiment

Private J. Seymour, 2nd Battalion, Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers

Private W. H. Simmonds, 23rd Battalion, Middlesex Regiment

Rifleman F. N. Slade, 2/6th Battalion, London Regiment

Private James Smith, 17th Battalion, The King’s (Liverpool Regiment)

Private W. Smith, 3/5th Battalion, Lancashire Fusiliers

Private Victor Manson Spencer, 1st Battalion, Otago Regiment of the New Zealand Division

Private J. Steadman, Machine Gun Corps

Private R. Stevenson, 1/4th Battalion, Loyal North Lancashire Regiment

Private Stanley Stewart, 2nd Battalion, Royal Scots Fusiliers

Private Alfred Thompson, 3rd Battalion, Worcestershire Regiment

Private R. T. Tite, 13th Battallion, Royal Sussex Regiment

Private Frederick Turner, 6th Battalion, Northumberland Fusiliers

Private William J. Turpie, 2nd Battalion, East Surrey Regiment

Sergeant J. T. Wall, 3rd attalion, Worcestershire Regiment

Private G. Watkins, 13th Battalion, Welsh Regiment

Private A. H. Westwood, East Surrey Regiment

Private J. H. Wilson, 4th Battalion, Canadian Expeditionary Force

Private W. Wycherley, 2nd Manchester Regiment

Private R. Young, 11th Battalion, Worcestershire Regiment

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ShotatDawn_Memorial

During World War One, around 306 British and Commonwealth soldiers were shot for desertion or cowardice, most of them were sentenced after a short trial at which no real opportunity for defence was allowed, this would have been sad for many families. At last it is recognised that several of them were under age when they volunteered and that many of them suffering from shell shock or post traumatic stress disorder, Andy Decomyn's statue shot at dawn is modelled on Private Herbert Francis Burden, of the 1st Battalion Northumberland Fusiliers, who was shot at dawn at Ypres on 21st July 1915,aged 17.

The names of Herbert Francis Burden and those others who suffered the fate of being shot at dawn are listed on the stakes arranged in the form of a greek theatre around the statue, symbolising the tragedy that these events signify, many of the posts say Age unknown and this is because many young men lied about their age in order to enlist, some of them had no representation at court-martial because most of the officers had been killed when they went over the top, first (the average life expectancy of an officer on the front line was 10 weeks) We know of these 306 soldiers, sadly to this day we do not know the total figure because between 80pc and 90pc of those sentenced to die had their sentences commuted and were probably sent to jail or hard labour.

Each year many visitors ask about the location of the Shot at Dawn Memorial in the Arboretum, it seems appropriate that it should be on the eastern edge where dawn strikes, the six trees facing the posts represent the firing squad, all aiming for the medal around the statue's neck and none of them knowing who had the fatal bullet, it must have been very traumatic for them too, having to shoot one of their own. The Campaign For a Pardon After the 75 year Secrecy Act was lifted, Members of the Shot at Dawn Organisation started Campaigning for a Pardon.

The campaign commenced in 1992 and was led by Janet Booth who sought a pardon for her grandfather, Private Harry Farr, janet's grandmother had lived with the shame and stigma of her husband being shot for cowardice in 1916. She believed he was wrongly convicted and actually suffering from shellshock. Harry Farr's family took the Ministry of Defence to the high court and won, in 2006 a posthumous pardon was granted for Private Harry Farr and the other men that were Shot at Dawn.

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 mass pardon of 306 British Empire soldiers executed for certain offences during the Great War was enacted in section 359 of the Armed Forces Act 2006, which came into effect on royal assent on 8th November 2006.

hi,very nice photo.the hill is called meall nan tarmachan. very well done.

Tolles Foto ! Like!

Wie hast du das gemacht ?

Gruß Ralph

Like !!!

mystic

Greetings from germany, ralph

Very many thanks. Kindest regards, Roy.

Yes lovely view ,nice to see a different veiw of Ayr from an unusual position.

I know a little about it, enough to know I could never walk it, though I would have loved to. (arthritis) But I had a look on the website earlier, and I intend to get to some of the places and have a go with the camera! I live in Warrington, but I'm from Ayr. It's a great idea, a virtual walk. I have some friends who did it, but they said they felt too rushed (by the rest of the group they walked with) to really enjoy it. So it seemed more of a trial than a trail :) I'll do what I can!!! Regards, Rena

Thanks, just proves that old Blighty can be as beautiful as any other part of the world... depends on how you look at it :)

Top photo, well thought out..

Thanks Keith! This is Greenan Castle, taken while facing Ayr shore in the background :)