The official meaning of desertion in military terms is extremely cold hearted - Abandonment of a duty or post without permission, with the intention of not returning.
In actual reality, many of those men were more likely suffering from severe shell shock and simply could not face being on the front line with the sounds of guns and shells exploded all around. They were men with unseen injuries that would, in today's terms, have meant that they would have been medically discharged and sent for treatment.
In total, its recorded that 306 British and Commonwealth soldiers were short for cowardice or desertion. They were usually blindfolded and tied up in front of a firing squad of 12 men.
Post-war, the names of those men were not placed on the war graves alongside those that had fought and died serving their country. Even today, many of the names of those men are still missing and families continue to tirelessly fight to change that. It wasn't until 2006, that the men were giving a blanket pardon, yet it really shouldn't have taken so long.
Today, you can visit the Shot At Dawn memorial situated in Staffordshire, England. It was designed by Andy DeComyn and unveiled in 2000 and depicts a young British soldier blindfolded and tied to a stake like those 306 men were, ready to be shot by a firing squad. It is one of the only memorials of its kind and really makes you think about whether those men really deserved it.
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