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Lest We Forget
8TH NOVEMBER 2026
Shot At Dawn
During WW1 over 300 soldiers, many only teenagers that had lied about their age to enlist, were sentenced to death by firing squad for desertion.
We remember those who fell on the battlefield, their names etched in stone, their sacrifice honoured, their courage never forgotten. But there were others. Men who endured the unimaginable horrors of war, only to face a firing squad at dawn. Branded as cowards, denied compassion and forgotten by history, many were themselves victims of the very war they were sent to fight. Their names deserve to be spoken, their stories deserve to be told, and their suffering deserves to be acknowledged.
We remember those who fell on the battlefield, their names etched in stone, their sacrifice honoured, their courage never forgotten. But there were others. Men who endured the unimaginable horrors of war, only to face a firing squad at dawn. Branded as cowards, denied compassion and forgotten by history, many were themselves victims of the very war they were sent to fight. Their names deserve to be spoken, their stories deserve to be told, and their suffering deserves to be acknowledged.
They were shot at dawn by firing squad for not following orders, refusing to fight, they were blindfolded, a white hankie placed over their heart by the medic, they were then tied to a post and shot.
The following poem is written by Jon Turner who's great grandad's brother Arthur Harold Robinson signed up aged 22 and served in the 9th Battalion Northumberland Fusiliers.
He was on the frontline at the Battle of the Somme.
Shot at Dawn aged 24 10th May 1916.
Jon commissioned a piece of work by renowned local artist Ray Lonsdale in remembrance of Arthur. Each piece of Rays work is accompanied by a poem - Jon wrote this piece himself.
Shot at Dawn
The frost clings white upon the wire,
A silence heavier than prayer.
No bird dares sing, no wind conspires,
The morning hangs in bitter air.
They lead me where the shadows thin,
Eyes blindfold bound, yet wide within.
The world is hushed, the rifles wait-
Cold justice dressed in soldier's hate.
I think of home, of fields once sown,
Of laughter lost, of love unknown.
The bugle's breath begins to rise,
The sky unmoved, indifferent skies.
A single word, a volley cracks,
The earth accepts what courage lacks.
No medal's shine, no mourner's song,
Just silence where the brave go wrong.
And history will not speak my name,
But whisper only coward, shame.
Yet in the dawn, where blood has bled,
The truth is buried with the dead.
Post shared from @charcoalmonkeys
Image Credit : Ray Londsdale Statues by Paul Levitt
@tworedrubberthings
@paullevitt61
The following poem is written by Jon Turner who's great grandad's brother Arthur Harold Robinson signed up aged 22 and served in the 9th Battalion Northumberland Fusiliers.
He was on the frontline at the Battle of the Somme.
Shot at Dawn aged 24 10th May 1916.
Jon commissioned a piece of work by renowned local artist Ray Lonsdale in remembrance of Arthur. Each piece of Rays work is accompanied by a poem - Jon wrote this piece himself.
Shot at Dawn
The frost clings white upon the wire,
A silence heavier than prayer.
No bird dares sing, no wind conspires,
The morning hangs in bitter air.
They lead me where the shadows thin,
Eyes blindfold bound, yet wide within.
The world is hushed, the rifles wait-
Cold justice dressed in soldier's hate.
I think of home, of fields once sown,
Of laughter lost, of love unknown.
The bugle's breath begins to rise,
The sky unmoved, indifferent skies.
A single word, a volley cracks,
The earth accepts what courage lacks.
No medal's shine, no mourner's song,
Just silence where the brave go wrong.
And history will not speak my name,
But whisper only coward, shame.
Yet in the dawn, where blood has bled,
The truth is buried with the dead.
Post shared from @charcoalmonkeys
Image Credit : Ray Londsdale Statues by Paul Levitt
@tworedrubberthings
@paullevitt61
In 2007, the Armed Forces Act 2006 was passed allowing these soldiers to be pardoned posthumously.
A Shot at Dawn Memorial at the National Memorial Arboretum commemorates 309 British and Commonwealth soldiers who were shot for desertion, cowardice, striking a senior officer, disobeying a lawful order, casting away arms, mutiny and sleeping at post during the First World War.
A Shot at Dawn Memorial at the National Memorial Arboretum commemorates 309 British and Commonwealth soldiers who were shot for desertion, cowardice, striking a senior officer, disobeying a lawful order, casting away arms, mutiny and sleeping at post during the First World War.
Created in 2000 by the British public artist Andy DeComyn the memorial was a gift to the soldiers relatives.
Deliberately located at the most easterly part of the Arboretum where the sun rises first, the memorial portrays a young British soldier blindfolded and tied to a stake, ready to be shot by a firing squad, 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 each of which are listed the names of the soldiers executed.
It was unveiled by Gertrude Harris, daughter of Private Harry Farr, in June 2001. Marina Brewis, the great-niece of Lance Corporal Peter Goggins, also attended the service, the relatives of 2 servicemen that were part of the campaign for the soldiers to be pardoned. It was Farr's family, who had suffered from shame and financial hardship following his execution, that began the campaign in 1992 and brought a legal case against the Ministry of Defence. Farr had been hospitalised numerous times for shell shock and did not have a fair trial.
Deliberately located at the most easterly part of the Arboretum where the sun rises first, the memorial portrays a young British soldier blindfolded and tied to a stake, ready to be shot by a firing squad, 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 each of which are listed the names of the soldiers executed.
It was unveiled by Gertrude Harris, daughter of Private Harry Farr, in June 2001. Marina Brewis, the great-niece of Lance Corporal Peter Goggins, also attended the service, the relatives of 2 servicemen that were part of the campaign for the soldiers to be pardoned. It was Farr's family, who had suffered from shame and financial hardship following his execution, that began the campaign in 1992 and brought a legal case against the Ministry of Defence. Farr had been hospitalised numerous times for shell shock and did not have a fair trial.
Ray Lonsdale’s Powerful Tributes across the North East
And, of course, a special mention for our very own North East artist Ray Lonsdale, whose extraordinary sculpture Eleven-O-One, affectionately known as Tommy, has become one of the region’s most poignant symbols of remembrance.
The suffering of war did not end on the battlefield. It lived on in the hearts of those who returned, forever changed by what they had witnessed, and in the homes of families who waited, grieved and learned to live with the unbearable weight of loss.
Through his deeply moving sculptures, North East artist Ray Lonsdale captures this often-overlooked human side of war. Not simply the bravery of those who fought, but the quiet heartbreak of those left behind, the anguish of separation and the painful memories carried by generations. His work reminds us that behind every uniform was a human being, behind every fallen soldier a grieving family, and behind every act of remembrance a story of love, loss and sacrifice.
This Remembrance Day, we remember those who fell in battle, those who returned but were never quite the same, the families who bore the heartbreak, and those who faced the firing squad at dawn.
For those who gave their lives, those who carried the scars and those whose suffering went unrecognised — we remember them all.
The suffering of war did not end on the battlefield. It lived on in the hearts of those who returned, forever changed by what they had witnessed, and in the homes of families who waited, grieved and learned to live with the unbearable weight of loss.
Through his deeply moving sculptures, North East artist Ray Lonsdale captures this often-overlooked human side of war. Not simply the bravery of those who fought, but the quiet heartbreak of those left behind, the anguish of separation and the painful memories carried by generations. His work reminds us that behind every uniform was a human being, behind every fallen soldier a grieving family, and behind every act of remembrance a story of love, loss and sacrifice.
This Remembrance Day, we remember those who fell in battle, those who returned but were never quite the same, the families who bore the heartbreak, and those who faced the firing squad at dawn.
For those who gave their lives, those who carried the scars and those whose suffering went unrecognised — we remember them all.
His sculptures are scattered across the North East, with several serving as powerful reminders of the impact of war.
His work conveys incredible sensitivity and emotion, often providing deep moments of reflection.
(Above)
Eleven O One
or Tommy
Statue In Seaham, County Durham
A statue of a British infantryman commemorating the end of World War 1.
(Below)
The Ball and The Bradford Boy
Statue In Bishop Auckland, County Durham
A memorial to the Bradford brothers and other soldiers from Witton Park who fought in World War 1 and both received the Victoria Cross.
Murton Cenotaph And Children of Mothers
A serene sculpture by Ray Lonsdale, positioned eloquently by The Cenotaph in Murton, near Seaham.
Humanity Remained
The statue reminding us that even amid the horrors of war, the human spirit prevails.
North Marine Park, South Shields NE33 2AL
His work conveys incredible sensitivity and emotion, often providing deep moments of reflection.
(Above)
Eleven O One
or Tommy
Statue In Seaham, County Durham
A statue of a British infantryman commemorating the end of World War 1.
(Below)
The Ball and The Bradford Boy
Statue In Bishop Auckland, County Durham
A memorial to the Bradford brothers and other soldiers from Witton Park who fought in World War 1 and both received the Victoria Cross.
Murton Cenotaph And Children of Mothers
A serene sculpture by Ray Lonsdale, positioned eloquently by The Cenotaph in Murton, near Seaham.
Humanity Remained
The statue reminding us that even amid the horrors of war, the human spirit prevails.
North Marine Park, South Shields NE33 2AL
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