Army Discipline. Flashcards
Why did men continue to fight?
Men continued to fight because they were afraid of being punished if they did not follow orders.
Note the sentences issued in World War 1.
•Five million men served in the British army; 3,080 death sentences were passed during the war. Of these 3,080 men, 346 were executed. Nearly 90 per cent had their death
sentences suspended, or changed to imprisonment or field punishment.
• Charges of cowardice were brought at 551 trials. Eighteen soldiers were executed for cowardice.
• Four hundred and forty nine men were sentenced to death for sleeping at their post between 1914 and 1918 but in only two cases were the sentences carried out.
Why are the punishments not being carried out scarier?
The punishments not being carried out is scarier, because how will you know when one know if when one get ps in trouble that they will be safe?! It was a risky gamble men would have preferred to avoid.
Why did men not want to be punished?
Men did not want to be punished-embarrassing- when men are supposed to be
“strong” due to the patriarchal society.
Furthermore, for the Pals Battalions, many would have been proud of their area, and being punished means letting down their area. Additionally, men will have wanted to not lose the respect and friendship they had earned in the war by being punished, or to have tension between future workmates if they survived the war.
