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from The Times,
Wednesday 15 March, 2000
Village votes to remember
first shot deserter
BY ADRIAN LEE
THE name of the first
soldier to be shot for desertion in the First World War is to be
added to a Kent village war memorial after an overwhelming local
vote in favour of the move.
Residents crowded outside Shoreham village store yesterday to
read a notice posted by the vicar, the Rev Barry Simmons, reporting
that eight out of ten voters had approved the placing of a brass
plaque bearing the name of Private Thomas Highgate next to those of
his fallen comrades.
For years after Private Highgate, 19, was convicted of abandoning
his comrades in The Queen's Own Royal West Kent Regiment, mention of
his name in Shoreham was taboo. His family is thought to have left
the village in shame, and when the memorial was erected in 1922 no
thought was given to including his name. The names of three of his
brothers who subsequently died in action are honoured on a monument
in Sidcup.
Of 51 men from Shoreham who went to fight in the Great War, only
two returned. The young Private Highgate survived the Battle of
Mons, in which almost 8,000 men were killed. He said that he
accidentally became separated from his regiment, but when he was
found hiding in a barn wearing clothes taken from a scarecrow, a
court martial, at which he defended himself, concluded that he had
deserted and ordered him shot "to set an example".
At 6.22am on September 8, 1914, he was visited by a chaplain who
informed him that he was to be shot at dawn. An hour later he faced
the firing squad - the first of 300 men to die in such a way in the
First World War.
Following Shoreham's vote, it is estimated that another 120
communities around the country could be faced with a similar
dilemma.
The vicar welcomed the result of the poll. He said: "It seems
that Private Highgate was purely and simply a young soldier who was
so terrified he deserted. My own feeling is that he fought at Mons
so played his part."
Another supporter of the move, Joy
Saynor, a local historian,
said: "I feel that during the First World War there was no
understanding of the mental problems those poor young men suffered.
It was quite wrong that they were simply executed. It is important
that the village has had its say."
Mr Simmons said he did not believe the referendum, in which one
in five of the 1,100 locals eligible voted, would be the cause of
any lingering resentment. "It is a very friendly village where we
respect one another's opinion," he said.
The inscription on the memorial at Shoreham reads: "Remember as
you look on the hill those who gave their lives for their country
1914-1918 and 1939-1945." Some of those who voted in favour lost
relatives whose names are already on the monument, the vicar said.
Among those opposing the move was Major Michael Green, the
president of the Shoreham branch of the Royal British Legion. He
said: "I'm very sorry for this chap and I hope he will be pardoned.
But I don't think we should re-write history in this way."
Major Green, who served throughout the Second World War with the
First Airborne Division, said: "Most of the people who voted have no
idea of what it's like to be in battle and to be let down by a
colleague."
The British Legion, which has the final say, has indicated that
it will respect the wishes of the village.
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