218217 Pte. James A. Haddock British Army 12th Btn. Yorks & Lancs Regiment from:Sheffield, (d.16th Sep 1916) James Haddock served with the 12th Battalion, Yorks & Lancs Regiment. He was executed for desertion on 16th September 1916 aged 32 and is buried in Vieille-Chapelle New Military Cemetery, Lacouture, France.
He was the son of Edwin Haddock, of 21, Ranskill Rd., Tinsley Park, Sheffield.
Julian Putkowski, and Julian Sykes in their book state that James was a regular soldier, possibly a reservist at the beginning of the war, who had been recalled to the colours and arrived in France on 9th September 1914. James was originally posted to the 2nd Battalion but was transferred to the Sheffield City Battalion (12th Yorks. and Lancs.). At the time of his posting to the trenches on the Somme, he was already on a twenty year (later reduced to five years) suspended sentence for a previous offence of desertion. Despite this he left again on his way up to the trenches on 30th June 1916, the day before Somme Offensive of 1st July 1916. He went into hiding but was discovered five days later on 5th July by Military Police, seven miles from the Battalions trenches
At the subsequent Field Court Martial held on 24th August 1916, James defence was that he was suffering with his feet and the medical officer had told him to rest. He had got lost trying to find transport and when he was apprehended, he was actually looking for the police to ask for directions. To say that this was a flimsy defence is something of an overstatement. His orders at the time of his desertion were to follow his colleagues into the trenches - James did not - he went missing for five days and when found, he was hiding in a civilian wagon without either his equipment or rifle. He had made no attempt whatsoever to rejoin his colleagues.
But the most crucial element to the case was his past Army service record. Since arriving in France, he had deserted seven times as well as being charged with being drunk on active service and refusing to obey an order. He was already under a suspended sentence of five years that had been passed by a FGCM as recently as April 1916. The verdict of the Court Martial was inevitable - James was sentenced to death by firing squad. The Court Martial had no discretion on this matter but did add a recommendation for mercy. The verdict was then passed up the chain of command and the sentence was endorsed at every level. The recommendation for mercy was not a factor. It finally reached the Commander in Chief of the British army in France General Douglas Haig on 12th September 1916 who confirmed the verdict and sentence of the FGCM
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