London - The British government will not issue a blanket pardon to soldiers shot dead for desertion or mutiny during the first World War, a defence ministry spokesman said yesterday.
Over 300 soldiers, some as young as 17, were shot dead for desertion as an example to others during the four-year conflict. Members of the Shot At Dawn society, which represents those shot for desertion during the Great War, took part yesterday in London's Remembrance Day service for the first time following a campaign by the Royal British Legion.
Mr Andrew Mackinlay, a Labour MP, said: "The issue will not go away. New Zealand just a few weeks ago granted posthumous pardons to New Zealanders executed in World War One, and I understand the Canadian parliament is looking at it."