Honoring WW1 Victims: Shell Shock Soldiers

0:00It's March 1st. This episode is brought to you by NordVPN, fast, reliable, online privacy. Links in the episode description. Here's your UK news in two minutes. Every year, Manchester Cathedral hosts a solemn ceremony to honor 13 soldiers from the Manchester Regiment and King's Liverpool Regiment. These men were executed during the First World War for desertion or cowardice. But today, they're seen as victims of shell shock and what we now call Post-traumatic stress disorder. All 13 receive pardons from the British government back in 2006. The ceremony, now in its 12th year, takes place in the Regimental Chapel amid books, remembering 14,000 808 fallen, soldiers from the regiment. These 13 men's names aren't listed on war memorials or in standard remembrance books, so this event keeps their stories alive. They face unimaginable trench horrors, with constant artillery fire breaking their nerves. Civic leaders, veterans, and the Lord Mayor gathered recently as names like,

1:02Private William Witterley and Private James Smith were read aloud. These young men, mostly in their 20s, had fought in brutal battles like the psalm and Iepra before their breakdowns led to fatal court marshals. Regimental Association Chairman Graham Braithwaite explains the lasting family stigma with photos hidden and names unspoken for generations. The group pushes to reframe them as war victims, not cowards, though adding names to memorials faces high costs. This annual right helps heal old wounds, ensuring these soldiers join the honored fallen and reminding us to better support those scarred by battle.