Interesting Article:"When Genealogy Digs Up Unwanted Secrets" Oh My!

[suey]

Hi Standfast  - occasionally a short line of text can be misconstrued, my apologies 

Suey

[rancegal]

  I'm afraid I shall be a bit of a pedant here and say that it's actually Court Martial, and the plural is Courts Martial (ie Military Courts).
  It does rather sound as if the officer 'played the system', but it always makes my heart bleed to think what happened to 'other ranks' under the same circumstances.
      Go and visit the Shot at Dawn memorial at the National Memorial Arboretum near Lichfield.
  Take a big hanky, there is a handy seat where you can have a good cry. I'm not exaggerating, my eyes are filling with tears just picturing it!

[Standfast]

Oops !  you're quite right rancegal ! - and i should know better ! 

I actually got into a very protracted debate on another forum, many having differing views on the subject, and all heartfelt - it did get very very heated ! It's a very emotive subject for sure.
I've read some of the Courts Martial papers relating to some of the shot at dawn cases, and as you say the subject provokes strong emotions.
My view point has always been that whether or not they were guilty by the standards of military Law at the time, at least in the cases of those who were executed you'd be hard pushed to find even by considering the standards of military law at the time, anything that resembled a fair trial. 
There are though some cases which on the face of it ( by the standards of military law then ) were correctly brought before the courts, it's the manner in which they were prosecuted that i've always had issue with.
Below i've pasted a link to the video of a lecture on the subject of Harry Farr that you might find interesting.
The Lecture is given by Professor Simon Wessely at Gresham College.
It is in my opinion a very objective view of the whole sorry case. you can also download the video from the page.
http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/shell-shock-or-cowardice-the-case-of-harry-farr
Let me know what you think.

Standfast

[a chesters]

On the wifes side, it was accepted that one couple were from Northern England, or Scotland.

When I did the research, I found that there were convicts sent out to Australia in the 1830's ,1840's, from Ireland

I told another in the family, but not the Mil, as she was to frail at that time to be able to accept the convict aspect.

Our reaction was, these things happen, facts come ahead of family stories, but telling those involved depends on circumstances.

A Chesters

[Meezer]

I found reports in several papers (written in scandalised tones) of my Great Grandmother running off with the lodger in the 1880's and leaving 7 children. A cousin was horrified and told me I "should stop looking now". Needless to say I'm not! Like it or not, that was what happened and to me even if we find out things that surprise or upset us it helps to flesh out these names on our family trees as real people.

One of hubby's best finds was the relative who bought a shop and inherited a package that had been left in a cupboard that turned out to contain a mummified body!

[anpefa1]

i am positive that i have unearthed a bigamous marriage and a resultant child, however, should i inform the person who i "know" that is, i am in contact with? its a family member and it makes his brother his half brother. would he want to know? silence is golden and all that.

the pink painter (pseudonym for this post) 

[Billyblue]

i am positive that i have unearthed a bigamous marriage and a resultant child, however, should i inform the person who i "know" that is, i am in contact with? its a family member and it makes his brother his half brother. would he want to know? silence is golden and all that.

the pink painter (pseudonym for this post) 

Hard to know.    
When I discovered that my aunt was really my cousin, it was left to me to let her three children know (they were asking about the FH) -   one reacted with "Isn't that interesting" and went off to phone his cousin who had just become his uncle (!); the younger girl said it didn't really matter to her, her mum was still her mum;  the older girl hasn't talked to any of us ever since !!

Dawn M

[Ringrose]

What have I found.....a ggggrandmothers suicide ,a gggrandfathers illegitimate son who is down as a servant on theg census,agggrandfather who was a bigamist not once but twice and was tried at the Old Bailey........they all add some interest to my tree .I wish I could find more.
Ringrose

[Mavals]

My sister , chatting to a lady at a "posh" dinner party recently- (I never get invited to that sort of thing thankfully) told one of the guests that I had discovered that our g grandfather and g g uncle had "done time" back in 1880. The lady recoiled in shock. Huh?  My reaction on being told - It happened 130 years ago, get a life woman!

All the descendants of this line are aware of my findings and not one of the has batted an eyelid. Its just an interesting part of the family history.