LONDON, Nov 8: More than 300 British and Commonwealth soldiers executed for cowardice and desertion during World War I were pardoned on Wednesday, in a move hailed by families as proving they were `victims of war’. “The pardon, which covers 306 men shot at dawn during the 1914-1918 conflict, was announced by the government in August but was enshrined in law with the passage of the Armed Forces Act by parliament.

The act gained Royal Assent, or formal approval by Queen Elizabeth II, on Wednesday.

Families of the men immediately hailed the pardon, saying it finally acknowledges that they were “victims of war.” They have long contended the men were suffering from undiagnosed shell shock or faced unjust trials.

The move ends a 16-year-long drive led by John Hipkin, who founded the Shot At Dawn campaign in 1990 after being shocked at reading declassified service records about how many teenagers were executed.

“There is no excuse for shooting 17-year-old boys. To shoot one would have been terrible, but to shoot four is unforgivable,” Hipkin said.

“It's about time there was a blanket pardon given to all the British (and Commonwealth) soldiers who were shot... That's what we got.” In a statement, Defence Secretary Des Browne insisted that the move was not about “rewriting history”.—AFP