Canadian Soldier, Murderer. Born in London, England. A member of the Royal Canadian Dragoons, Alexander Butler was one of two Canadian volunteer soldiers who were executed by the British Command in France/Belgium during World War I for the crime of murder (the other being Benjamin De Fehr). On June 8, 1916, while his unit was resting behind the front lines near Hesdin, France, Butler, apparently without provocation, fired five shots into the chest of a fellow trooper, Ethelbert Mickleburgh, killing him instantly. Butler was immediately placed under arrest, court-martialed and subsequently executed by firing squad. Despite the modern theory that many of the men executed during the war suffered from what was known as "Shellshock" (now known as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder), Butler was not included in the general pardon announced by the British government on August 16, 2006 for the 306 Commonwealth soldiers (including twenty-three Canadians) who were executed for desertion or cowardice.
Canadian Soldier, Murderer. Born in London, England. A member of the Royal Canadian Dragoons, Alexander Butler was one of two Canadian volunteer soldiers who were executed by the British Command in France/Belgium during World War I for the crime of murder (the other being Benjamin De Fehr). On June 8, 1916, while his unit was resting behind the front lines near Hesdin, France, Butler, apparently without provocation, fired five shots into the chest of a fellow trooper, Ethelbert Mickleburgh, killing him instantly. Butler was immediately placed under arrest, court-martialed and subsequently executed by firing squad. Despite the modern theory that many of the men executed during the war suffered from what was known as "Shellshock" (now known as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder), Butler was not included in the general pardon announced by the British government on August 16, 2006 for the 306 Commonwealth soldiers (including twenty-three Canadians) who were executed for desertion or cowardice.
Bio by: Todd Young
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