Canadian Soldier, Murderer. Born in Winkler, Manitoba, Canada. A driver the Canadian Army Service Corps (CASC), 1st Canadian Reserve Park, Benjamin De Fehr 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 Alexander Butler). On August 19, 1916, while serving in a rear area near Hazebrouck, France, De Fehr inexplicably picked up his rifle and shot his Regimental Sergeant-Major (RSM James R. Scott) through the back, killing him instantly. De Fehr 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), De Fehr 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. Ironically, RSM Scott's remains are located in the same cemetery, in Grave 10, only three graves away from De Fehr.
Canadian Soldier, Murderer. Born in Winkler, Manitoba, Canada. A driver the Canadian Army Service Corps (CASC), 1st Canadian Reserve Park, Benjamin De Fehr 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 Alexander Butler). On August 19, 1916, while serving in a rear area near Hazebrouck, France, De Fehr inexplicably picked up his rifle and shot his Regimental Sergeant-Major (RSM James R. Scott) through the back, killing him instantly. De Fehr 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), De Fehr 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. Ironically, RSM Scott's remains are located in the same cemetery, in Grave 10, only three graves away from De Fehr.
Bio by: Todd Young
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