Arthur Ernest Allsop
- Family History
- Military History
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Arthur Ernest Allsop was born in 1897 the son of John, a colliery labourer and Eliza Allsop (née Hencliffe). John was born in 1865 at New Willington Derbyshire, Eliza in 1869 at Alfreton. Married in 1893 at Derby, they had seven children, six surviving infancy - Albert Melville b.1894 Leabrooks, Arthur b.1897 Hucknall, Leonard b.1905 Nuncargate, Violetta b.1905 Nuncargate, and Hilda Allsop b.1909 Alfreton. On the 1911 census, they are listed at 9, Barracks Lane, Stoneford Lane, Stanton Hill. The family later lived at 5, Club Row, Bagthorpe , Nottinghamshire.
Arthur Ernest Allsop served with the 12th Battalion King's Royal Rifle Corps . He was executed for desertion on 15th June 1917 and is buried at Favreuil British Cemetery Grave Reference: I B 20
The following is taken from Shot at Dawn by Julian Putkowski and Julian Sykes: 28638 Rifleman, Arthur E. Allsop, 12th Bn. King's Royal Rifle Corps. Executed for desertion 15th June 1917, aged 21. Son of John and Eliza Allsop, of 5, Club Row, Bagthorpe, Nottingham. In November 1916 he was convicted, while serving in the UK, of desertion for which 112 days’ detention was imposed. In Mar 1917 Allsop seems to have deserted again, this time from a base camp in France and was sentenced to death, but this was commuted to 5 years’ imprisonment, suspended. Later on however, he went absent from his first tour of duty in the front line. At trial, he stated that his brother had been killed and that his mother was ill — but to no avail. The firing squad for his execution on 15 June was — unusually — commanded by the battalion second-in-command, Major Aylmer, who selected a squad from the battalion’s snipers. (Putkowski and Sykes, p.175) Arthur's brother Melville served in the 17th Battalion Sherwood Foresters. He was killed in action on 6th May 1916 and is buried in Le Touret Military Cemetery Richebourg-L'Avoue Research by Peter Gillings In 2006 Defence Secretary Des Browne announced, on moral rather than legal grounds, posthumous pardons for 306 men shot for cowardice and desertion during the Great War. However, he did acknowledge that the executions were carried out in a very different era under the duress of war. Families wishing to go beyond pardons by seeking complete exoneration for executed men would have to pursue the issue case by case in court. That no families have taken this course suggests that pardons have allowed descendants to draw a line and move on. David Nunn
