Shot at Dawn Memorial

The Shot at Dawn Memorial stands in the National Memorial Arboretum near Alrewas, Staffordshire. It remembers 309 soldiers from the British Army and Commonwealth who were executed by firing squad during the First World War. The site lies within a living forest of remembrance planted with thousands of trees and memorials. Visitors approach through quiet woodland paths lined with other tribute groves. The arboretum itself covers 150 hectares and is open every day of the year. The memorial was created by artist Andy DeComyn and unveiled in June 2001. It shows a young soldier blindfolded and tied to a post, modelled on Private Herbert Burden who lied about his age and was shot for desertion. Around the statue is a semicircle of posts, each bearing the name of one of the executed men. In 2024 the wooden posts were replaced with recycled material during renovation. The figures reveal that of 20 000 soldiers found guilty of capital offences, only 346 executions were carried out. At the centre stands the life-size statue facing the firing squad line. Behind it the posts carry the names of all 309 men, arranged by nationality and theatre of war. The setting is peaceful, intended for quiet reflection rather than spectacle. Families of the executed once carried the stigma of cowardice, and the memorial acknowledges the lasting pain of those who served on the firing squads. The names on the posts remain the focus, each one a story of a life cut short by war.