Flogging, a type of corporal punishment, where a person is whipped with a rod or whip, was a common practice in the British army and navy. He was placed under arrest and brought before a district court-martial 4–5 days later. In July 1845 it was confirmed that the fort was ready to receive prisoners up to 200. [1] The question of culpability was legally difficult as wounding at the time was defined as breaking of the skin and White's skin was healed by the time of his death. George Ballingall, Professor of military surgery at the University of Edinburgh, wrote in the Monthly Journal of Medical Science disputing Wakley and Wilson's impartiality and the quality of the evi… [13]By 1852 the army was anticipating that the review of the Mutiny Act would lead to the abolition of corporal punishment so ordered the building of additional cells at Fort Clarence. [6], This was another step in the right direction but corporal punishment was still being used in peace time. The view was though that these punishments were as degrading as the one it aimed to replace – and open to abuse. This legislation determined what punishments could be applied to miscreant soldiers. Reforms of the British Army in 1868, included the abolition of flogging as a punishment in peacetime and reserving it as a punishment for use on active service only until, finally in 1888, it was abolished entirely. His success raised the “liveliest feelings of gratitude in the army at large, and especially in the troops quartered in Chatham” who wished to “present him with a testimonial of their appreciation of his philanthropic labours on their behalf”. [11] White could not eat his full allowance after 5 July, eating, for example, just one potato on 6 July. What follows is perhaps a moralistic tale that demonstrates how the ‘carrot’ was more effective that the ‘stick’ (lash) when it comes to expecting and realising the best of people. This was not sufficient in the ‘court of public opinion’ and flogging eventually became an issue during the 1880 election. [3] Warren placed him on a restricted diet of 0.25 pounds (0.11 kg) of potatoes and 0.75 pounds (0.34 kg) of bread per day until 9 July when he was placed on a "half diet" of 1 pound (0.45 kg) of bread, 0.5 pounds (0.23 kg) of meat, 1 imperial pint (0.57 L) of soup and 2 imperial pints (1.1 L) of tea. But significantly by 1873 it was reported that the prison was to close and it was “almost tenantless”. Until that point, it had routinely been used as punishment for soldiers who disobeyed orders. 21 September 1844, Roscommon & Leitrim Gazette –. The changes introduced by Wellington did not satisfy opponents to flogging but supporters were probably emboldened by the claim that assaults of NCOs had increased. It soon became clear that the ‘remedies’ being considered could be worse than the ‘disease’ they were seeking to cure. The vicar, however, had learnt of the flogging and alerted the Middlesex coroner Thomas Wakley. [23][1] The use of all corporal punishment in the army was abolished as part of the 1881 Childers Reforms. [3][5] On 9 July White's back and chest, which had broken out in boils, was treated with a mustard plaster. [10] In July 1845 it was confirmed that the fort was ready to receive prisoners up to 200. It was abolished from the army and navy as a disciplinary action, in 1874. Although we have all heard of flogging, you may not be aware of just how brutal it could be.This was one of the most common punishments in the Royal Navy. The press though noted the contradiction – on one hand the army wished raise the dignity of the soldier but on the other to continue to “flog him like a beast”.[4]. www.newstatesman.com/politics/2015/02/what-actually-happens-when-you-get-flogged-death, http://hansard.millbanksystems.com/commons/1846/aug/07/flogging-in-the-army. The abolition of flogging becomes an election issue. I’ve not discovered the case made during the campaign, but Otway had stated in Parliament, just prior to the election, that the Country should “relieve British soldiers from the unnecessary degradation of corporal punishment”. Boy soldiers were sometimes informally spanked, strapped or caned (see this book review ). Gosh was carried out on the parade ground of the barracks in front of his regiment. [17] It would seem that the change in the approach to discipline introduced by the Duke of Cambridge had had a more positive affect on improving discipline that the lash. [14] He concluded that death was caused by inflammation of the pleura and cardiac covering, which he recorded on the death certificate. For specific crimes a solider could be degraded and therefore become liable to be flogged should they commit a further offence. [10][11] On 11 July White lost sensation in his extremities and had difficulty passing urine. 11 June 1819, Cambridge Chronicle and Journal. James A. Garfield. In June 1819 a number of men with mental health issues were transferred to Clarence from Fort Pitt, Chatham. [5][8] After being read the decision of the court-martial White was stripped to the waist and tied by his arms and legs with cord to a ladder which was nailed to the wall at the open side of the square. [15][14] Hall sent a separate report on the death to the Army Medical Department, noting that White's back was well healed. [1] Wilson found that White's internal organs were inflamed, he described this as a direct result of the flogging and a contributory factor to White's death. [16][1] Wakley was a reformer, founder of The Lancet medical journal, and opponent of flogging. [3][10] First Class Staff Surgeon John Hall was called to attend White on the order of Sir James McGrigor. Halakha specifies the lashes must be given in sets of three, so the total number cannot exceed 39. The ‘alternatives’ considered included – placing a man in irons, fastening him to a horse or wagon to be dragged on through a day’s march, or to carry a burden for a certain period. A combination of pain, shock, and being secured naked or semi-naked, in the cold, to the halbert for a long period often left the man in a ‘frozen condition’ unable to move at the end of his punishment. By Richard L. Blanco. Military flogging was abolished in the United States Army on 5 August 1861. He was found guilty of absenting himself from tattoo [parade] and for escaping and assaulting other soldiers. [2] The fact that this latter group compared a school beating with a military flogging suggests they didn’t understand what it really involved. An army autopsy recorded that White's death was by natural causes, resulting from an inflammation of the pleura and cardiac covering, and his body was sent for a church burial. The Daily Telegraph rejoiced in Otway’s brief and brilliant campaign against the lash which had ‘doomed’ this “barbarous and disgraceful method of preserving discipline”. from the lash and the rattan came approximately 40 years after flogging had been abolished for the British soldier by the Army Discipline and Regulation Act, 1881.3 This article examines two distinct features of Indian military law during the high noon of empire: the Summary Court-Martial (SCM), introduced experimentally in the 1860s and formal He stated that Wellington had ordered that all soldiers sentenced to be flogged be examined by medical professionals to check they were fit to be so punished and that the weather conditions at the time be taken account of. The military men held that corporal punishment was essential to retaining discipline and the ‘public schoolboys’ believed that the flogging they received at school had made them better people! In the civil sphere, “whipping” was … After the total abolition of flogging, Otway at a meeting in Rochester on the Egyptian War, expressed his gratification for the splendid discipline that had been maintained in the army that no longer relied on flogging to maintain discipline. In 1846 sensing a growing antipathy to the use of the lash the Duke of Wellington reduced the maximum number of lashes that could be inflicted from 200 to 50. AND FLOGGING IN THE ARMY OF. ATTEMPTS TO ABOLISH BRANDING AND FLOGGING I37. While Britian's traditional institutions were being modernised during. In 1867 Otway attempted to have the clause permitting corporal punishment removed during the annual review of the Mutiny Bill. [5] White's brother had been located and attended as his next of kin. [15] He denied making a statement, reported by a witness in the hospital, that White had died from the effects of the flogging. The jury visited the barracks to view White's body whereupon Wakley discovered that part of the skin from White's back, measuring some 57 square inches (370 cm2), was missing having been removed during Warren's autopsy. Otway’s amendment, that “no court-marital shall for any offence whatever committed under this act during the time of peace within the Queen’s dominions; have power to sentence any solider to corporal punishment”; his amendment was carried, on this occasion, by a substantial majority of 152 to 127.[25]. [8] 11 June 1819, Cambridge Chronicle and Journal. On August 5, 1861, the United States Army officially abolished flogging as a form of corporal punishment. [3] Whyte announced to the regiment that he was sorry such a "brutish exhibition" as White's offence should be committed in the regiment and he was determined to stop such conduct. [14], The jury reported back on the fourth and final day of the inquest, 4 August, that they considered White's death to have been caused by the flogging. The regiment was marched to the Spur Battery, attended by the band and drums and fifes, to witness the punishment. This softening may, however, have arisen as a result of bacterial infection of the blood, which was not yet known to science. This was not sufficient in the ‘court of public opinion’ and flogging eventually became an issue during the 1880 election. What escaped public scrutiny were other features such as the SCM, a harsher scale of punishment and collective fines for loss of military property which continued to distinguish the Indian Army Act from the British Army Act. It was noted that assaults on NCOs had increased, and that sergeants were finding it impossible to enforce the regulations of the service, since the decision was taken to avoid corporal punishment.[5]. This was another step in the right direction but corporal punishment was still being used in peace time. [1][4][5] He had previously been punished for infractions by means of punishment drills and, prior to his 1846 sentence, had only spent one period in hospital, after being kicked by a horse. This is one of a number of reports carried in the press – many carried considerable harrowing details. [8] This request may have been so that the lash fell upon skin already damaged by flogging, and so numbed to the pain, rather than the skin on the back of his neck. Frederick John White was a private in the British Army's 7th Hussars. Once the invasion risk had passed the military sought a new use for the forts. Flogging (the usual nomenclature) had been partially abolished in 1867 following the death of Private Robert Slim from such punishment 13, but it remained available as a punishment during peacetime for crimes of mutiny or insubordination involving violence and during wartime it was extended to cover desertion and even drunkenness. [8] It would appear that there was medical oversight on the facility as the following year it was announced that “the Lady of Staff-Surgeon Murray” gave birth to a daughter.[9]. And here it rested until 1880. His success raised the “liveliest feelings of gratitude in the army at large, and especially in the troops quartered in Chatham” who wished to “present him with a testimonial of their appreciation of his philanthropic labours on their behalf”. In order to ensure the spiritual needs of the prisoners were met tenders were invited for the building of a chapel at the Fort. The Liberals prevarication on this matter enabled the Conservatives to claim that they had at least taken steps “to place the practice of flogging more in harmony with decency and enlightenment”. [1] At one point White asked for a drink of water, which was given. The following news report of a punishment, carried out at Chatham, suggests that some of the changes ordered by the Duke of Wellington were being implemented locally. [4] After finding the issue with Day's autopsy not having investigated White's spine, Wakley adjourned the second day at 3.45 pm. [11],[12] In order to ensure the spiritual needs of the prisoners were met tenders were invited for the building of a chapel at the Fort. Flogging, a type of corporal punishment, where a person is whipped with a rod or whip, was a common practice in the British army and navy. On being released from the halberts Private Gosh was taken to the hospital, from thence he will be taken to Fort Clarence military prison. For years he had heard with disgust and abhorrence of the treatment which private soldiers experienced in the British army. [1][3] The cat was swapped for a fresh one after 100 lashes at which point White asked the farriers to strike "lower, lower", whereupon they adjusted their aim. [9] Day dissented with Wilson's findings on the grounds that he did not consider that the pleura could be affected by the muscles. The fort was built in 1811/1812 as part of the wider fortification of Chatham Dockyard – in anticipation of Napoleon invading. It remained available in times of war for these two offences plus desertion, drunkenness while on duty or line of march, misbehaviour and neglect of duty. The story from here suggests that Arthur Otway was a man of tremendous tenacity and with considerable influencing skills as he turned hardline supporters of the lash, such as his own cousin Capt. [9], Colonel Whyte and the regimental surgeon Dr James Law Warren were present throughout. Branding was finally abolished in 1879, just before flogging in 1881. Soldiers so classified would not be liable for corporal punishment in peace time, except for “aggravated mutinous conduct”. [3] His back was inflamed and his skin was cold and moist. A similar punishment in the Navy was regarded as being worse, due to the design of the ‘Cat’ and the way it could be ‘delivered’; some reports saying one Naval lash was the equivalent of five in the military. George Ballingall, Professor of military surgery at the University of Edinburgh, wrote in the Monthly Journal of Medical Science disputing Wakley and Wilson's impartiality and the quality of the evidence provided by Wilson. Now, I know that many persons wish, and my hon. At this time advertisements were also being placed in newspapers to recruit military school masters with the purpose of raising the character of the solider. Until the abolition of formal corporal punishment in the British Army in 1881, the floggings ordered by Regimental Court Martial were invariably inflicted across the shoulders with the cat o'nine tails. Otway, to finally agree to its abolition. Flogging has been a common punishment since ancient times. [24], One year later in the 1868 review of the Mutiny Act, Arthur Otway successfully induced the House of Commons to abolish all floggings in times of peace. [14] White's body was sent for burial and the vicar was told he had died of a liver complaint. This punishment was not only despised by the men that received it but also by those who had to deliver it and those who were required to witness it. [21] The 1868 Cardwell Reforms further restricted the peacetime use to cases of mutiny and "aggravated insubordination and disgraceful conduct". [5][1] Sergeant Patman counted out the strokes, which were made at the rate of one every twelve seconds. [8][7] By the end of the punishment White had suffered significant blood loss, which soaked his trousers; this occurred despite regulations stating that flogging was not intended to break the skin. [20] Much to the surprise of many his amendment was passed with a majority of one. At this time another MP stated that he would be bringing forward a motion that similarly removed the power to flog members of the voluntary corps when employed on active service. [12][8], The skin on White's back healed quickly though from early July his condition deteriorated. Charles Darwin dies. In 1846 sensing a growing antipathy to the use of the lash the Duke of Wellington reduced the maximum number of lashes that could be inflicted from 200 to 50. [12] During his time in hospital White complained that he had not been in a fit state to be flogged owing to an existing chest complaint. The Liberals prevarication on this matter enabled the Conservatives to claim that they had at least taken steps “to place the practice of flogging more in harmony with decency and enlightenment”.[27]. The point was also made that differing weather conditions would also have differential impact on the severity of the punishment. Almost any crime could end with this torture. In June 1819 a number of men with mental health issues were transferred to Clarence from Fort Pitt, Chatham. This allowed him to order a third autopsy, which was carried out by renowned dermatologist Erasmus Wilson. The jury protested that Ireland might intimidate the soldiers called to testify but Wakley permitted him to remain. He was opposed at the time by the usual posh parasites that persist in Britain. The regimental adjutant Lieutenant Ireland then gave the order to Farrier-Major Critton. Fortunately – if that word can be used in these circumstances – the doctor intervened which was not universal, and the remainder of his punishment was remitted; not so many years previous it would have continued once the prisoner had recovered.[7]. The public flogging of African soldiers for petty crimes—illegal in the main British Army since 1881—led to a formal complaint in 1943 from an English-born … However, this ban did not include punishment in military prisons, where inmates could still be birched on the bare buttocks (see document below). July 2 Charles J. Guiteau, 39, tiptoed out of the men's room of a Washington train station, gripped the white bone handle of a five-shot British bulldog gun, and fired twice into the back of Pres. It was abolished from the army and navy as a disciplinary action, in 1874. VICTORIAN ENGLAND BEFORE 1881. [14] No requests for tenders to build an ‘extension’ have been found but if building work was needed to accommodate 300 prisoners[15] the work would probably have been undertaken by the prisoners themselves.   Remember poor White, the Hussar, Shortly after the inquest reported the commander-in-chief of the British Army, the Duke of Wellington, ordered that the maximum number of lashes be reduced to fifty. The condemned would be whipped with a cat-o’-nine-tails, a whip with nine (sometimes) waxed knotted tails.When a sailor was to be flogged, he would be kept in leg irons on the upper deck … Arthur Otway was the MP for Rochester from 1878 to 1885, and before that Chatham from 1865 to 1874. White was afterwards admitted to hospital where he initially progressed well but eventually deteriorated and died on 11 July. ATTEMPTS TO ABOLISH BRANDING. In 1807 the suggested maximum number of lashes was reduced to 1000, whilst flogging in the range of 300 to 700 lashes was usual iv. The last record of flogging in the British prison was in 1962. The press though noted the contradiction – on one hand the army wished raise the dignity of the soldier but on the other to continue to “flog him like a beast”. In 1880 the principled opposition of Arthur Otway, MP for Rochester, brings flogging in the British Army to an end. [21] However the vote was subsequently overruled by the minority Conservative government that held the view that a majority of one could not be taken as being the will of the house; the Government therefore ruled that the “usual clause would be introduced into the Mutiny Bill authorising the inflection of corporal punishment in certain cases”. Otway, to finally agree to its abolition. Fort Clarence becomes a ‘new’ military prison. Flogging in the British army was abolished in 1859. Soldiers so classified would not be liable for corporal punishment in peace time, except for “aggravated mutinous conduct”. [5] In the 7th Hussars corporal punishment was administered by the regimental farriers, men experienced in this role on campaign, who were instructed to strike as hard as they could or risk punishment themselves. An unrelated news report in 1869 described Otway as a “straightforward politician whose political career had been characterised by consistency throughout, and by fidelity to his constituents”.[19]. The Flog of War. [22] Flogging sentences were restricted to 25 lashes in 1879, by which time the punishment was little used. However, flogging endured as a criminal punishment until the early 1830s, 9 which may explain greater public revulsion to it as a military punishment in the nineteenth century. Warren returned at 10 pm to examine White's back which was wounded in an area around 6 inches (15 cm) in height and 4–5 inches (10–13 cm) in width between his shoulder blades. The opponents pointed out that not only was the punishment degrading and humiliating, the effectiveness of armies that no longer used the lash had not been compromised. This may have been due to a predominance of MPs who had been or were associated with the military, and men who had been educated at boarding school. However rather than using their dominance in the House to end flogging the Liberal Government wanted to first explore ‘alternatives’. To deal with the valid concern that the use of flogging was having a detrimental impact on recruitment, the Duke of Cambridge, in 1859, introduced an arrangement where all men on entering the army were categorised as ‘First Class’. Tagged as: Army, Arthur Otway, Chatham, flogging, Fort Clarence, mental health, MP, Soldiers, Spur Battery. Since a good many sailors in the 17 th, 18 th and early 19 th centuries were pressed into service unwillingly, a firm hand was often needed to keep the crews in line. [7][10] White was not seen by a doctor for another 90 minutes when Warren, accompanied by Whyte, visited. The case resulted in publicity for the cause of abolition, though some medical professionals disputed the inquest findings. [23], Although unsuccessful at this occasion Otway gave notice that he would renew his opposition in future years. [1] On 7 August the prime minister, Lord John Russell, was questioned in parliament over the continued use of flogging in the army. To deal with the consequence of use of the lash being limited and ‘crime’ increasing the army needed extra prison accommodation and a new approach to maintaining discipline. Arthur Otway announced he was perfectly satisfied with the Minister’s announcement and ‘suspended’ his campaign. [14] An unsigned article in the London Medical Gazette disputed the jury's findings and claimed that White had died because he was an alcoholic, though the author also thought that fifty lashes would have been a sufficient punishment. Much to the surprise of many his amendment was passed with a majority of one. A majority of one is not a majority says the Government! It is little wonder that a man had to serve a prison sentence after being flogged because it would have been weeks before he would be fit for duty. An unrelated news report in 1869 described Otway as a “straightforward politician whose political career had been characterised by consistency throughout, and by fidelity to his constituents”. This punishment was not only despised by the men that received it but also by those who had to deliver it and those who were required to witness it.[1]. Although considerably ‘sanitised’ compared with the detail conveyed in the press at the time, some readers my find some aspects of the following upsetting. However the vicar became suspicious when he heard that White had been flogged and reported the death to the Middlesex coroner Thomas Wakley. He was sentenced to 50 lashes and to be imprisoned for 12 months with hard labour; the Commander-in-chief commuted the 50 lashes to 25. After one year of uninterrupted good conduct they could be restored to ‘First Class’. Of particular concern was the use of the lash in prisons which were beyond public scrutiny. The military men held that corporal punishment was essential to retaining discipline and the ‘public schoolboys’ believed that the flogging they received at school had made them better people! After one year of uninterrupted good conduct they could be restored to ‘First Class’. [3][1] His shirt, doused in water, was placed over his back and he was covered with his overcoat and taken to the barracks hospital. The fact that this latter group compared a school beating with a military flogging suggests they didn’t understand what it really involved. recorded its disappointment in the decision of the House of Commons and hoped to soon see the army governed without flogging during peace. The report stated that the doctor, who always had to be in attendance at such punishments (after Wellington’s ‘improvements’) needed to intervene after 25 lashes as the prisoner had fainted. [19] Its last lines were:[20], Tied up hands and feet to a ladder, One year later in the 1868 review of the Mutiny Act, Arthur Otway successfully induced the House of Commons to abolish all floggings in times of peace. [1][6] This was probably the first time White had been flogged. One of few countries where corporal punishment is still officially used in the armed forces is Singapore, where military legislation provides that errant soldiers can be sentenced by court-martial to strokes of the cane. Flagellation, referred to as flogging in the British military, was a form of corporal punishment inflicted by means of whipping the back of the prisoner. The lash is finally abolished through the efforts of Arthur Otway, The first recorded instance I’ve found in the press of Arthur Otway raising concerns about the use of flogging was in a debate in 1866 that questioned the need to brand soldiers if they deserted (D) or were regarded as being of ‘bad character’ (BC). [9] 16 September 1820, Caledonian Mercury. The Times recorded its disappointment in the decision of the House of Commons and hoped to soon see the army governed without flogging during peace. The United States Army abolished flogging in 1861. [1]www.newstatesman.com/politics/2015/02/what-actually-happens-when-you-get-flogged-death, [3] August 1846, http://hansard.millbanksystems.com/commons/1846/aug/07/flogging-in-the-army. 'S death was a private in the 18th century whipping or flogging was carried out on 15 with... 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