John Braithwaite (journalist)
| John Braithwaite | |
|---|---|
| Born | 3 January 1885 Dunedin, New Zealand |
| Died | 29 October 1916 (aged 31) Rouen, France |
| Allegiance |
 New Zealand
|
| Service/branch | New Zealand Military Forces |
| Years of service | 1915–1916 |
| Rank | Private |
| Battles/wars | |
| Relations |
Joseph Braithwaite (father) Warwick Braithwaite (brother) Rewi Braithwaite (brother) Roderick Braithwaite (brother) Rodric Braithwaite (nephew) Nicholas Braithwaite (nephew) David Braithwaite (nephew) |
John Braithwaite (3 January 1885–29 October 1916) was a New Zealander who served in the First World War with the New Zealand Expeditionary Force. A journalist before the war, in 1916 he was convicted of mutiny and executed by firing squad. He was posthumously pardoned in September 2000 through the passage of the Pardon for Soldiers of the Great War Act 2000.
John Braithwaite was born in Dunedin, New Zealand, on 3 January 1885, one of 16 children to a bookseller and his wife. After completing his schooling, he worked alongside his father. In 1911, he became a journalist and lived in Sydney, Australia, for a time.
Braithwaite enlisted in the New Zealand Expeditionary Force (NZEF) in May 1915. Some of his brothers were already serving abroad with the NZEF, one being wounded at Gallipoli. He was posted to the 2nd Battalion of the New Zealand Rifle Brigade and embarked for the Middle East in January 1916. Within a matter of weeks of arriving in Egypt, he was transferred to 2nd Battalion, Otago Infantry Regiment. Promoted to lance corporal in April, his unit was shipped to France for service on the Western Front. His performance as a soldier soon deteriorated.
In May 1916, shortly after his arrival in France, Braithwaite was demoted for being absent without leave. The following month, he was courtmartialed for three offences; a second period of absence without leave; lying to an officer; and falsifying a leave pass. He was sentenced to 60-days Field Punishment No. 2 but continued to disregard military discipline. The following month he escaped confinement and on recapture, a senior NZEF officer recommended that he be returned to New Zealand to serve out his punishment. Sentenced to two years imprisonment for his escape, he was being transferred to a prison facility at Blargies when he evaded his guards and went on the run for two days before being caught. He received a further two-year term of imprisonment.
Sent to Blargies, Braithwaite appeared to settle down and accept prison life. He applied to the commandant of the prison for a suspension of his sentence so that he, and other soldiers of New Zealand and Australia, could return to the front lines. His request was passed to Lieutenant General William Birdwood, commanding officer of I ANZAC Corps. In late August 1916, Braithwaite became involved in a mutiny. Blargies had already been the scene of an earlier mutiny by British soldiers protesting at their treatment. This time, an Australian prisoner had become unruly and began resisting attempts by guards to confine him. Braithwaite intervened and dragged the Australian away from the guards and a gathering crowd of Australian prisoners, already disgruntled at their harsh treatment. He later claimed that he reminded the struggling Australian of the petition to Birdwood and not to jeopardise this and that his (Braithwaite's) actions were aimed at calming the situation. However, he, along with three others, were charged with mutiny.
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