217693 Pte. William Wycherley British Army 2nd Btn. Manchester Regiment from:Cheetham Hill, Manchester (d.12th Sep 1917) William Wycherley was executed 12/9/17 for desertion and buried in Coxyde Military Cemetery , Belgium.
Private William Wycherley was one of the men executed by his own side during the Great War. Generally, these men are titled "Shot at Dawn". This work does not cast any judgment on the men or their actions, especially Pte Wycherley. It simply reports the facts as they have been found.
Although it is not clear exactly when William joined the army, his marriage certificate to May Owen, dated 16th June 1915, shows him as serving as a Private with the Manchester Regiment. At the time he is recorded as being 22 years old with an occupation of Grocer's Assistant. His address was 1, Beesley Street, Prescot. His wife Mary was aged 25 and lived in Fallowfield, Manchester.
Private William Wycherley had been absent on at least two occasions prior to the final case, which resulted in his execution. His initial offence, for which the punishment is not known, was to overstay his leave in the UK by seven weeks. He then deserted as his battalion, the 2nd Manchesters, was making its way to the front line. Again, the punishment is not known.
Then on 25th June 1917, Private Wycherley complained of feeling sick just before going over the top and he disappeared. His battalion had just recently taken over the inner sector of the Nieuport bridgehead, close to the sea. No offensive operations were planned for this sector, indeed any action was likely to be purely defensive, as the battalion had been ordered to retain the line at all costs.
It seems likely that Pte. Wycherley's trip "over the top" was to be part of a trench raid, perhaps gathering intelligence on the enemy troops facing them.
Two days after going missing, William Wycherley was arrested at Etaples, where he gave false identity details. Once his true identify was uncovered, he was returned to the northern Belgian coast to face his punishment and was executed on 12th September 1917 at Coxyde. He was 24 years old.
The mass pardon of 306 British Empire soldiers executed for certain offences during the Great War was enacted in section 359 of the Armed Forces Act 2006, which came into effect on royal assent on 8th November 2006.
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