NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / New Zealand

Memorial at last for executed NZ soldier

By Kurt Bayer
NZ Herald·
21 Apr, 2016 05:00 PM4 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Video Player is loading.
Current Time 0:00
/
Duration 0:00
Loaded: 0%
Stream Type LIVE
Remaining Time -0:00
 
1x
    • Chapters
    • descriptions off, selected
    • captions settings, opens captions settings dialog
    • captions off, selected

      This is a modal window.

      Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window.

      Text
      Text Background
      Caption Area Background
      Font Size
      Text Edge Style
      Font Family

      End of dialog window.

      This is a modal window. This modal can be closed by pressing the Escape key or activating the close button.

      Autoplay in
      5
      Disable Autoplay
      Cancel Video
      David Braithwaite speaks about his uncle, Pte Jack Braithwaite, a Kiwi soldier executed in 1916.

      A New Zealand soldier executed for mutiny during World War I will finally be commemorated at a war memorial in Britain after a dogged campaign by an amateur Wellington historian.

      Before the war, Cecil John "Jack" Braithwaite was the "black sheep" of a prominent Dunedin family.

      The self-titled "Bohemian journalist" and raconteur had a taste for alcohol and nose for trouble.

      When the dark days of The Great War came, and his younger brother Horace was badly wounded during the Anzac landings at Gallipoli, he volunteered for the New Zealand Expeditionary Force.

      But Private Braithwaite was far from a model soldier. After a year in the army, he lost his lance corporal stripe for being absent without leave and twice trying to escape.

      Advertisement
      Advertise with NZME.
      Advertisement
      Advertise with NZME.

      The 34-year-old was sent to a British army military prison in northern France where, on August 28, 1916, he became embroiled in a row with a boisterous Australian prisoner.

      Braithwaite stuck up for his Anzac comrade, later claiming he was trying to pacify the situation, but was court-martialled for mutiny.

      He was found guilty and sentenced to death. At dawn on October 29, 1916, Braithwaite was executed by firing squad.

      Advertisement
      Advertise with NZME.

      Five New Zealanders were executed during the war. The Australian Government did not allow death sentences.

      After years of campaigning, Private Braithwaite was posthumously pardoned by the New Zealand Government in 2000 and by Britain in 2006.

      A Shot at Dawn memorial, remembering those executed by their own side during World War I, stands at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire, England.

      Private Braithwaite's nephew David visited in 2005. He wandered around all 306 memorial stakes but there wasn't one for his uncle. He was bewildered why he had been forgotten. "I was told he didn't qualify because his crime was mutiny," said Mr Braithwaite, a former Mayor of Hamilton.

      Discover more

      New Zealand

      Students honour Featherston soliders in stone

      21 Apr 03:45 AM
      Mr David Braithwaite pictured in front of a photograph dating back to 1903 of his uncle, Private Jack Braithwaite, who was executed by the British Army on a charge of mutiny in October 1916.
      Mr David Braithwaite pictured in front of a photograph dating back to 1903 of his uncle, Private Jack Braithwaite, who was executed by the British Army on a charge of mutiny in October 1916.

      "I began to try and right that wrong but found it a very tiring business."

      Last year, Waikanae Beach amateur historian Geoff McMillan phoned him out of the blue. He, too, had been shocked during a visit to the memorial by the private's omission.

      After a year of relentless campaigning, the memorial's landscape and memorials committee has agreed to Mr McMillan's calls to have the shot soldier's name included.

      "It's been a long battle as mutineers have been treated as something akin to murderers but this is a very positive result," Mr McMillan said.

      Geoff McMillan at Alrewas National Memorial in England in 2015. Amateur historian Geoff McMillan was instrumental in getting Jack Braithwaite recognised at the Shot at Dawn memorial.
      Geoff McMillan at Alrewas National Memorial in England in 2015. Amateur historian Geoff McMillan was instrumental in getting Jack Braithwaite recognised at the Shot at Dawn memorial.

      David Braithwaite, 79, is delighted with the news. Growing up, his family never spoke about Jack, one of 16 children to Joseph Braithwaite - bookseller and Mayor of Dunedin in 1905-06. Five sons served in the war. Two were killed and another died of his injuries after coming home.

      "We had a proud family history in the war but when Jack was executed, his father died a few months later of a broke heart. No doubt about that," David Braithwaite said.

      Advertisement
      Advertise with NZME.

      "Jack was the black sheep, a black mark on the family, which is a terrible shame."

      The dishonourable burden caused the once highly respected Braithwaite family, to "disintegrate", he believes.

      But news that Jack's tragic story will be properly recognised has helped to reunite the family.

      "We do not eulogise Jack. He was a rascal and certainly not the greatest soldier but he did not deserve to suffer the fate he did."

      Lost medal reunited with owner

      It's an Anzac story with a happy ending - a woman who found a military medal in a gutter has returned it to its rightful owner.

      Karin Cunningham was hopping into a taxi at Palmerston North Airport on Monday when she saw in the gutter the bronze medal with a blue, green and red ribbon.

      Advertisement
      Advertise with NZME.

      She took a photo of the regalia - a New Zealand Defence Service Medal with a coat of arms on its rear, and posted it to Facebook. She contacted the army as well, and the social media post was shared almost 2500 times. Hundreds of retired servicemen and women messaged her with tips to find the owner.

      She said the Royal New Zealand Air Force finally pinpointed the owner as Ohakea 24-year-old Sam Angliss, who plans to wear the medal at the dawn parade on Monday.

      Save

        Share this article

      Latest from New Zealand

      New Zealand

      Marine biologist's family search for closure after mountain fall

      13 Jul 09:12 PM
      New Zealand

      Fire at Parnell commercial premises attended by seven trucks and one ladder truck

      New Zealand

      Thick fog blankets Auckland on Monday morning

      From early mornings to easy living

      sponsored
      Advertisement
      Advertise with NZME.
      Recommended for you
      New homes, enduring comfort
      Sponsored Stories

      New homes, enduring comfort

      13 Jul 08:50 PM
      Luxon backs fast-tracking supermarkets and defends ‘brain drain’ stats
      New Zealand

      Luxon backs fast-tracking supermarkets and defends ‘brain drain’ stats

      13 Jul 08:34 PM
      Fire disrupts morning commute in Auckland suburb, road closures in place
      New Zealand

      Fire disrupts morning commute in Auckland suburb, road closures in place

      13 Jul 08:12 PM
      NZ Herald comments: The stories open for discussion today
      New Zealand

      NZ Herald comments: The stories open for discussion today

      13 Jul 08:12 PM
      Dixon and Armstrong both finish on podium as Palou wins again
      Motorsport

      Dixon and Armstrong both finish on podium as Palou wins again

      13 Jul 08:04 PM

      Latest from New Zealand

      Marine biologist's family search for closure after mountain fall

      Marine biologist's family search for closure after mountain fall

      13 Jul 09:12 PM

      The coroner's report is pending, adding to their long wait for closure.

      Fire at Parnell commercial premises attended by seven trucks and one ladder truck

      Fire at Parnell commercial premises attended by seven trucks and one ladder truck

      Thick fog blankets Auckland on Monday morning

      Thick fog blankets Auckland on Monday morning

      Luxon backs fast-tracking supermarkets and defends ‘brain drain’ stats

      Luxon backs fast-tracking supermarkets and defends ‘brain drain’ stats

      13 Jul 08:34 PM
      Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
      sponsored

      Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

      NZ Herald
      • About NZ Herald
      • Meet the journalists
      • Newsletters
      • Classifieds
      • Help & support
      • Contact us
      • House rules
      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms of use
      • Competition terms & conditions
      • Our use of AI
      Subscriber Services
      • NZ Herald e-editions
      • Daily puzzles & quizzes
      • Manage your digital subscription
      • Manage your print subscription
      • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
      • Subscribe to Herald Premium
      • Gift a subscription
      • Subscriber FAQs
      • Subscription terms & conditions
      • Promotions and subscriber benefits
      NZME Network
      • The New Zealand Herald
      • The Northland Age
      • The Northern Advocate
      • Waikato Herald
      • Bay of Plenty Times
      • Rotorua Daily Post
      • Hawke's Bay Today
      • Whanganui Chronicle
      • Viva
      • NZ Listener
      • Newstalk ZB
      • BusinessDesk
      • OneRoof
      • Driven Car Guide
      • iHeart Radio
      • Restaurant Hub
      NZME
      • About NZME
      • NZME careers
      • Advertise with NZME
      • Digital self-service advertising
      • Book your classified ad
      • Photo sales
      • NZME Events
      • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
      TOP
      search by queryly Advanced Search