Judge Anthony Babington: The Man Who Opened the Door

In the early 1980s, long before the stories of the men shot at dawn were widely known, one figure played a pivotal role in bringing them back into public view.

That figure was Judge Anthony Babington.

Access Before the Files Were Open

In 1982, Judge Babington was granted exceptional access to First World War court martial files that remained closed to the public. His research led to the publication of For the Sake of Example in 1983.

The book caused unease. Not because it named the affected men. It did not. But because the cases revealed patterns that were difficult to ignore. The documents revealed that of the men tried, some were suffering shell shock, some were already wounded. They highlighted cases where decisions were taken quickly, without considering injuries, age or circumstance. They revealed differences in process and procedure between cases.

At the time Babington was researching the book, the First World War court martial files were still subject to a 75 year embargo and were not due to be opened for another decade or more. Babington publicly called for the embargo on these files to be lifted early.

A Chance Moment on the Radio

For my family, Babington’s work entered our lives by accident. My grandmother, Dorothea Teague, was researching a story about our ancestor Ted Roberts who she believed to have been shot at dawn. Her father, Jack Barker, had mentioned him just three months before his death - Ted had never been spoken of before that moment.

“By curious chance, I happened to switch on the radio when Judge Anthony Babington was talking about British soldiers who had been shot at dawn in World War One.” Dorothea Teague

Although Ted’s name was not mentioned, she later wrote directly to Babington. HIs reply stated that he had never come across such a case.

Dorothea Teague talking to BBC reported Bernard Faulkner in 1982 - BBC '60 Minutes'

From Archive to Screen

In 1983, as Babington’s book approached publication, the BBC produced a Sixty Minutes documentary to coincide with its release. My grandmother was contacted by the BBC, and appeared in the programme, speaking about Ted’s case. She was one of many families whose questions were beginning, at last, to be taken seriously.

These broadcasts, alongside Babington’s research, helped to shift the public conversation from discipline to justice.

Babington, Ten Years On

Speaking in 1993, Babington reflected:

“There were clear injustices. Men who had shell shock. Men who had been injured....should be pardoned.”

He supported a careful, case by case examination of the files. This position would later shape the long campaign that led to the 2006 pardons.

Why This Still Matters

Judge Babington was crucial to the Shot at Dawn campaign and his work really highlighted some of the injustices, the secrets and the omissions. He challenged assumptions, questioned systems, and insisted that silence was no longer acceptable.

For families like ours, his work opened a door that had been locked for generations.

You can see part of the Judge Babington interview on the BBC 60 minutes program here: https://youtu.be/gSZ24Sz07hA