notes on the laws and customs of war 1914

8/8/2019 Notes on the Laws and Customs of War 1914

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I N T R O D U C T O R Y .

The Br i t i sh Empi re i s making war aga ins t Germansoldiers , not against peaceful German citizens.

T he only legi t imate object which B ri tish an d Aus-t ral ian soldiers should endeavour to accomplish duringt h e war is to weaken t h e mil itary forces of t h e enemy.

Th e modern view of war is t h a t w ar is a contest be-tween t h e arm ed forces of t h e belligerent countries.This principle has been adopted by al l civi l ized nationsin a code of regula t ions drawn up and subscr ibed to, at

. T h e H a g u e i n 18 99 a n d a g a in in 1907; and a l l the con-t rac t ing nat ions have agreed to r ega r d t he code 89

embodying the laws of war.

It i s t h e b o u n d e n d u t y of soldiers to observe the

code.Civilians--men, women a n d children-were in olden

t imes a t the mercy of an invading army. This crueldoctr ine ha s been abolished. U n de r th e modern lawsof war , c ivi lians ar e cnt it led t o enjoy secur i ty fo r th ei rpersons an d pro per ty so long as they shal l remainquiescent and refrain f r o m host ile a t tem pts ,again s t t h e

invading troops.In t h e following pages will be foun d t h e Articles of

War which specially aEect the pr ivate soldier , andwhich prescr ibe the rules of conduct which it i s theobligation of al l Austral ian soldidrs to follow whileengaged on active service abroad.

C.13100.



2. I

T o 'each Article no tes a re a ppe nde d a mp l ify ing theArt ic le and giving useful hints and explanat ions .

Ev ery soldier of t h e A ustr a l ia n Exped i t ionary Forceis earnestly recommended to la y the instructions hereinprovided to he art , for th e reasbns fol lowing:-

(1) Every Austra l ian soldier has confided to hiskeeping t h e honou r of Au s t ra l ia .

(2) T he wrongful a ct of a ny A ust ra l ia n soldier

would n o t merely disgrace himself, i t wouldinvolve h is country and make Br i ta in l iab lef o r pa ym en t of compensat ion. It wouldalso render th e whole Br i t i sh Ar m y l i ab leto reprisals in k i nd o n t h e p a r t of t h eenemy.

(3) Art ic le 111. of t h e Convention makes every

bell igerent country penally responsible f o rall breaches of t h e laws of w a r c ommi t t e dhy any pe rsons fo rming pa r t of ita a r m e dforces.

It is, t he re fo re , a ppa re n t t ha t it is w i th in t he c a pa -c i ty of every indiv idu a l un i t of t h e A us t ra l ian Ex ped i-t iona ry Fo rc es t o p u t a s t a in of las t ing infamy upon the

good name of t h e Commonwea lth .

I n order that , no soldier should sin in ignorance, i t isimpera tive t h a t a l l ou r troo ps should m ake a se riouss tudy of the ru les of behaviour en jo ined upon them byth e law s of war.



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ARTICLEXIII.

It is especially forbidden-(U) To employ poison or poisoned weapons.

(6) To kill or wound treacherously individuals be-longing to t he hos t i l e na t ion o r a rmy .

(c) To kill o r wound a u enemy who, having la iddown h is a rms , or h a v i n g no longer means

of defence, ha s surrendered a t d iscret ion.(d) To dec la re t ha t no quar te r sha l l be g iven .

(e) To employ arms, projecti les or mater ia l ca l - .culated to cause unnecessary suffer ing.

(f)To mak e im prop er use of a flag of truce, of thenat ional f lag, or of the mi l i t a ry ins ignia anduni fo rm of t h e enemy, as well as t h e dls-

t inct ive badges of the Geneva Convention.

( g ) To destroy or seize the enemy’s property unlesssuch destruction or seizure be imperat ivelydemanded by the necess i t ies of Lhe war.

(h) To declare abolished, suspended, or inadmis-sible in a c o u r t of law th e r igh t s and ac tionsof t he na t iona l s of the hos t i l e par ty .

A belligerent is l ikewise forbidden to compel thenat ionals of th e hos tile pa r ty to t a k e p a r t i n t h e op era -t ions of war d irected .against th e ir o w n couut ry evenif they were in the bel l igerent’s service before the com-mencement of t h e w a r.



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Note.-Explos ive bul le t s mus t no t be used; and soldiers are

expressly forbidden to mark, or pierce, or c u t t h e i rbul le ts wi th the object of causing them to e x p a n d orf la tt en on impa ct wi th t h e hum an body,

E a n d g renades do no t come under t h e p roh ib iti on ofexplosive bullets.

The poisoning of springs, or wells, o r r ivers , a nd t h edel iberate spreading of infectious diseases are penaloffencw.

The prohibi t ion agains t k i l l ing or wounding" t reacherously ' ' app lies t o all acts of assassination o rperf idy . S t ra tagem s a n d ruses a r e a llowable , b u t theym u s t n o t be of a t reacherous nature. It is t h e essenceof t reachery t h a t th e offender assumes a false ch ara cte rby which he deceives and overcomes his enemy in am an ner t h a t could n ot h ave succeeded haA he worn hist r u e colours . A concreto instance of t reachery is whena ma n throws u p h i s hands in token of sur rend er , a ndthe n seizes his r if le again a n d shoots his t ru st in g enemy.T he offence of t reachery is punishable with d e a t h b y

hanging.Quarter must be given a defenceless enemy. If i t be

impossible to re ta in pr isooers , they must be released.To ki l l a pr isoner who cannot be retained is m u r d e r

in t h e f irs t degree.T h e hoisting of a w hite flag pro te ch t h e fo rce whichhoists i t , but that. force only. It must be respected.Soldiers, however, need no t p a x an y heed to th e hois t-ing of a white f lag in the midst of an aot ioo by a fewmen who fo rm pa r t of a large force which st i l l resists.



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It i s s t i l l th e s tern ru le of war. th a t a fly ing foe m ay

he pounded by ar t i l l e ry and pi t i less ly cut down bycharging cavalry. If an y p a r t of a flying enemy wouldsave i t se l f under Ar t ic le XXIII.,the fugi t ives mustsepa ra te themselves f rom th e rabble , throw down thei rweapons and hoist a white flag.It i s unlawful t o menace wi th extermination a g ar r i -

son which obstinately defends a fortress.It i s unlawful , under any ci rcumstances, to kill a

wounded enemy who has la id down h is arms.T h e assumption of a n enemy's uniform or flag, even

before a battle, is a violation of t h e laws of war; a n din case of c ap tur e would jus t i fy th e enem y in sum-mari ly execut ing the offenders .

T he use of civilian dress by belligerent soldiers as adisguise to fu r th e r th e execut ion of some host i le act is

forbidden, and captured offenders may he legallyexecuted by th e enemy.T he soldiers of a n inv ad ing a rm y ar e expressly for-

hidden to dem and a n y sor t of mi l ita ry a id e i the r f romth e civilian population of t h e invaded country or f r o bprisoners of war . T o compel a n enem y to serve ag ains this co un try is a violat ion of t h e laws of mar.

P r iv a t e soldiers ars forbidden to forage on the i r own

accoun t i n t h e enemy 's coun t r y , and m y a c t of f or ageunauthor ized by their commanding off icu is a thef t .

Troops who fight in t h e uniform of th e enemy w ith-o ut an y plain, s t r ikin g an d uniform m ark of dist inc-t ion of the i r own can expec t no qua r t e r , a n d no qu ar t e rneed h e g iven them:



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The use of th e enemy’s nat io nal s t an da rd f lag, or

oth er emblem of nat ional i ty, fo r t h e purpose of deceiv-i n g t h e en em y i n b a t t le , i s a n a c t of porfidy by whichthey for fe i t a l l c la im to protect ion by the laws ofW2.T.

ARTICLEX V I I I .

The pi l lage of a town or place , even when Laken 5y

assault,is prohibited.

Nota-

A r t i c le X X V I I I . f o rb i ds p illa ge of a locality. It

m us t b e rea d, however, in conjunction wi th A r t ic leXLVII., which especially forbids pillage generally.Now, w hat i s th e precise me aning of p i l l age? TheBr i t i sh Manua l def ines i t as loot or p lunde r o r “ bootywhich is not permit ted .” In th is connexion i t i s im-p o r t a n t ta r e m e m b e r t h a t t h e B r i t i s h A r m y A c t , sec-

t ion 6 , prescribes the dealh p e i d t y for the fol lowingoffences comm itted hy a soldier on active service:-.

(1) Leaving his commanding officer to go in searchof plunder.

(2) Comm i tt ing an y o ffence aga ins t t h e p r ope r ty orperson of an y in ha bi ta nt of or r es iden t inthe country in which he is serving.

(3) Breaking in to any house o r other p laee insearch of plunder.

It will be seen, th en , t h a t p il lage is no t merely pro-h ib i t ed by t h e I n t e rna t iona l Law s of W a r ; it is ex-

pressly constituted a capital offence by t h e law of



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Br i t a in . W a r necessity may demand th a t t h e Au s t r a -lian troops may be commanded to lay wakte a sectionof th e enemy 's t e r r i to ry , an d t o clea r th e cou nt ry ofsupplies, b u t dev astation is n o t pillage. T h e essenceof pillage is t h e a p p r o p r i a t i o n of pr iva te p r ope r ty f o rt h e enr ichment of t h e individual captor .

De vastat ing operat ions a r e conducted s imply as a

means tow ards overcoming t h e resistance of t h e enem y'sarmed forces. It is always permissible for an army to

ap pro pr ia te th e spoils of w ar on t h e field of b at tle , fo rinstance, t h a t which consists of horses, m un ition s,arms, cannon, &c.

It i s on ly th e booty ga ined a t th e cost of p r i v a t eproper ty t h a t i s forbidden by t h e laws of w ar , an d itmay be la id down as a f ixed general rule t h a t it is onlyG overnm ent pro pe r ty in t h e possession of t h e enemy'sforces that is legitimately confiscable.The.Australian soldier will do well to make up h i8

mind never to engage in any ac t o f se izure o r destruc-tion of pr iva te proper ty except in company and undert h e exprass ord ers of hi s officers. T h u s he will protecthimself from punishment , and uphold th e r eputa t ion ofAus t r a l i a . He m u s t n ev er f o rg e t t h a t t h e m a r a u d e rhas no place in c ivi l ized waxfare , and tha t the penal ty

of d ea th h an gs over th e head of every soldier guiltyof a n y b reach of A rtic le s X X V I I I . an d X L V I I .

ARTICLEX I X .A person can only be considered a spy when acting

clandestinely, or on false pretences h e obtains , or endea-vours to obta in , informat ion in t h e zone of operations



Y

If a spy be ca p tu re d in t h e a c t of spyin:, h e isto a t r i a1 ,before h e can b e punished . Th e

of pr iva t i so ld ie r s who have cap tured a spy i s tok e th e pr isoner t o the i r commanding oflicer.Sp yin g is not necessar ily dishonorable. T h e sp y is

to serve hisnt ry . Ev ery arm y employs spies, an d ou r soldiersld remember t h a t if the y were to t re a t t h c 'enemy's

to inflict reprisals on British

h e enemy's zone of operat ions.Balloonists , aeroplanists , and persons scouting in air-

If t a k e n , t h e y m u s t be t r ea t ed a sinary prisoners of war .

ARTICLEv.

Pr i sone r s of war a r e i n t h e power of t h e hos ti le Go-nment , b u t no t of th e ind iv idua ls or corps who

They mus t be humane ly t r ea t ed .All their personal belongings except arms, horses and

property.Note.-Th e ind iv id ua l sold ie r has no longe r a n y r igh t s

position over t h e person or pcrsonal .property ofe capt ive of his bow an d spear- the an cie nt preroga-

of t h e warr io r. Th e arms, horsesof prisoners of w a,r belong t o t h eof t h e cap to r a s rep re sen ting th e

tio n al G o v e rn m e n t, b u t n o t t o t h e i n d iv i d u a l c a p t o i .



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P r i sone r s m ay h e s ea rched f o r mi l i ta r y pape rs , b u tth ei r p urses, money, jewellory, &c.,. m u st be restoredt o t h em ; and t hey shou ld no t be sub jec ted to a n yavoidable indigni ty. It is th e du ty of th e soldier tot r e a t prisoners w i th hum an i t y ; and i t is expressly for-

bidd en t o execute prisoners even i f t+ b e a pressingd a n g e r of th ei r rescue -unless th e pr isoners themselvestake part i n t h e c om b a t a n d a t t e m p t fo rcib ly to escape.

ARTICLEXLTV.

A bel l igerent is f o rb i dden t o f orce t h e i nhab i t an t s oft e r r i tory occupied by him to fu rnis h informat ion a bo utthe army of the o ther be l l igerent , or a b o u t its meansof defence.

Note.-This Art icle forbids soldiers endeavouring t o compel

th e c iv ilian popula t ion of an invaded count ry to supply

them wi th in format ion t h e g iv ing of which would m aket h e sa id c iv i li ans t r a i to r s t o the i r own s ide . T he iu-h a b i t a n t s of an occupied terr i to ry may b e asked f o r in-f o rm a t i o n ; b u t t h r e a t s or force should n ot h e employedif they refuse.

ARTICLEXXV.

T he a t t ack or b o m b a r d m e n t h y a n y m e a n s N h a t w e r

of towns, vi l lages, habitat ions or buildings which aren o t d e fe n de d is f o r b i dden .Nob.-This A r t i c le is i n tended t o p ro tec t f rom v io la tion th e

dwelling-places of all th e c iv ilian inh ab i tan ts of aninvaded count ry who do not r es i s t t he invad ing a rmy.



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If an undefended or unfort i f ied town, vi l lage, or

bui ld ing resist s t h e inv ader it forf eits i ts privileges, a n dit may be a t t acked and des t royed ; bu t an unprovokedat tac k up on a n y such town, village, or bu i ldin g is a

mil i ta ry c r ime.

ARTICLELVI.

Fami ly honour and r igh t s , the l ives o f ,persons and

pr iva te proper ty , as well as religious convictions andpractice, must be respected.

P r i v a te prop er ty can not be confiscated.

Note,.-

If our soldiers inva de an d occupy th e enemy's

cou ntry they m us t regard th e c iv il ian popula t ion , whi lei t remains quiescent , as under the pro tec t ion of the i rhonour.

They mus t re f ra in f rom a l l ac ta of spoliation. The ymus t pa y f o r all they requ ire , and they m us t no t ob ligeany persou to sell to tl iem by force . T he y m ust t r e a tth e men cour teous ly , an d th e women an d chi ldren

chivalrously. They mus t remember a lways tha t theya re not invad ing the enemy 's coun t ry to hur t p r iva tec i t izens , but s imply in order to weaken the enemy'smi l i t a ry s t r e ng th , a nd the re by to b r ing the w a r t o aclose. T h e qu ar re l of our soldiers is not agains t theenem y's passive civilians, b u t merely a ga in st tho se whooppose them by force.

A



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ARTICLEI.

N o co ntr ibu t ion shal l be collec ted ex cept un de r awri t ten order , and on the r espons ib i l i ty of t h e Com-mander - in - Ch ie f .

For every contr ibut ion a receipt shal l be given to t h epayer .

Note.-This Ar t ic le forbids t h e soldiers of a n invad ing arm y

t o levy upon th e enemy's civil ian population--eveu fo rfood-except by .v i r tu e of t h e express au th or i ty of t h eCommander - in-Chie f.

ARTICLE X V I I .

I n sieges a n d bom bardments a l l necessary stepsshould be taken to spare , as fa r as possible, buildingsdevoted t o religion, art , science, and charity, historic

monuments, hospi ta ls a n d places w here t h e sick an dwounded a r e collected, provided th ey are not used form il i ta ry purposes .

Note.-Th is ar t ic le expla ins i t se l f; hut it m a y be a d d e d t h a t

it imposes ou every pr ivate soldier a par t icular obl iga-t ion to abs ta in f rom al l ac ts of vandal des t ruct ion ordesecration, of religious, education al, m un ici pa l a n d

na t iona l ed i f ices , and to t r ea t a l l publ ic bu i ld ings assacred f rom injury or d is f igurement . It would be a

l a s ting d isgrace to t h e count ry of a n invading army ifin th e course of th e invas ion i t s t roo ps were to m a r kthei r passage by damaging or disf igur ing the architec-tu ra l monu m ents an d memoria ls of th e enemy.. .



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ARTICLEXXI.

T h e obligations of belligercnts w ith re ga rd to t h e sickan d wounded a r e governed by t h e Geneva Convent ion.Nob.-The Geneva Convent ion provides tha t a l l wounded

and sick who have ceased to resist must be protectedn d t rea ted w i th a l l possib le hum ani ty . They are , of

of war .Soldiers who pil lage, rob, o r m al t re at wounded or

ck enemies inc ur t h e penal ty of d e a t h .It is t h e d u t y of commanders af ter a ba t t l e to search

f o r the wounded of both sides, and to succour and pro-tecb t h e m .

Cruel ty to the enemy’s wounded is r ight ly regardedas t h e m os t abominab le of dl military offences.All medical u nit s a n d establishments, hospitals, m-

bulances, &c., m us t be respected a nd protected by t h ebelligerents.It is a mil i ta ry cr ime to fire on the enemy’s medical

es tabl ishm ents ; b u t t h e protec tion to which they Ereent i t led u nd er t h e laws of w ar ceases if th ey a r e m adeus e of t o cover hostile m easures. T h e persorimel of theenemy’s army exclusively engaged on medical and sani-tary service must be respected and protected in al l c i r -

cumstances ; a n d they canno t be retained as prisonersof war .The protect ion afforded to t he medica l and san i t a ry

pemonnel of th e enemy i s cont ingent , howsver, on the i rno t ac t i ng i n a host i le manner to t he in te res t s of t h eoth er s ide.



I4 If a doctor or othe r medical u ni t 6ghta in ba t t le , h e

for fe i t s all r ight to protect ion and may he shot l ikean y o ther sold ie r. A n d if h e is caught giving secretin format ion to h i s own s ide, h e may be t r ea ted as a

SPY.The proper ty and mate r i a l , stares, drugs, &c., of the

enemy’s medical persow?rel is inviolable , and cannoteven be requis i t ioned for temporary use if i t be cap -tu red . It m ust h e resto red fo r thwi th upon d em and.

The Red Cross insignia aud f lag must be everywherean d a t a ll times respected an d protected. It i s a cr imeto fire o u a Red Cross t r a in ; an d th e wearing of th eGeneva emblem ent i t les i t s bearer to protection andrespect.It is a capital crime for a combatant soldier to use

th e Geneva flag or emblem as a cover for hostile opera-

t ions. T h e dist inct ive f lag of t h e Convention is a redcross on a whi te ground. It m ay only be legit imatelyhoisted over t h e medical u n its an d establishments whicha r e en ti tl ed to be respected under the Geneva Conven-t ion. It m u st n o t h e hoisted over civil h ospitals.Ind iv idua l s a r e p ro tected by th e “ blassard ” or badge.Ind iv idua l s belonging t o a medical uu i t o f t h e enemy

wear ing th e badg eaxe

l i ableto

bes h o t if

they approacha position our army desires to keep secret and do n o thalt when commanded.

All unauthor ized uses of t h e R e d Cross are fo r -bidden, an d a re punishable wi th su m m ary execution.

notes on the laws and customs of war 1914

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