Private Thomas James Highgate (13 May 1895 – 8 September 1914) was a British soldier during World War I and the first British soldier to be convicted of desertion and executed by firing squad. He was born in Shoreham and worked as a farm labourer before joining the army in 1913 as a seaman. When the First World War began, he fought with the First Battalion of the Royal West Kents. Highgate was executed 35 days into the war, on 8 September 1914, after being found hiding in a farmhouse wearing civilian clothes. His death was made as public as possible and used as an example to other soldiers. Highgate's name was not included on the war memorial at Shoreham; from the late 1990s onwards, some local residents fought for his name to be added whilst others disagreed. Posthumous pardons for soldiers who had been executed, including Highgate, were announced in 2006. Early life Thomas Highgate was born in 13 May 1895 in Shoreham, Kent. He was one of five sons to his mother, Alice Highgate. His family lived in poverty and travelled between Shoreham and the outskirts of London. Highgate is recorded as having worked as a farm labourer. On 4 February 1913, aged 17, he joined the army and served as a seaman. Whilst at sea, Highgate suffered a fall, was in two shipwrecks, and contracted yellow fever in Africa. Captain Tate, a medical officer at Richmond Barracks, produced a memorandum in June 1914 regarding Highgate's health. He wrote that Highgate had a "peculiar" disposition and that his illness and injury may have accounted for issues with memory loss. Highgate was recorded as being absent from the army before World War I broke out; he did not attend tattoo on 7 September 1913 or 1 July 1914, and he deserted the army from 28 February to 4 May 1914. He was caught and imprisoned for 42 days when he tried to enlist with a different unit at Woolwich in order to be closer to his brother. Despite his absences, Highgate was described as a "good worker" in his army records. First World War Desertion During the First World War, Highgate was in the First Battalion of the Royal West Kents, one of the first battalions to enter combat. The Battalion arrived in France on 15 August 1914 and fought in the Battle of Mons. By September 1914, the