March 14, 1757, was a sad, black day in the annals of the Royal Navy for on that day, Admiral Sir John Byng was executed by firing squad on the deck of HMS Monarch. Byng had been convicted of non-compliance with The Articles of War, a British naval regulation that had been recently revised.
Digging Deeper
In particular, the articles governing the conduct of British naval officers had been modified to read that all British naval officers were subject to the penalty of death by execution (with no lesser sentence possible) for failing to do their utmost in prosecuting war against the enemy, including mandatory pursuit of the foe.
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