German propaganda depicting the execution of Roger Casement (1864-1916)
Artist / Maker
Date
Creation: 1916
Object Name
Inventory Number
C.2024.005.001
Physical Description
A small bronze medal representing the execution of Roger Casement (1864–1916). On the obverse side, the figure of a hangman – a caricatured British soldier – places a noose around Casement’s neck. The image is framed by the text ‘Englands Tatendrang’ (‘England’s desire for action’). On the reverse side, a large legal volume sits on what looks like a torture chair. This book is titled ‘Englisch Gesetz um 1351’ (‘English law in 1351’). The date ‘3 Aug’ is shown to the left of the chair and the year ‘1916’ to the right – 3 August 1916 being the date of Casement’s execution. The scene appears wrapped in a spider’s web and is encircled by the text ‘Eduard III tote Hand legt den Strang ums Irenland’ (‘The dead hand of Edward III strangles Ireland’).
Content Description
This medal was produced as a piece of German propaganda against Britain. It depicts the execution of Roger Casement, an Irish diplomat and humanitarian, and latterly a leading figure in the struggle for Irish independence from British rule. Casement rose to international renown on the basis of a report he authored, published in 1904, which exposed gross abuses in the rubber trade in Congo perpetrated under the direction of King Leopold II of Belgium. In 1916 he was captured by British authorities while attempting to import a large shipment of weapons from Germany – then at war with Britain – to Ireland, in preparation for the Irish rebellion planned for Easter 1916. Casement’s trial for treason in London, under a legal statute from 1351, led to a sentence of death, which many assumed would be commuted due to his humanitarian profile. However, British officials circulated evidence of Casement’s homosexuality, upon which calls for clemency evaporated. Casement was executed in Pentonville Prison in London on 3 August 1916.
Exhibition Theme
2B. Europe in ruins (1914-1945) -> 2B.1. World War I -> 2B.1.10. Images of the enemy (not on display)
Material / Technique
Bronze
Dimensions
Height x Diameter 0,80 x 5,80 cm
Curator’s Note
The life and legacy of Roger Casement feature a convergence of a number of significant cross-currents of European history at the beginning of the 20th century. Born in Dublin in 1864, Casement served as a British consul in south-eastern Africa, central Africa and South America, and in his early career, was a believer in the British colonial project. In 1903, however, he was tasked by the British Government with investigating claims of abuse and mutilation in the forced harvesting of rubber in what is now the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which had in 1885 been declared a private colony of King Leopold II of Belgium. Casement’s subsequent report (1904) led to an international outcry that eventually saw Congo taken over by the Belgian state in 1908. Casement grew increasingly disillusioned with imperialism and became involved in the struggle of his native Ireland to gain independence from the British Empire. Arrested in County Kerry in April 1916 after attempting to import weapons from Germany, which was at war with Britain at the time, he was convicted of treason and sentenced to death by hanging. Initially, his international profile seemed to augur well for clemency. However, British military intelligence circulated copies of his diaries – their authenticity long disputed – which contained details of his often-paid sexual encounters with young men. Many international figures, including notably the writer Joseph Conrad, who had known Casement, deserted his cause. Casement’s homosexuality therefore was weaponised to secure his execution and to undermine his historic reputation.
Inscription
Inscription
Position: Obverse
(top/circumference/surround) Englands Tatendrang, (bottom) Roger Casement
Translation: England's Desire for Action
Inscription
(top/circumference/surround) Eduard III tote Hand legt den Strang ums Irenland, (across image) 3 Aug 1916; (on book cover) Englisch Gesetz um 1351
Translation: Edward III's dead hand lays the noose around Ireland, 3 Aug 1916, English Law around 1351
Credit line
Acquired 2024. EU, EP, House of European History, Brussels.
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