inhumane treatment of three Burmese prisoners executed by a British firing squad in Mandalay

In 1886, a charge of inhumane treatment of prisoners was brought against Willoughby Wallace Hooper, a British military officer and amateur photographer. The accusation was linked to Hooper’s photographs of three Burmese prisoners being executed by a British firing squad in Mandalay, Burma (present-day Myanmar). According to contemporary accounts, Hooper wanted to take images of the bullets striking the blindfolded prisoners. As a result, the command to discharge was delayed by a few moments while he adjusted his camera.

 

Group of Officers Taken Onboard the Irrawaddy Flotilla Co's Steamer "Irrawaddy"; Willoughby Wallace Hooper; c. 1885; Photographic print; 19.7 x 14.8 cm; The British Library

Lieut. Col. WW Hooper, A Series of One Hundred Photographs, Illustrating Incidents Connected with the British Expeditionary Force to that Country, Burmah; c. 1887; Albumen print; 23.5 x 32.0 cm; Christie's

Villagers Coming in for Protection at Pagan; Willoughby Wallace Hooper; c. 1885; Photographic print; 19.4 x 15.3 cm; The British Library

King Theebaw's Guards at the East Gate of the Palace Enclosure, Mandalay; Willoughby Wallace Hooper; c. 1885; Photographic print; 19 x 13.6 cm; The British Library

A Group of Shans, Taken at Bhamo; Willoughby Wallace Hooper; c. 1886; Photographic print; 15.3 x 10.1 cm; The British Library

His actions resulted in a loss of honours but he retained his place in the army and was later promoted to the rank of colonel. These images were, however, not included in the compilation of Hooper’s photographs from Myanmar, Burmah: A Series of One Hundred Photographs Illustrating Incidents Connected with the British Expeditionary Force to that Country, from the Embarkation at Madras, 1st Nov 1885, to the Capture of King Theebaw, with Many Views of Mandalay and Surrounding Country, Native Life and Industries (1887), which earned praise for its comprehensive documentation of the British military campaign.