THE family of a first world war soldier executed for "cowardice" has won fresh hope in their battle to clear his name. Defence Secretary John Reid will consider giving a posthumous pardon to Private Harry Farr - grandfather of Farnham resident Janet Booth. Alongside her 92-year old mother, Gertrude Harris, Mrs Booth has campaigned for justice since 1993, claiming that Pte Farr was suffering from "shell shock". Their fight to clear Pte Farr's name resulted in a visit to the High Court on Monday. "We went to court and had a very short hearing before the judge adjourned. We came back to hear the MOD say that Defence Secretary John Reid would possibly consider a conditional pardon and perhaps meet my mother to talk about it. We are just waiting to hear from the MOD and our solicitors as to the face to face meeting," she remarked. Mrs Booth was pragmatic about the current situation. "It's just a waiting game, again. Obviously we are disappointed that the matter has not been sorted out one way or another, but on the other hand, we are hopeful as Mr Reid could reconsider his previous decision." Should Pte Farr be granted a pardon, it would be a landmark case - particularly as Mr Reid's predecessor Geoff Hoon labelled a pardon: "unreasonable, flawed and wrong in law," in 2003. "Why they can't pardon our soldiers when New Zealand, France and Germany have gone ahead and pardoned their men, I don't know. They're just being stubborn!," said Mrs Booth. "I know it's a long time ago, but it is still vivid in the memories of the families who had men executed. We are not asking for any money - we just want their names cleared. "My grandfather was a sick man. Being nervous doesn't constitute cowardice," she added. And Mrs Booth was hopeful of attaining a pardon, with the thoughts of her mother paramount. "She would like a pardon for her father to clear his name as she hasn't got a lot of time left," she said.
