THIRTY three of Lancashire's First World War soldiers who were executed for military crimes such as cowardice and desertion are set to be pardoned.

They are among the 306 soldiers from across the country highlighted by Defence Secretary Des Browne after he said their families had "endured a stigma for decades".

But today the historian for the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers (Lancashire) Museum said there were "mixed feelings" about giving pardons to all soldiers without looking at each case.

He cited the example of a soldier executed after deserting his comrades and committing rape and murder in Bordeaux.

However, Hyndburn MP Greg Pope, who has campaigned on the issue for a decade, said that 99 per cent of the soldiers executed deserved to be pardoned and he called for their names to be put on war memorials. The group pardons were prompted by the family of Yorkshire Private Harry Farr, who was shot for cowardice at the age of 25.

They have been fighting a battle in the High Court for him to be pardoned on the basis he was suffering from shellshock when he refused to fight.

Mr Browne said a group pardon, which will now have to be approved by parliament, was the best way forward.

This will cover the 33 soliders in the Lancashire regiments who were executed between 1914 and 1918.

Mr Browne added: "I believe it is better to acknowledge that injustices were clearly done in some cases, even if we cannot say which - and to acknowledge that all these men were victims of war."

Mr Pope said he was absolutely delighted at the move.

He added: "There are relatives and descendents who have had to carry the badge of shame that they were cowards when they weren't.

"They were absolute heroes.

"Today we understand more about post-traumatic stress disorder.

"In some cases, people may have committed really serious offences but the problem is most of the records were destroyed in a bomb attack in World War Two.

"The government wanted to go through all the cases but that was not possible."

Simon Entwistle, a local history enthusiast, told how the case of one soldier executed for cowardice lived with his grandfather for the remainder of his life.

He said: "My grandfather was in the East Lancs Regiment and there was a 15-year-old boy who had lied about his age to get into the army.

"He was fighting in France and had gone into no man's land.

"He eventually came back from the battlefield because he was just so scared.

"My grandfather was given the job of conducting the court martial and he was very upset by what happened."

But Tony Sprayson, the researcher for the Bury-based museum, said: "What they are actually doing is pardoning murderers and rapists.

"One man went missing and they found him in Bordeaux, France, where he had raped and murdered two women.

"It is beyond belief that we want to bring 21st standards of morals to 1914."