A COURT-MARTIAL

Press, Volume LIV, Issue 16322, 20 September 1918, Page 10

A COURT-MARTIAL

CHARGE AGAINST A CORPORAL. UFRE3S ASSOCIATION*- TELEGRAM.) • WELLINGTON, September 1!>. The court-martial of, Corporal William Arthur D'Oridant, of tiio military police, on a chargo. that ho-made a false accusation against a superior officer, Captain Gray, knowing tfic accusation to be false, was continued to-day. Captain' Gray, cross-examined, said that the accused was, placed under arrest on August 16th,- and was not allowed to see a lawyer for seventeen days, nor his' wife for • ten days, though ho made application. ' D'Oridant, in his evidence, admitted stating to Quartermaster-Sergeant Moore that Gray appeared .to be a "bit full," and that he "cquld. almost smell it over the wires." Gray ordered the'launch at 8 p.m. on August Ist, and came down about 9.30. ; He swayed when going to tho launch, and roned over when ho went aboard. "Witness: assisted him to rise; and found, that he I smelt strongly of liquor. D'Oridant described the patrol trip round the troopship, and said a powerful searchlight was in use all the time, and the ship was in plain view. .Captain Gray, who was steering, made a sudden turn towards the snip while circling, and tho launch almost collided. Witness reversed the-engines, and then went slow ahead till the launch eleared the ship. On the way back, Captain Gray took a course straight towards a schooner visible 300 yards , away. When the schooner was only 60 yards away, Private Brown told Captain Gray that there was a ship ahead. At the same time witness helped him to put the helm over. The launch cleared the schooner by a few yards. • Tho searchlight was burning all the time. Ab the stops, Captain Gray slipped and fell forward.. tide was high, but the steps being above water were dry. Witness followed Captain Gray to the inner guardroom. Captain Gray said Captain Hill had asked if Corporal D'Oridant had not been guilty of gross dereliction of dutyj he being away from the ship on the night the Germans escaped. Witness replied that ho had been off duty, and that he had applied to Captain Gray for a substitute. Captain Gray asked for a written report, which was made subsequently. Later in the evening ho took the launch back to the warship, with Private Brown. He asked Private Brown if he had noticed anything. Brown said, "Yes, yes; JI could smell it on him." On August 3rd he reported tho matter to Captain Hill, and said he would like to go before a higher authority. Captain Hill told him to put the. charge in writing. He did this, and took the document to Captain Hill's, office on August Bth. { He did not see Captain Hill till August 16th. when the charges were rc-id to !: him, and somo of the evidence. Cap- 1 tain Hill then placed him under close i arrest. Witness had_served in the 2nd < T.ife Guards and Naval Reserve for | more than two years about 30 years < ago. It was still his opinion that Cap- 1 tain Gray had been drunk on the nieht ] of August Ist. He had questioned < various members of tho forces, but j found them all very reticent. They ap- 1 •pearod to he afraid to say what they ; knew. When ask r d for a written state- f ment Brown refused, saying it would "put his pot on." '* ] The hearing will he continued to- 1 morrow. ; , ===== h