COURT-MARTIAL OF TWO SOLDIERS

Press, Volume LXXVII, Issue 23447, 30 September 1941, Page 10

COURT-MARTIAL OF TWO SOLDIERS

CHARGES OF DESERTION A district court-martial, held at : Burnham Military Camp y ’• i heard charges ofdesertionagainstt^o soldiers of the New Zg a lai }d Expem tionary Force who, it was aueged, deserted on the eve of the departure o_f ; a draft for overseas. The soldiers ; charged were Private Elmer Morrell and Private Arthur Devlin and bott of them were members of A i™ lll { ing Battalion. . . t t, at ; Morrell, a cook, was charged ; when posted for active service he ab . sented himself without leave from 10 , o’clock on the night of embarkation ; until 8.30 next morning, when he was ( arrested. He pleaded not gnilty. | Devlin, who pleaded not gmlty.jvas , charged with being absent without / leave from 10 o’clock the same night , and had remained absent until he r - turned to'camp six days later ' Major G. H. Gray, M.C., KZ.TS. presided, and with-him were Captain T. H. Ham, M.C., V.D., N.Z.T.S., Cap • tain G. R. Park, M.C., N-Z.A and Cap [ tain A. R. C. Stuart, E.D., N.Z.T.S., as I m fn^the S case of Morrell, 2nd Lieuten- , ant J. M. Laing. 2nd Scottish, ' prosecuted, and defending omc : ’ was 2nd Lieutenant H. F. Ross, 2nd N.Z.E.F. In Devlin’s case, 2nd Lieu- ; tenant G. F. R. Keith, 2nd N.Z.E.F, 1 prosecuted, and the defence was m the ! hands of £aptain J. PenroseN.Z-T.b., t Major G. T. Weston was judge-advo ■ Ca The findings of the court-martial will ! be communicated to Brigadier 0. - Mead, Officer Commanding the soum , era Military District, and the sentences : will ‘be promulgated in due course.