THE DARLING OF THE LAW COURTS

Evening Post, Volume CXXVI, Issue 98, 22 October 1938, Page 26

THE DARLING OF THE LAW COURTS

Though Darling's humour was kindly as a -rule, says Derek Walker-Smith in his "Life of Lord Darling," there could be a, sharper edge. to it if he ; felt it necessary to reinforce a point.; Thus, when-a pompous witness said that,he had been wedded to truth from, infancy, Darling asked how long he had beeru.a widower. .%. . On another occasion, also before the war, Mr. Marshall-Hall ■ delivered a very flowery final address to the jury, telling them that it was not the snakes in the road they had to fear but the snakes in the grass. At the end of. his speech he left the court, and Darling summed up to the jury thus: . "Mr. Marshall-Hall has, been addressing you on the snakes in the road and the snakes in the grass. Ido not know if it has been of any assistance to you to come to a decision in tftis matter; but it has not helped me in the slightest, and since the subject matter under discussion is a nautical one, his simile might at least have referred to sea serpents." ■ . In another case, defending counsel asked for three months' adjournment in order to,get a translation of some apply for some delay," said Darling, "but why three/months?" *The plaintiff's documents which

require translation are so technical," was counsel's reply. "Rather a good idea has occurred to me," said Darling quietly. "Why not go to someone who knows German already?" "But though there was sometimes a sting in Darling's wit," says Mr. Walker-Smith, "it was never used to wound." During his years of retirement Lord Darling helped many fine causes, and in these times it is good to read one of his exhortations to the nation, in which he said:. "We should spend the least possible on pleasure, and nothing at all on unseemly dissipation. . . . Let no one in England debase himself by doing less than he is paid for. Let all be taught that to labour for the general good is the duty of every citizen. Hoist Nelson's last signal on every steeple and every tall factory chimney in the sight of all England. Close the night clubs." As to the trials over which Lord Darling presided it is only, necessary to mention a few names to recall famous cases and those charged— Steinie Morrison, Armstrong, Bywaters and Mrs. Thompson, and Vaquier. technical German documents necessary to his case. "I can understand that you should