COURT-MARTIAL

Evening Post, Volume CXXXVII, Issue 5, 8 January 1944, Page 6

COURT-MARTIAL

CHARGES OF DESERTION

Two soldiers were charged with desertion before a court-martial at Trent ham Camp today. The Court comprised Colonel L. W. Andrews,. V.C. : D.S.O. (president), Majors J. N. Anderson, W. Nicholson, and R. J. Blair Captain C. E. Avery, LieutenantColonel C. A. L. Treadwell, 0.8.E (judge advocate). Captain, J. A Pountney prosecuted and Lieutenani D. F. Stuart defended. Private Ira Lewis was charged with deserting from military service froir March 3, 1943, until he arrived in Australia on July 7, 1943, and also with further desertion until he surrenderee himself in civilian clothes in '■ Auckland. He pleaded guilty. In a statement made to Lieutenant Colonel Mothes in July, 1943, explain ing how he came to be in Sydney Lewis said that he left New Zealanc in September, 1941, with the Seventh Reinforcements, and was posted to the 21st Battalion, where he served unti he decided to leave his unit. Then were strong personal reasons for thii decision, but he could not discus: them. He left his unit at Wadi Akarii and picking up lifts with A.S.C. lor ries, eventually reached Tripoli, when he stayed awhile, and finally reachec Alexandria with a batch of Italian prisoners. There a boat was about to leave with New Zealand soldiers going on leave, and he made his way aboard. On board he met some Australians, one of whom gave him an Australian Air Force uniform. When he reached Fremantle he went ashore and got drunk, and was asked questions by an Australian Air Force officer, to which he gave misleading replies. He was handed over to the civil police, and on his way to Sydney left the train at Adelaide. After thinking his position over, he finally surrendered to a New Zealand officer in Sydney. He was in civilian clothes when arrested in Auckland. Lieutenant Stuart said that Lewis had made a statement to him in which he said that he had enlisted in the Army in September, 1940. He served in Egypt and Syria, served again in Egypt on his return from Syria, and was for six weeks in the line at El Alamein, was wounded, and was in hospital for three months. After that he was with his unit at Bardia. Lewis was 31, said Lieutenant Stuart, and had been a labourer in civilian life. His parents died while he was in his early teens.. He asked the Court to give full consideration to the effect that the loss of his parents at an early age might have had on his future actions. He had served in Fiji, and had seen long service in the Middle East. He had been wounded in action, and after rejoining his unit had felt unable to "stick it." After leaving hospital he had served with his unit until practically the end of the Tunisian campaign. The decision of the Court will be promulgated later. John Wilson Bagley, the second soldier charged, pleaded guilty to absenting himself from duty without leave from March 7, 1942, until December 30, 1943, when he surrendered in uniform.

The Court's sentence will be promulgated.