YOUNG GIRL’S ROMANCE

Greymouth Evening Star, 21 March 1931, Page 10

YOUNG GIRL’S ROMANCE

SOLDIER'S AMAZING HOAX. Recalled- to public memory by the startling confession of a. young soldier, which caused the Surrey police to spend a weelc in a strenuous search of Windsor Great Park, the 17-month-old mystery of' the disappearance of a girl was ’ dramatically solved in January. While under detention as a deserter from the 2nd North Staffordshire Regiment, Private Thomas Henry Jennings told; his commanding officer that he' Had- killed Miss Winifred Parrant, c£ Sandhurst, and had buried her body near Virginia Water. Many hours before anyone else was aware- of the true state of affairs a representative of the “News of the World”' found. Winifred Parrant in the flesh, alive and well and happy in the company of her husband, a smart young artisan —the only flaw in- their happiness being the fact that their bdby. girl, born about five months ago, is- in hospital. Since October 1, 1929, the girl has been Mrs Richard Jenkins, and she lives with her husband in a suburban home at West Greenwich. For reasons which she gives in her own story- she left her home in August, 1929. Since then her' life has been an-open book, and she says she is at a loss to know why her relatives were unaware of her present position and home.

Winifred Parrant’s story is simple, but yet romantic, and includes a touch df Young Lochinvar, who bore his girl across the border on- a fiery, untamed steed. But- in this case the modern Young Lochinvar used a motoi<cycle. Born 20 years Ugb last November, Winifred was brought up in Berkshire, and was living with her mother and stepfather when, at the age of 14-, she went out into the wdrld to fend for Herself and earn her living.

The young girl entered the service of a lady ST tife’ Ca'mberley district, and remained there for 12 months, when a better situation was offered to her, and she changed mistresses. As do most girls living in‘ Berkshire, where there-are many military camps, Winifred, on her evenings out, made the acquit intance of. soldiers from time to time, but- led the quiet, modest life- of. the. English maid. She says she has nd, recollection of Jennings—that is, she cannot recall his name, and vows that she never went to Windsor Great Park wth a soldier —so that Jennings’ confession was all the mdre bewildering to her. When Winifred reached the age. of 16 calamity—the worst that can befall a girl—came into her life. Her mother died. At- this time the family was somewhat separated. Winifred was in r service, her stepfather lived at Sandhurst' and her brother and .sister at. Bagshot.- . ,

It fen to Winifred’s- let- to- have 'to leave service and keep house for her stepfather. She took up her neAv duties and carried them on for a considerable time, “but/’ she said, ‘‘l was not happy; I had to be at home and indoors - every riiglit at B.SIO, when other girls of my age were allowed out until ten. I could not go to dances or to pictures, and at last I made up my mind to leave home. 'This was in >the early suinmef'of 1929, and I went to some aunties of mine who live at Islington. After a week or so there we all went to Sandhurst, and I was prevailed upon to stay at home again. “Then I was taken ill, and was in bed for six weeks. When. I resumed ffiy duties as housekeeper to my stepfather, the’ old conditions prevailed. He was very strict/ and I wanted more freedom. The thought was in my mind to leave home again, but I had not definitely decided: to do so, and then I met Dick.”

Here Winifred pointed to her husband, Mr Richard Jenkins, a tall, smart-looking young ffian/pf 23, whose alert .bearing suggested Army training. Dick smiled happily, and went On with the story. He said: — “I was in the Royal Field Artillery (Territorial Fbrce) and went down to Camerley to join them in the second week of the 1929 training. I was a bombardier and permitted certain privileges, so that on the evening of August 13 I was out with my motorcycle wearing ‘civvies?’ As luck would have it the bicycle broke down outside the Duke of York Hotel, Camberley. That would be about seven o’clock. I could do nothing with the machine, but a chum of mine came along and suggested 'the magneto was out of order.

“Well, ho put it right, but meanwhile two girls—Winifred was one — came up, and the other girl spoke to my chum. Win was shy, as she is now—at this point Winifred looked appropriately demure —but in the end she accepted my invitation to a pillion ride, and off we went. Some miles out of Camberley the bicycle again broke down, do what 1 could I failed to get it started. “Ten o’clock came, and Winifred was afraid to go home. I had to push the heavy cycle all the way back to Camberley. most of it uphill, and we did not get there until two o’clock in the morning. We were both in a bad fix. .Winifred was afraid to go home, and I was anxious to get into barracks and pass the guard unobserved.”

“What happened?” he was asked.' Winifred now took up the thread of the romance. “He got back into barracks, and • I slept out in the bracken near the camp. I had only the clothes I stood up in. We met every dav and Dick provided me with food. Each night I slept in the bracken, anfd,, tharijk goodnefes, the weather was kind.” Resuming the narrative, Dick said, "On the Saturday camp broke up and I took Winifred on the pillion back to London with me. She was then dressed as she was when I first met her, in a navy blue costume, fleshcoloured stockings, and was without a hat. In fact, I bought her a hat ( when we got to London. “I had to find a place for her to live in in London, so I took her to the Lewisham Hight Road Hostel, where she stayed until we were married. She had to be in the hostel before 10 o clock every night, so we only had an hour or so together in the evenings after I had finished work. were married on October 1. nL9, at Greenwich' register office, and ?l" b % h I y WaS born on 3, I MO. She is named Winifred Doris and I am sorry to say that she is at present in hospital;” Q .S his . the vet romantic band a « Y Winifre « anf * her husband as they sat on either side of a hom o n 'at fi TT “I a l conifortabl e suburban - °me at Harlesden, where they were staying with relatives for the we?k-

Outside, a drab fog made everything dreary, but inside, the leaping flames of the fire, as it lit up the faces of tfii-s- romantic couple, contrasted strangely with the gruesome scene in Windsor Great Park, wthere weary policemen were looking for a corpse which'did not exist. Winifred, a pretty girl, with- black “bobbed” hair, denies all knowledge of the attache-case containing some women’s clothings and a green hat, found in the park, and she was at a loss to know why her relatives believed her to be dead. Both Winifred and her husband declare that a letter was written eatdy last year to the stepfather, in which he was told that Winifred- was alive 1 and -well. To this letter they received no reply, ant they could only imagine that it went astray. , Meanwhile, the author of the sensational “murder” scare, Private Thomas- Henry Jennings, of . the 2nd Battalion North Staffordshire Regiment, had’ been sentenced- to- 168 days’ imprisonment, for desertion and loss of kit, at Whittington Barracks, LichfielcF.

Jennings is a native of Grimsby, and at the time of his “crime” was stationed at Blackdown Camp, Aidershot, with his regiment, from which he deserted. After 17 months’ liberty he gave himself up and served his sentence. He was then transferred to Lichfield, from where he again absconded. Later, he was apprehended by the Grimsby police. While he was awaiting promulgation of his: sentence he made his “confession” to Major Hobart, the officer commanding the regimental depot; and as a result the chief constable of Lichfield forwarded the following - statement to the Surrey police: — “I, Thomas Henry Jennings, first met Miss Winifred Parrant at the pictures at Camberley and we fell in love with each other. Then another soldier cam e on the scene of whom. I was jealous. “One Sunday night, -August 11, 1929, we were going to her- sister’s at Bagshot when I suddenly killed her with my own hands and buried her body on the golf course near Virginia Water, Surrey. I then stayed absent from my regiment'until September 13, 1930. In tlxe meantime, I went to New York on the boats at Southampton.”

When Jennings was tol'd that Wini fred ; Parrant had been found alive, he laughed- heartily and'-apparently treated the matter as a great' joke. “I read in an- old newspaper that Winnie was missing and that her sister was inquiring for information about her,” he stated. “I thought that if I said I had murdered her they would take me someAvhere—anywhere that I would have someone .to talk to at Christmas.” In a leftei' to his mother Jennings declared, “I hope you are not worrying about anything; everything has been cleared up and I am nearly sure that they are going to discharge me from the Army. I do not know what made me do such a -thing. It was only to evade going to India.” Jennings was sent to Aidershot to serve liis sentence, at the completion of whijeh it not improbable that he will be put on the first draft to India to join his battalion. The militarj authorities were uncertain whether Io prefer another charge against Jen nings for making a false statement, ■to his commanding officer regardin? Miss Parrant.