COURT MARTIAL OF OFFICER

Greymouth Evening Star, 18 September 1940, Page 12

COURT MARTIAL OF OFFICER

THREE CHARGES LISTED. LONDON, August 26. The court-martial of Major A. D. Wintie, M.C., of the First Royal Dragoons, who has been confined in the Tower of London since June 22, opened to-day. The charges are:— 1. That he feigned an infirmity when on active service by pretending to be suffering from defective vision, from which he was not suffering. 2. That he assaulted Air-Commo-dore A. R. Boyle. 3. That he produced a pistol and threatened to shoot himself and AirCofnmodore Boyle, and that he declared that certain Ministers, Sil members of the R.A.F. above the rank of Group Captain and most senior army officers ought to be shot. Major Wintie pleaded not guilty on alll charges. The Public Prosecutor said that Wintie, in an interview with AirCommodore A. R. Boyle, named three or four Ministers whom he said should be shot. Wintie added that all officers above the rank of Group-Captain should be shot or shot out. The Prosecutor added that Wintie told a Colonel that he consciously limited his vision when his eyesight was tested, because he wanted to get out of the British Army and join the French Army as a liaison officer. When he interviewed Air-Com-modore Boyle Wintie seemed to believe . that he was the only person qualified to deal with the situation then arising in France. Air-Com-modore Boyle refused to give Wintie an aeroplane to fly to Bordeaux, whereupon Wintie pulled out a pistol and said that he would show how earnest he was by shooting off one of his fingers. When Air-Commodore- Boyle did not seem impressed, Wintie pointed the pistol at him. Air-Commodore Boyle told him to put the pistol away and Wintie did so.

BROUGHT UP IN FRANCE. Wintie’s counsel said that Wintie was brought up in France and could probably talk French better than English. He knew hundreds of French officers intimately. He had twice visited France for the Air Ministrfly, and after the second visit he returned most depressed by- what French officers had told him. Wintie obtained an interview with FieldMarshal (then General) Sir Edmund Ironside and placed his information before him. Early this year Wintie was ordered to act as a draft-con-ducting officer to Palestine. This was a terrible disappointment. Being depressed, he thought that the Army had no more use for a man with such bad eyesight. He applied to the Army Medical Board, and decided to let it know for the first time how bad his eyesight was. Wintie nevei' knowingly pointed a pistol at AirCommodore Boyle. PARTIAL ACQUITTAL. LONDON, August 29. “Major Wintie is quite unrepentant about the motives behind his attempt to fly to Bordeaux,” said Mr Fleet-wood-Jones, a friend of Major A. D. Wintie, M.C., who was acquitted at a court-martial of charges of having feigned defective vision and of having threatened to shoot himself and Air-Commodore Boyle. On a charge of assaulting Air-Commodore Boyle, the Court deferred passing sentence. “Major Wintie is still quite convinced that he might have been able to save some of the French planes if he had been allowed to contact important French Air Force friends,” said Mr Fleetwood-Jones.

Commenting on his imprisonment, during which, he was allowed only an hour’s exercise each day, Major Wintie is reported to have said: “It was adequate. I do not want to parade up and down like an animal behind bars awaiting a bun or a bag of nuts. I spent the time profitably writing novels.” Major Wintie has been released from the Tower and given the key to his quarters and told to come and go as he pleases. He walked out and visited his club. He said he had decided to stay at the Tower, “because I like the place, and the tramp of soldiers’ boots is the kind of music I find pleasant.”