R.A.F. COURT-MARTIAL

Grey River Argus, 25 August 1945, Page 3

R.A.F. COURT-MARTIAL

Prisoner Charged WITH GIVING GERMANS INFORMATION. LONDON, Aug. 23. Air Gunner. Warrant Officer Raymond Hughes, a volunteer reservist, and a repatriated war prisoner, faces eleven charges before a R.A.F. courtmartial at Axbridge, alleging that after his capture by the Germans he gave away more information than was compulsory. Two other R.A.F. repatriated war prisoners will face similar charges. Hughes pleaded not guilty. Th(s principal charges against Hughes are: Disclosing to Germans the method adopted by the R.A.F. for carrying out the raid in which he was shot down; asking prisoners of war, on behalf of the German authorities, to fill in answers on. forms containing questions relating to R.A.F. formations; making German propaganda records; broadcasting German propaganda; lending money to persons engaged in forming the “British Free Corps,” intended for use against the Red Army; advising the German authorities on methods of combating Allied air raids against Berlin; and accepting employment from the German Foreign Office and the Berlin radio. The prosecutor, Flight Lieutenant R. "W. Goff, stated Hughes was shot down on August 17, 1943. He was taken to the Dulagluft interrogation centre, where he remained for two months. He was later removed to Frankfurt and.then to Berlin, where he stayed until August 8, 1944, wearing civilian clothes and under no kind of detention or restriction. Goff said that he was calling as witnesses a German officer who interrogated Hughes at. Dulagluft, a German official in charge of the English section of the German Foreign Office Broadcasting Department, and also R.A.F. officers. Goff alleged that whereas prisoners ordinarily stayed at the interrogation centre only two or three days before their removal to a permanent camp, Hughes stayed on working for the Germans, enjoying special privileges. Goff added that Hughes in Berlin expressed his willingness to write anti-Jew'ish talks for broadcast to England, after which he was provided with a special room in the Foreign Office and also broadcast propaganda talks in Welsh for Welsh troops in Italy. Hughes’s appointment was terminated when his employers refused him seven days leave,' which he nevertheless took, whereupon they arrested hirh and sent him to a war prisoners’ camp. The Germans offered Hughes a commission in the British Free Corps, after which he attended various meetings and lent money to other prisoners. Hughes, in December. 1943, went to' the German Air Ministry, pointed out what he had observed during the Berlin raids and offeied advice about improving the city’s defences An R.A.F. investigating officer giving evidence, said he interviewed Hughes on April 28, after which Hughes made a statement. Hughes in the alleged statement said he was a war prisoner from 18/8/43 to 2/4/45, when liberated by the Russians. When interrogated at Dulagluft after being shot down he at first refused any information beyond his name, number and next of kin. The Germans told him that if he did not answer a further question he would be handed over to the Gestapo. The interlogator later told him they had all the information required concerning his squadron, group, etc., and requested him to sign a..paper bearing these particulars, which he did. Returning to Dulogluft after being flown to a castle near Bonn where a German officer asked him about thq food situation in Britain, he was given civilian clothes and found his cell door left unlocked. He volunteered to take a Red Cross letter from round the cells and got more freedom until he was able to visit any part of the building, including the offices and registries, where he saw many photographic copies'of English documents. A girl clerk told him these were received from German spies in Britain by radio photographs. The statement continued that Bail-lie-Stewart in December, 1943, told Hughes: “He was no good at broadcasting and particularly dumb at writing,” but he was prepared to offer him a commission in the British Free Corps, which William Joyce and Amery were raising on the lines of the Viking Waffen S.S. The hearing has not finished. ALDERSHOT SENTENCES ON CANADIANS. LONDON, Aug. 23. A court-martial after the Aidershot disturbances imposed on three Canadian soldiers, sentences ranging from seven years’ penal servitude to two years’ imprisonment with hard labour.