A COURT MARTIAL

Hokitika Guardian, 17 January 1936, Page 7

A COURT MARTIAL

NEGLECT OF DUTY

AN OFFICER DISMISSED

LONDON, January 12,

Lieutenant Hugh Le Fanu Richards, if H.M.S. Drake for H.M.S. Vidette, , .vas dismissed his ship and severely reprimanded by a court-martial at Denvonport on charges of negligently xerforming his duties. The court-mar-fcial was a further sequel to the dis~ppearance from two warships of quantities of rum, meat and vegetables. Recently Chief Petty-Officer W. T. I. HaTloran was sentenced to be disrated to leading seaman for making a false entry and failing to exercise proper superiision over stoi'es when h 0 vas torpedo coxswain and in charge of ,he stores of H.M.S. Tenedos and H.M.S. Vidette. He was also found .guilty of issuing undiluted spirit to nen below the rating of petty officer.

Lieutenant Richards pleaded guilty to four charges of negligently perrorm:ng his duties by omitting to muster the remains of the stores in H.M.S. Tenedos, omitting to attend at a monthly issue of soap and tobacco md omitting to see that the victualling accounts ivere kept in proper manner in H.M.S. Tenedos and Videttc. It was stated that Lieutenant Richards was serving in H.M.S. Tenedos until the officers and crew were turned over to H.M.S. Vidette. It was then found that the accounts were not up to date. Lieutenant Richards, in a statement in mitigation of penalty, contended that pressure of work was responsible for the various omissions. He said that he signed the account and informed the cox.swam tlmt he would muster the remains later/Owing to the pressure of work the muster was forgotten and the account was forwarded.

He delegated the issue of soap and tobacco to the coxswain, who was apparently a reliable and trustworthy man. “I believed that my presence was not a strict necessity and that I could be more profitably employed else•vhere,” he said. On the charges of not properly carrying out victualling accounts, he said that checking the accounts was not an easy job. “I should like to observe,” he said, “that my commanding officer at all time stressed the fact that his main consideration was the fighting efficiency of the ship.” Certificates which were produced rebiting to his service showed that Lieutenant Richards had a satisfactory character. He was described as “a hard-working, keen officer.” H.M.S. Drake is the Royal Naval Barracks at Devonport.