WAR STORES SCANDALS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIII, Issue 13355, 8 December 1906, Page 5

WAR STORES SCANDALS.

THE SENTENCES ON OFFENDERS-

1 [KKOM OCR OWN COBRE.SPONDEXT-3 i London, November 3. Tuesday, October 16, was a very black date for a number of officers, commissioned and non-commissioned, in His Majesty s service. For on that morning were published the sentences passed by the 'War Office on the offenders who were censured by the Royal Commission and reported to the Government for punishment. However sorry one may feel for the various officers of apparent merit, and promise whose caieers have been cut short- by the Army Council's decisions, it is impossible not to recognise that they have richly deserved their fate. They held a most important and sacred trust on behalf of their Sovereign and their country, and they were false to that trust.' In declaring the determinations at which the Government had arrived Mr. Haldane (Minister for War) says that after a review of the whole of the facts in the light of the investigation by the Commission he has decided that there is nothing in these facts which would make it right that any action should be taken with regard to these generals. Since 1902 it has been conclusively shown that the system which then prevailed of heaping the double responsibility of command and administrative detail on an officer commanding-in-chief puts upon him a duty which it is impracticable' for him to perform adequately. In 1905 a new system was introduced, which has to a considerable extent effected the necessary reform, but it is a question whether further steps will not- require to be taken in order to place responsibility upon the proper shoulders, and to ensure tile adequate despatch of the intricate and difficult business of supply.. As regards General Lyttel-

ton, in particular, the Secretary for State has advised his colleagues in the Government that it was almost humanly impossible for that officer at once to supervise the system of supply and at the same time adequately to command the troops. Later I shall have occasion to refer to certain criticisms on this whitewashing of General Lyttelton. As regards the oilier officers concerned, Captain A. J. Anderson, Captain P. C. de la Pryme, Captain G. H. Harvey, Captain A. U. Udal, and Messrs. J. A. Flynn and H. J. Edwards arc " exonerated." In. the cases of Colonel C. E. Wyncoll, Quartermasters and Hon. Lieutenants P. R. Sparke, T. Wilson, Staff Sergeant-Majors J. A. Blay, C.'Durainvillc, J. Topliss/T. Wilkin, Quartermaster-Sergeants A. Ridley and H. Jephson, Staff QuartermasterSergeants W. S. Banning and F. H. Roe, Company Sergeant-Major W. J. Grigsby, Staff-Sergeant W. R. Dunbar. Sergeant H. J. Akerman, Sergeant W. Dargan, Sergeant F. Hissey, Sergeant A. Ridgwell (retired), Corporal C. J. Crow, Corporal E. McGoven, and Corporal L. Thurgood, it is announced that " no action will be taken." The following officers have been "censured" : Colonel G. Dewar, Lieutenant-Colonel H. Swire, Major A, Amey, Major A. Long, Major S. L. Reynolds, Captain C. H. Hunter, and Lieutenant C. R. F. Morgan. Captain H. de C. Huntsman 1 (4), Captain R. R. B. Jackson (10), Captain W. D. V. 0. King (5), and Lieutenant 0. B. R. Dickey (5) have been "censured, and will lose, from the date of their, suspension, the number of steps in seniority indicated against each name." The following officers have, been called on to retire, under article 101 of the Royal Warrant for Pay and Promotion, receiving any retired pay to which their service mayentitle them; Lieutenant-Colonel H. G. Morgan, Major G. F. Walton, Captain W. D. Douglas-Jones; Captain J. Forsyth-, Grant,>and. rr Captain,R. M.. Limond. •■ V Ap4* Staff-Quartermaster-Sergeant. C. H. Shan- f1 non will be discharged, "services no longer'' required/' Colonel Hipwell "-will retire,' losing the additional retired pay which he ; would otherwise have received for specially good service." Lieutenant-Colonel G. E. M. Hammett will be "removed without al-. lowance," and First-Class Staff-Sergeant-Major J. G. Beavan, First-Class Staff Ser-geant-Major G. 8. Honevball, Staff-Quar-termaster-Sergeant F. Williams, Staff-Ser-geant A. E. Beavan, Staff-Sergeant H. Mills, Sergeant W. E. Tarrant, Sergeant W. C. Moss, Corporal A. M. Hilton, and Second-Corporal. E. Bullingham axe discharged for misconduct." _ Tliese sentences were promptly carried into effect. On Tuesday morning in I ho' orderly-room of the Army Service Corps, at Aldershot, two non-commissioned officers of the regiment stood to hear their i fate consequent upon the War Stores Com- > mission revelations. They were First-Class Staff-Sergeant-Major Beaven and Sergeant Mills. Both were in undress uniform, each with a strip of coloured ribbon representing their services m the .field. Colonel Gilpin ' had called them in in the early moraine. the sergeant-major from his work as chief clerk in the office of transport and supplies and the other from his quarters, where for 18 months he has been under open arrest, and not permitted outside the barrack gate. With the colonel was his adjutant, Captain Evan Gibbs. An eye witness says: "It was a simple, but a. tragic scene. The adjutant read to the two men the decision of the Army Council, formulated that day in these terms:— undermentioned'warrant officer and non-commissioned officer are discharged from the army for misconduct, under .paragraph 1805 (xi.) King's Regulations this day, and His Majesty has approved of each being summarily reduced to the ranks from October 13, 1906: FirstClass Stati-Sergeant-Major- Beavan, SkiffSergeant H. H. Mills.' In these few words was expressed a decision which has taken all Aldershot- and the camps by surprise. Reduction to the ranks was anticipated, but dismissal was not. Briefly, the colonel informed the men that they were no longer in the army, and must get into civilian kit at once ; Mills, who is un-., married, to leave the camp within 24 hours, Beaven, who is married, and was in quarters, in 48.hours. Not only that, but they must return their uniforms, and all thaV marked their service in the army. They were then marched to their quarters— broken men. " The blow fell very hard on the sergeantmajor. On the breast of his tunic he could display six medals and eight clasps, including the distinguished conduct medal, the Queen's and King's medals, the Soudan medal, the Khedive's star, ami the good conduct medal. All these he had to hand over to his guard. He has had 22 years' service, and because of his excellent career in South Africa he had been recommended for a commission, and the recommendation had been approved. He was on the point of being promoted, when the war stores inquiry shattered his hopes. With neK , ther of the men was there any theatrical display on parade. The few lines in the orders of the day made all aware of their disgrace without tap of drum or the old inarching to the barrack gates. Mills left bis- quarters and the town within a few hours. Beavan quitted Aldershot in (he afternoon with his family."