NAVAL DESERTER AND BIGAMIST

NZ Truth, Issue 1306, 22 December 1930, Page 2

NAVAL DESERTER AND BIGAMIST

TOLD WIFE IN ENGLAND BETTER FOR HER TO HAVE FREEDOM

ASKED HER TO TRY AND FORGET HIM

(From "N.Z. Truth's" Special Auckland Bepresentativ,e.) When Georg-e Lionel Allan, a Naval deserter, appeared before Mr. W. H. Woodward, S.M., m the Auckland Police Court to face a' charge of bigamy he frankly admitted the facts and said that he knew his legal wife was living at the time he went through a form of marriage this year with an Auckland girl. The girl, Marcia Rubna Hill, declared that when she married Allan she understood him to be a widower.

IN a letter written to his real wife, Allan said that "it would be better . for her to have her freedom," and asked her also "to try and forget him." ■But whether George Allan had communicated with her ox- not, it is more than probable that the real wife m England would have felt that something was wrong when her allowance from her husband's pay was stopped owing to Allan's desertion from his ship after his second experiment m matrimony. ' Evidence of marriage certificates showed that Allan had married Alice Irene Elizabeth t Wright m England m May, 1928, and m i* June, 1930, he had gone through a form of marriage with Marcia Rubna Hill, at Auckland. Detective - Sergeant James Bickerdike said that he interviewed Allan on December 6 - m connection wit h the matter, and Allan said that he regretted marrying Hill i n Auckland, because he knew at the time that his first wife was living. Marcia Rubna Hill stated that

she first met Allan m June, 1929, and was introduced to him while .travelling from Auckland to Devonport on the ferry. She kept company with him for twelve months and got married to him m June of this year. j At the time of their marriage Hill alleged that Allan had told her that he was a widower. "He has treated me very well during our married life," she said m conclusion. A statement made to the Plymouth (England) City Police by Allan's real wife was also produced. In it the first Mrs. Allan said 'that she got maried to Allan m May, 1928, and m the April of 1929 her husband sailed for New Zealand to join the

i New Zealand division of the Royal Navy. Then, m June of this year, her allowance of his pay was stopped on account of Allan being absent from his ship. Mrs. Allan said that she wrote to her husband regularly, and he, m turn, wrote regularly to her. Allan's own version of the affair was that he joined the Navy m ' England away back m 1923. When he came to New Zealand about eighteen months ago he made an allowance to his wife of 30/- a week. This amount was deducted from his pay. He made a frank admission of marrying 1 Hill at Devonport m June of this year, and stated that at the time he was a second-class steward. He admitted that subsequent to his marriage he had deserted from his ship. He knew his legal wife was living at the time, and regretted his action m going through a form of marriage with Hill, who, he seated, was not aware at the time that he was already married. In a letter written to his real wife m England, he said frankly that he had got married again, and that "it would be ■.. better for her to have her freedom." Allan's letter shows that he had no illusions concerning the position into which he had got himself, and m one

sentence he anticipates the long arm of the law reaching forth. * "So will you please try and forget me ... if you find another boy I hope that he will be able to treat you better than I have ever been able to." So runs one sentence m the letter. In another he already foresees a penalty for his action. "... because I made a fool of myself • . . that means I shall get about three years m gaol," is the reading of a sentence written after he "had heard that he was going to be taken to court for bigamy." The letter closes simply, "Now I will end, hoping you will not think too bad of me. — Yours truly, George." Allan, who was represented by Mr. P. W. Schramm, pleaded guilty and was committed for sentence.