DESERTION CHARGES

Southland Times, Issue 24536, 10 September 1941, Page 6

DESERTION CHARGES

THREE SOLDIERS BEFORE COURT-MARTIAL

(P.A.) WELLINGTON, September 9. Three soldiers of the N.Z.E.F., including one who served in the Great War and had done six months’ service in Fiji during the present war, were charged with desertion before a district court-martial at Trentham today. In each case the report of proceedings will be forwarded to the convening officer, Brigadier N. W. McD. Weir, and sentence will be announced when promulgated. Private Carlyle Pardof was charged with desertion in that he was absent without leave from July 23 to August 28, when he surrendered himself at Trentham camp. He pleaded not guilty. The prosecuting officer said the question for the Court was whether 36 days’ absence without leave constituted desertion.

The defending officer said that to establish desertion as distinct from absence without leave it must be shown that there was intention to desert a duty of the Army altogether. It was difficult sometimes to distinguish between the two offences. Mere length' of absence was not evidence of desertion. A soldier could be absent for a year and not be guilty of desertion; on the other hand he could be away only six hours and be guilty of desertion. It was all a matter of intention and in this case the accused returned voluntarily in uniform. Private Gordon Smith Wilkinson was charged with desertion on active service by being absent without leave from June 16 till apprehended by the civil police at Feilding on August 27. Private Ronald Edward Jukes, aged 24, was charged with deserting on May 25, 1941, in that he absented himself while in arrest from the detention barracks at Trentham till apprehended by the civil police at Dunedin on August 21, wearing civilian clothes. The accused, who pleaded guilty, made a statement that he had been advised by a friend that she was in difficult circumstances. He had been worried about her and anxious to assist. After serving six days of the 90 days’ detention he decided to escape and see what he could do to help her. The idea was to get money to help his friend and when she was no longer embarrassed to return to camp. MAORI SOLDIER SENT TO PRISON (P.A.) AUCKLAND, September 9. A sentence of 30 days’ detention, imposedl by a court-martial on Private Harry Robert Bowman, a member of a Maori reinforcement, who pleaded guilty to a charge of desertion while on active service, was confirmed by Brigadier P. H. Bell and promulgated at Papakura camp. The charge was that he deserted from a troopship in Wellington on June 27 and remained absent until apprehended in Lambton Quay on August 12 dressed in civilian clothes. In defence it was stated that Bowman left the droopship to visit his wife, who had suddenly been taken ill. The courtmartial sat at Papakura camp on Tuesday last.