DOUGLAS-PENNANT PAPERS.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 16506, 6 August 1919, Page 7

DOUGLAS-PENNANT PAPERS.

1 ! CHARGES OF INTRIGUE.' | LONDON, Juno 6. I I Tho Air Ministry have published as a While Paper the correspondence relat- j ing to tho termination of tho appoint- ! I ment of tho Hon. A iolet Douglas-Pon--1 uant as the Commandant of ilie Wo- ! men’s Royal Air Force. Tho period ; comprised in ihe correspondence is . J from July 1. 1913, to .day 3 of this ’ year, and" there are in ail 39 letters and ’ : memoranda. " I 3 | Tho correspondence opens with a j 1 1 number of let tors referring to tho re- j ‘ i siguations of Miss Pratt, lleputy-Com- j j mandant of tho W.R.A.F.S., and Miss i 1 Katherine Andrew and .Mrs. Beatty, j i Assistant-Commandants. ) i The ensuing correspondence, then I I leads up to too intimation on behalf j : of tins Air Council that the council had conceited it to be their duly to i ! appoint a new commandant, and .Miss I Houglas-Pcunant, in reply to this, ; writes:—"J must ask why i am dis- : missed at a few hours’ notice by you i after only a few days’ work with .Col. j Powell, the reason given by General Branckcr being that, though not ‘in- ! efficient,’ 1 am ’grossly unpopular with 1 all who have had any dealings with | 1 mo,' and he stated as an example that : I I had been the cause of the rcsigna- j j lion of an efficient staff.” | “GRAVE SC ANDALS IN THE ! , | CAMPS.” j Miss Douglas-l’ennant followed this 1 ’ up with a long loiter to .Mr. Lloyd : George, in which she explained her 1 position. bhe meniioiu'd that a ter- , , tain Colonel BersVy was, on her ar- i rival as Commandant of the W.ILA.E. j in charge of the Men’s Section, and ; he assured her that under the rcgula- ‘ lions she could only coimmimcate : through him with the commanding officers with regard to the welfare of the . women workers in the camps. "I thus ’ found mysei) short-circuited.” proceeds ■

Hiss Dmigias-Pcnmui'., "at every turn. 1 Instructions which i had never given ■ ; wore-sent out in my name, calculated i to create mischief and false impres- i sions. Grave scandals in the camps were allowed to continue, while 1 was .powerless to put a stop to them, owing to the fact that 1 could only communicate through Colonel Horsey, who( it : was soon clear to me, did not wish to have a searchlight turned on to the j I suuu of confusion in tho administra- ] I tion of his work or on to the serious 1 state of affairs in some of the camps, 1 for which i was hold, as Commandant, i directly responsible. Siam after I bo- ' i came iimimaiular.i of the W.ILA.F. I| ] found myseli obliged to decline to re- : , commend to the Air Ministry live nt- i 1 | telly unsuitable women, who line! been i J i promised highly paid posts by Colonel I \ , .Horsey and oilier odivers. The mat- | ] i ter went forward to hold Weir and Sir i t j Godfrey Paine for decision, and as | j they upheld my view 1 became the oh- ! jeet of a hitter attack. Three of tho i women officers at headquarters, who were personal friends of the Jive disapI pointed candidates, resigned.” ; The next letter of importance is one from Lord Weir, the Secretary of .State for the Royal Air .Force, to the Prime Minister on December -1. 1918. | in tins Lord Weir states;—"l came, i definitely to the conclusion that Miss ( Pennant had not been successful in , obtaining the results required by the exigencies of war. and that she would ! j! not bo able to overcome the difficulties . j which presented themselves. I was i affected in this opinion by the belief ! * that she was unable to command tho | i co-operation of oilier departments in- I . forested and of the heads of other wo- 1 j men’s services, and this 1 believed to ! j be essential to the success of the or- | ganisatio n. At the beginning of Sep-, tember I. therefore, myself instructed General Branekor to supersede Miss

Pennant. . . It is clear, however, that a lack of consideration at least was shown to her in not waiting a further * fortnight in accordance with the stato- ; mont made by General Paine. ... I ; recognise that in this respect Miss : Pennant has ground for grievance, but ■ tliis, in my opinion, is the sole one, and is not a ground on which a claim . for inquiry can bo based.” j i Mr. Lloyd George replied to this | i effect to .Miss Douglas-IVnmuit. and j ; then that lady took up the eorrespon- S : denco witli Major-General Seely, who i had by then been appointed Underj Secretary of Stale for the Royal Air I Force. She followed this tip with a long memorandum to Mr. Winston Churchill. In this she states that from tho outset she was treated as an unwelcome intruder, and she learned that tho probationary officers had been j warned “that I was a dreadful woman who had spies everywhere and who was simply out to lord it over every one and to treat the officers in tho most unfair and cruel maimer.” Later ijho states :—. ■ A day or two after I had informed the five probationary officers that I | could not recommend the appointments in question, I was interviewed by an- i other officer, a .firs. Stephenson, who ! complained that I had not posted her j high enough, and that she intended to j inform Lord Norihcliffo and the press generally what was going on, and that there were four highly placed generals and others in the Air Ministry who meant to get rid of me unless 1 did what was wanted, aunchiding witli the remark; '.Mark my words, you will bo outside looking for a job if you do not do what you ought in this matter. You will be outside in another week or two—see if you are not.’ ” MISS DOUGLAS-PENNANT’S CHARGES. Continuing tho correspondence with Mr. Winston Churchill up to April of this year, Miss Dougias-Ponnant states that if an inquiry be granted she purposes to establish that among those in the W.R.A.F. who took a leading part in the movement she had described were General Livingstone and Liout.-Coloncl Bcrsey. Outside the W.R.A.F. Dame Katherine Furso promoted and encouraged tho movement and endeavoured to undermine her position as Commandant, and the man- ' ner in which she performed the duties, ' and her suitability for tho post were tho subject of communications from Damo Katherine Furso to Sir Auckland Goddes. Upon these representations, and under pressure from Damo Katherine Furso and others, Sir Auckland Gcddcs communicated with Lord Weir, and as a result Lord "Weir, acting under the influence and pressure exerted by Sir Auckland Gcddcs, dis- ' missed her. { In her final communication, dated \ May 3 of this year, to Mr. Winston ; Churchill, Miss Dcuglas-Tounant re- 1 iterates her charges, and adds;—“l 1 charge Dame K. Furso, a friend of Mrs. , Beatty and of Sir Auckland Gcddcs, with having brought pressure to bear through Sir A. Goddes on Lord Weir • i.nd Major-General Brancker to dismiss mo as soon as Major-General Sir God- ' frev Paine, who alone know about my . work, had gone overseas, immediately t

I nas dismissel Mrs. Chalmers Watson sister of Sir A. Gcddos, was nominates ns my successor, and failing ter Dame K. Furse.” In the concluding letter written on behalf of Mr. AATnston Churchill a denial is given to .Miss Pennant's allegations against Sir Auckland Geddes and ( Mrs. Chalmers Watson. The letter I states:—“There is only one point contained in your Tetter wliich Mr. Cliurcha. I ill thinks it necessary at this moment - j to dent with specifically, viz., your - I suggestion that Sir Auckland Gcddcs, in - forming the opinion that your suwrscs- - sion was necessary, and in so advising t 1 ord Weir, was aaiiiiatcd hy the desire s to job his sister, Mrs. Chalmers AVats sen, into the post you hold. Mrs. 1 Chalmers Watson had held the position jof Commandant of the Women's 1 j Auxiliary Corps, hy which name Queen ‘ | Mary’s \Vomen’s Army Auxiliary Corps ■ I was then known, a more highly paid 3 ! position under the War Office than you > j filled at the Air Ministry. When she I consented to hold this appointment she }. j did so on the understanding that it | would only he for a period. She rc--1 | signed this position before* you wore 1 ; appointed to veins. in obedience to the ’ : desire which she had repeatedly cx- > pressed to attend her home affairs. ‘| In those circumstances, it will be oh--1 1 lions In you that Mrs. Chalmers AVat- : son could have had no desire to acquire the post you hold, and that it would have given her no satisfaction to take 1 up a post less responsible than the 1 | one which she had voluntarily reliu- ' ; qnished in spite of every effort which ’ I the Adjutant-General made to persuade hci to retain it.” I TO THE EDITOR OF THE TIMES. I i | Sir,—As Miss Douglas-Poiinimt has | made various charges against me, wliich i I are freely published in the press, and 1 wnich I have, at present, no chance of i refuting, may I ask you to give me i the opportunity of stating publicly thnr. ; I am just as eager as .Miss Douginsi ! Pennant herself for the inquiry she- de- , i mauds? Her accusations being published im- ! der the shelter of privilege, 1 am pre- ; ! vented from meeting them in the open, ; ! hut should very much welcome the opportunity of doing so. Yours faithfully, j KATHARINE FI'RSB. i 112, Beaufort Street, Chelsea, j Juno 1. I TO THE EDITOR OF THE TIMES. j Sir.—l have road the debate in the House of Lords and the AMiito Paper published bv the Air Ministiy referring to Miss Douglas-Penn,nit’s caso with considerable interest, as my position in the Ministry of National Service, at tlu> time of Miss Doiighis-Pcn--1 mint’s dismissal corresponded with time I held by Da mo Katharine Eursc at the •: Admiralty, and as the head of the i AV(.linen’s Department I was responsible ! for advising Sir Auckland Geddes on I this matter. In these circumstances i I feel that as much responsibility at- ■ taches to mo as to anyone outside the ! Ministry directly concerned. : Yours’ faithfullv, I RHONDDA. 02, Victoria Street, Loudon, S.AA .1, June 2. j QUESTION IX THE LORDS. j In the House of Lords last work the | debate on the demand for a judicial ini quiry into the circumstances leading i i to the dismissal of Aliss A iolet Doug- j i las-Pennant from the Royal Air Force | i attracted a large number of peeresses. 1 'The motion, which was opposed hy the i 1 Government, was carried by GJ votes to | : 20. '