MILITARY RIOTS

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 90, Issue 55, 7 March 1946, Page 8

MILITARY RIOTS

WAR OFFICE INQUIRY London, March 2. M 15—the Scotland Yard of the War Office—is investigating what is believed to be a national plot to incite simultaneous rioting among the 2362 servicemen held in Britain’s eight ■glasshouses,” says the “Daily Mail.” The War Office is convinced that, despite the rigid regulations governing military prisons, a handful of men at the root of the trouble have a secret communication system. Special investigators familiar with the methods of communication used By Allied prisoners of war in German camps are trying to discover how prisoners separated by hundreds of miles are able to communicate with each other. The prisoners are "not allowed newspapers, telephone calls, and telegrams, yet within an hour of the Aidershot riot men hundreds of miles awav had full details of the incident. The War Office has ordered extra guards and a general tightening-up of the regulations to prevent further riots. NORTHALLERTON PRISON. Rioting broke out yesterday at the Northallerton military prison, but the War Office stated that the riot was well in hand in the late afternoon. The National Fire Service used hoses to quell a fire and to restrain the rioters. Unarmed troops were unable to approach the rioters, who took to the roof of the barracks block, tore up tiles, and threw them at the guards. The rioters taunted and jeered at the troops and called, “Come and get us." The troops made a move, but a barrage of stones and broken roofing material freed them to beat a hasty retreat. The troops cordoned off the building, but were forced to stand by helplessly and listen to the sounds of the rioters wrecking the interior. The Northern Command, in a statement, said that the riot was confined to about 70 prisoners lodged in one hall. The rioters broke into the barracks stores and started a fire. Fifty soldiers were called in from a nearby depot. None of the rioters came from Aidershot. One missile thrown from the roof injured a guard. The Press Association recalls two mass escapes from Northallerton early in January, when the prisoners broke parades and rushed the gates.