PAY DEFERRED

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 7, Issue 6, 14 September 1943, Page 2

PAY DEFERRED

CAPTAIN FOR 1000 YEARS ? £2000 BACK PAY DUF Cartwright. was elated. His promotion ha:! 00111? through. From now on it was Captain Cartwright. "Good .show, Cartwright," boomed the colonel. "Good show., old man!" echoed the blokes in the' mess. Under the ciircumsl a nces there was nothing Cartwright eou'd do but offer to throw a party. When the party was at its height,, his friend Standish turned up, slightly the AvorNe for wear. "T. say, old man," this worthy remarked, "why didn't you tell me?"' He held a copy of the London Gazette and when Cartwright managed to focus on the right column, lie found an announcement to tlu v effect that he had been promoted captain as from April 1, !)412. '•They you are!" said Standisli. "You've been a captain all these years and said nothing about it to no one." "Didn't know myself, old man. Been a captain a thousand years and nobody tells nv.\ Wonder how much back pay I'm due?" "Buck pay? J hadn't thought-that! Back pay for a thousand years! Whoopee! You'd better write for it. old man, otherwise you'll never get it." So there and then Captain Cartwright penned a letter to His Majesty's Under-Secretary of State for War, demanding bae.v pay as from the year 942. The following morning he woke with a bad head and a fervent hope that he hadn't really posted thai ridiculous letter. A fortnight passed ... a month . . . and then arrived an envelope marked "Confidential, On His Majesty's Service" Cartwright's fingers trembled a little a.s he opened the letter. It read: "Your claim for back pay as sincc the year 942, in accordance' with your promotion as promulgated. in the London Gazette, has been, investigated, anil it is agreed that this back pay is, indeed, due to you. The exact amount cannot be computed, owing to lack of information regarding the rates of pay during the earlier years of your service, but the War Office has agreed to the figure of £2000 in settlement of your claim." "What a party we'll have!"' Standish chortled. '"Hold on—there's some more, on the back." He read: "During the investigation of your claim it has come to light that at the time of the Norman invasion of England, in the year 10GG, a large quantity of horses, chariots, bows, arrows, spears,, shields and other equipment was missing from the stores of the British Army. As yon are the only living officer who held

rank at the lime, it is necessary that you be held responsible for the loss.. The value of the massing equipment is estimated at £2003 K>s -kl. If you will forward a checme for the odd £3 Ids -Id the War Office is prepared to regard the matter as closed."—H. M. Fisher. A.A. bulletin.