TOSSED A COIN TO START A FIRE

Chronicle (Levin), 15 July 1947, Page 5

TOSSED A COIN TO START A FIRE

- r*r. AJR,CRAFT^EN FED UP NOTHING TO DO AUCKLAND, Juiy 44; Plpjv paerphers of the R.N .Z.A.F. flre section at' Whenuapai v air station decided was time the.y had-a flre ana tpsg.ed a coin .to determine who shpuld laght if, was d.escrih.e.d in st.atementp by itwtf yp.ung pixcjaftsmen who, charged; .with prsQh, app.eared b.efore Messrs D,^ Pprtofx J, Jfelling J.^'s. tjhis morning, Ahcusqd .wer.e L'.A.C. Douglas Gordon pohertpou, aged 19 (Mr. Repd) ana A.G.l Douglas Ajlbert Edward Major, pged 23 ~(Mr. Aekins). They were charged jointly with committing arson by sptting flre tp a hut at "X" eamp, Whenuapai, pn 0,c,tpber -27, 1946, and by S.etting flr.e to bathing shedg at Whenuapai jLn J auuary last. Robertson was fliso charge.d witfl .attempting to eommit arson by sefting flre to a quantity pf kitp' in tlie barrack sfore at Whenuapai. JBpth accused pleaded guilty ana were committed .ttp the Supreme Court fpr senteuee. In a statemeut made to the police about the flre in Uct.p.ber 1946, Ro.bertson said ,one night he was sitting in the recr.eation ropm at the flre station'- With .Other memb.ers of the flre crew, Major was ther.e. • " W'e were talking about flres and someone said jpkingly wny can't we have a flre or some similar words, " said ,Robter-tson. ''It was not arranged at the time to light a fire. La.ter in the evening about fopr of us got together and finally decided to sec flre to one of the huts in X camp. Major and I w.ere two of the four bnt I canno,t remember who the other two were. As np one was ver.y keen about volun-teei-ing fpj the job we decided to toss a coin to see who would go. It fell to the lot of Major and myself to go. '' Robertson theu described how he and Major had obtained kerosene and a piece of candle. "I kept watch,-" he said, "while Major lit the fire. After it was iit we hurried back to the fire secti,on and went to our beds. In company with other members of the flre crew I attended a fire and on arrival I fpund that the same shed to which Majpr and X had previously been was

burning fiercely. We were unable tp save the shed. The only explanation 1 'can offer is that members of the fire creYV wer.e fed up with nothing to do and that it was decided to light a fire where it would do least damage. ; ' In a statement about the fire in January Robertson said it was again decidefl to toss a coin, "Major and myseli -had no wish to do it as it had fallen to our lot on the previous oeeasion. It had be.en decided that a fire should be lit in the ,dressing sheds, " continued Robertson. "They chose the Waaf's dressing shed where there was a pile of tarred nets. Major and I were members of the crew who went to the fire and were responsible for saVing the biggest portion of the building. I cannot remember the others responsible for suggesting the fire." In a third statement about the fire concerning which he was eharged separately, Robertson said that on June 19 of this year he was on guard duty at night and saw a light flashing on the outside' wall of the main store. He told a eorporal who sent him to investigate. Aeting on impulse he took with him a cloth 'soaked in kerosene. He went to the barrack store and placed ,a clotu among some lcits and set fire to the clothU Then he realised he had made a mistake but the fire had a good hold and he was unable to put it out. He went to air movements and had a call put through to the fire brigade. How.ever, he and a constable put the fire out' before -the brigade arrived. Statements made by Robertson concerning offenees with which he and Major were jointly eharged, were corrob'orated in a statement by Major prpdueed in Court. "The reason I took part in the setting Pf the fires was that I was fed up with doing nothing and felt I would like a bit of excitement," said Major.