WAR OFFICE SCANDAL

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3028, 15 March 1917, Page 6

WAR OFFICE SCANDAL

PETTICOAT INFLUENCE THE BARTLETT CASE The fact that the exercise of political and social influence at the War Office and in other quarters has been rampant since the outbreak of war has largely been apparent (writes the London correspondent of the Melbourno "Age"). Ho goes 011 to give some particulars of the case of young Lieutenant Barrett, whose treatment at the hands of a certain society lady has been the subject of many references in the cablegrams. The lady in the case is Mrs. Cornwallis-West, the wife of Colonel William Cornwallis West, of Ruthin Castle, North Wales. She is 61 years of age, and hoi- husband Is 20 years her senior. They are very ■wealthy, and their Welsh home has always been a centre of sociaTactivity. The late King Edward was on several occasions a guest at Ruthin Castle, and the Kaiser has also been entertained there in days gono by. Mrs. Cornwallis-West was famous in her girlhood as an Irish beauty, and was regarded as rivalling Mrs. Langtry. She was married at the age of 17, and when she was 36 she was a grandmother. Her two daughters made brilliant matches, one marrying the -Duke of Westminster and the other Prince Henry of Pless. Her only son's marriage in 1900 to Lady Randolph Churchill (mother of Mr. Winston Churchill) created a sensation in society, for the 'Young man's bride was a middle-aged woman. Three years ago he was divorced by his wife, and in 1914 lie married Mrs. Patrick Campbell, the actress. A Youn? Officer and an Old Lady. Tim following is the summary of the Court of Inquiry concerning the case of Second Lieutenant Patrick Barrett, of the Royal Welsh Fusiliers: —"The first case is that of a young officer named Second Lieutenant P. Barrett, of the Royal Welsh Fusiliers. A sergeant in the regiment, he was strongly recommended by his commanding officer, Lieutenant-Colonel Delme-Rad-cliffe, and his military superiors for a commission, and his claims were cupported by friends outside official circles. On the strength of the recommendations from his immediate military supporters. Mr. Barrett was gazetted to a commission on December 2-1. 1.915, his name being submitted to the King for the grant of a commission in tlio ordinary course of departmental routine; Representations were received by Lieutenant-Gen-eral Sir J. Cowans, the QuartermasterGeneral to the forces', from Colonel and Mrs. Cornwallis-AVest, who were old friends of Sir J. Cowans, and Mrs. Birch, wife of the agent to the West family, and; to other land owners in North Wales, was also amongst those who pressed Mr. Barrett's claims.

"Probably before this time, and certainly later, Mrs. West began to take a moro than ordinary interest in Mr. Barrett, to which he consistently failed to respond, and eventually he wrote her, in February last, a letter of remonstrance, which she placed in the hands of his commanding officer, Lieu-tenant-Colouel Delme-Radeliffe. This officer took the matter up as one of discipline, and decided to apply for Mr. Barrett's transfer to another battalion, and so remove him from the locality. Mr. Barrett has complained that practically 110 opportunity was given liim of explaining the letter to Mrs. Cornwall! s-AVest to which she had taken exception. Meanwhile the lady had learned that Mr. .Barrett's friends wore talcing action on nis behalf, ami she appealed to Sir J. Cowans, buf. by the time he received her appeal Mr. Barrett's posting to another battalion had been ordered in the ordinary official course. Th<! only information on the subjeofc -which was before the War Ofiice was that Air. Barrett was not serving with the batHS'on to which ho properly beloved. and Mio transfer was sanctioned on this fi.rbiind alone.

"Mr. Barrett and his friends, however, not having: full information as to the facts, took the order to be an official endorsement of the commanding officer's censure. As a consequenco of his treatment Mr. Barrett's health, already impaired, became worse. The late' Sir Arthur Markham, M.P.. took up tho case with a view to righting tho wrong dono to him, and the present Prime Minister, when, as Secretary of Sta-to, he became aware of Sir Arthur Markham's representations, proceeded to take tho necessary steps to deal with tho case by court of inquiry, applying to Parliament for the requisite legislation, with the result that tho Army (Courts of Inquiry) Act was passed into law."' . What bccomes obvious on studying the findings of the court 011 tho conduct of each of tho parties concerned in tho case is that Sirs. GornwalhsAVest, after displaying "a more than ordinary interest" in Lieutenant Barrett, to which he "consistently failed to respond," endeavoured to exert influence against him on account of the "letter of remonstrance" he addressed to her. Tho'contents of this interesting letter of remonstrance have not been disclosed by tho court.

P.oliteness and Indiscretion. Lieutenant-Gcneral Sir John Cowans, Quartermaster-General at tho AYar Office, also comes in for some censurc from tho court. Ho is an old friend of Mr. and Mrs, Cornwatlis-West, and the lady appealed to him in her vindictive antagonism to tho youthful officer who had "consistently failed to respond to the great interest she showed in him. Tho court found that "Sir John Cowans thought, fit to intervene by addressing Kioutcnant-Colonel DclrocRadcliffc by telegram ana letter. He disclosed official information to Mrs. Cornwallis-AVest, and he implicated the War Office by informing Mrs. Corn-wallis-West that we (i.e., tho War Office) had done all that could bo done officially, the War Office, apart from Sir John Cowans, being at that time entirely ignorant of Mrs. CornwallisWest's complaint, and having sanctioned Second Lieutenant Barrett's immediate transfer on the disingenuous pretext put forward by Lieutenant-Colonel Delme-Radcliffe. Sir John Cowans depicted his frame of mind by telling Sirs. Cornwallis-AVest that ho would fight for her if he had time. In our opinion, this correspondence indicates 011 the part of Sir John Cowans not merely indiscretion, but a departure from official propriety."

The Secretary for War lias deprived Lieutenant-Colonel Delnio-Radcliffe of his command, and Sir John Cowans is to ho retained in the present position at the War Office on account of his "distinguished war service." His punishment, apart from the publicity to the case, consists in having be.en officially informed that the Government views his conduct in the case with displeasure. It is obvious, that he has many influential friends on the press, for a c;reat deal of excuse for his conduct has been jiiifc forward. For instance, the "Daily Mail" states that his "polite and evasive replies" to his old friend, Sirs. Cormvallis-West, have been regarded very seriously by the court. Apparently he was too polite and uot sufficiently evasive. A Scathing verdict. Conoernina; Mrs. Cornwallis-West, the findini; of the Court is. sis follows: — i yTn view of the Undines of fact at wli'di we have arrived and expressed in our statement of facts, it becomes unnecessary to criticise at any length the conduct and discretion of this ladj. lE,

discretion alone had to be considered), we think that whatever influence Mrs-C'ornwallis-West may have had over Sir John Confins the lady exaggerated it* We have no doubt that her injudicious boasting of the power she wielded at the War Office, which was, however, confirmed to an appreciable extent by the wording of some of Sir John Cowans' letters, was calculated to bring him and the administration as the War Offise into disrepute."