THE "A.W.L.'S"

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 28, 28 October 1919, Page 5

THE "A.W.L.'S"

BOUNDING np AUSTRALIAN DESERTERS. (By .Tohn Sandcs. in the Sydney "Daily Telegraph.") London, July 31. As one goes down Victoria. Street, cither ori lop of ft bus or on foot, a perceptible change begins to appear in the general mass of the people, and the change becomes accentuated when one reaches Horseferrv Road—where the licadquarters of tho A.I.F. are situated. There is a preponderance of khaki on the. sidewalks, and every second man that yon meet wears a military slouch hat and a metal badge with the word "Australia" on his shoulder. The faces under the slouch hats are bronzed, keen, and clean cut. These are chiefly men awaitins demobilisation, and thero are. still 25,000 of them left, though not all are in London. Innuiries reveal that 10,000 of the Australian troops not yot demobilised are. men who are going through special educational courses in Franco or in the United Kingdom. Many of them are attending lectures at tho leading universities. The remaining 15,000 are engaged in closing up camps and in medical service at the various ihc-ipitals, for -there are still many wounded and disabled men awaiting repatriation. General Sir .Tohn Monash has already disnatclied 100 loaded troopships to Australia since ho began his duties as chief demobilisation officer. Thero is no question that tho work foai been efficiently and expeditiously conducted. A notico has just been issued from tho Australian headquarters, dealing with tho Australians "absent, without leave," of whom there we.ro a, considerable number. Many of these men disappeared from their regiments during the war, and never turned un again. General Sir John Monnsh explains'that, as the Australian Government refused to sanction the infliction of the death nonalty for desertion, it was impossible"to maintain discipline of sufficient severity to deter men from defer! ing. However, after repatriating 250,000 troops, he considered that a residue of men who failed in their duty was only to be expected. Many of these men had remained in France, married French girls, and wero now working in France. Others had crossed over to Ireland. It was felt that Australia was under a moral obligation to tho Imperial Government, to remove as many as possible of the A.W.L. ("absent without leave") element, lest those "had eggs" might give trouble in Great Britain, and. consequently, a notice 'had been issued tliat in the case of men who did not report themselves before a fixed date in August all pay and war gratuities would be. forfeited, also transport back to Australia, and whatever benefits might bo in store for them at tho hands of the Australian Government. This notice, lilie General was glad to say, had tho effect, of causing men to come forward and give themselves up in considerable numbers. Every man who reported himself after n period of absence without leave had to undergo trial by court-mr.rtinl, where each case was dealt with on its merits. Although Ihe men who had deserted from their units forfeited all their pay, lh» Australian Government accepted (he obligation to continue paying the dependants of those men whatever amount had been allotted to Hi cm from tho nay of Ihe soldiers. It was considered that undue hardships would have been inflicted upon the dependants if the allotment money had been stonped when tho soldier forfeited his own nay by his miscfliiduct. General Monash anticipates that, in three months' limo (he last: Australian eoldier—who will probably be himself—will have left the United Kingdom for Australia,