FOURTEEN OPERATIONS

Evening Star, Issue 19782, 4 February 1928, Page 2

FOURTEEN OPERATIONS

BADLY WOUNDED SOLDIER'S OFFENCE [Per United Pbess Association.] AUCKLAND,' February 3. Described as “a walking surgical mystery,” Frederick S. H. Martin, a middle-aged returned soldier, sat in the Police Court to-day charged with making a false declaration regarding his pension. s “This man was shot to tatters at the war,” said Mr Finlay, for the defendant. “He has been under about fourteen operations, and there is not one portion of his anatomy that is functioning as it should if normal. His whole body has been shot and torn and cut to pieces, and he is in considerable pain yet. There is not one doctor in New Zealand who can give him relief. The medical file containing the history of his case has -been lost, and to-day he is a walking surgical mystery.” . The police statements were to the effect that Martin had.applied for. an economic pension, one or the requirements of the application being that applicants should state all particulars relating to their income. Defendant had supplied none, but it was subsequently found he had received a fairly large sum from England as well as smaller amounts. ... The defence _ was that at the time of the application Martin did not have money, and in his state he could not live without a pension. The Magistrate (Mr P. ,K. Hunt) held; defendant guilty, hutf postponed sentence for a week to allow arrangements to be made for a refund of the