WINE FOR CELEBRATION

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 165, 3 October 1927, Page 16

WINE FOR CELEBRATION

RENOWN OFFICER CHARGED COURT MARTIAL VERDICT Shortly after the Renown had berthed off the south railway jetty in Portsmouth dockyard on June 27, on the home-coming of the Duke and Duchess of York from their world tour, Commissioned Royal Marine Gunner Henry Reynolds Horne was seen by a preventive officer to leave the ship carrying a suitcase. He entered a taxi, and was about to drive off, when the officer questioned him as to the contents of the case. This was found to contain four bottles of champagne, a bottle of hock, and another of port. The matter was reported and as a result Horne was tried by courtmartial at Portsmouth on two charges —with keeping wine in his cabin not entered in the wine book, and with attempting to smuggle six bottles of wine ashore. Horne admitted both charges, and in a statement made in mitigation of punishment he threw himself on the mercy of the court. During the cruise, he explained, the officers of the ship were lavishly entertained at every port of call in Australia, and they entertained on a similar scale in return for the hospitality shown them. He had guests bn board, some of whom offered him gifts of wine, and he found it extremely difficult to refuse them. All the officers, including the warrant officers, of the Renown lived under conditions very different from those experienced by officers in other ships. Warrant officers were entertained on an. unusual scale, which made it all the more difficult to refuse the gifts offered them. He was of temperate habits, and instead of consuming the wine he locked it away in his cabin, forgetting the necessity for entering it in the wine book. The court would understand the general excitement of arriving home after such a cruise. He had his wife and family on board for lunch, and foolishly took the remaining wine ashore with the idea of celebrating his return home. Referring to his record, Horne stated that he had 27 years’ service, with an unblemished character. He was the senior commissioned gunner in the Royal Marines, and next for promotion to a lieutenancy, which would advance his pay from 19s lOd to 25s 6d a day. Eventually this would increase his pension from £202 a year to £263. which he could obtain on retirement at the age of 50 as a lieutenant, whereas if he retired as a commissioned gunner at 55 his pension would be £225 a year. In view of his proximity to promotion, he hoped the court would consider all the circumstances. Captain N. A. Sullivan, R.N., who is in command of the Renown, pointed out that Horne had served in the ship since September, 1926. Apart from the two offences to which he had pleaded guilty, his conduct had been satisfactory. He considered him a valuable officer, and had had occasion to commend him for good and hard work when in charge of a target party of H.M.S. Snapdragon last October. The court’s sentence was that accused should be severely reprimanded.