AIR FORCE SPREE

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 183, 24 October 1927, Page 11

AIR FORCE SPREE

SOMERSAULTS IN HOTEL

SERGEANTS’ OUTING AT SKEGNESS

A lively outing of Royal Air Force sergeants resulted in several appearing at Skegness Police Court, when the following facts were related: Between 30 and 40 men, under the auspices of the sergeant’s mess, Royal Air Force, drove up to the Sea View Hotel, Skegness. The sergeants walked in one by one, the leader calling out “One, Two, Three, Four, Five,” as marched in. Cartwheels and Ukuleles They then turned somersaults and cartwheels. Two of their number played ukuleles, and another started juggling with the trays and glasses. One sergeant paid 4d for a broken glass, and said, “Wait until we have smashed the house up. We are not narrow-minded. We will pay for all we break.” Matters became worse, and the landlady called to her husband, who said they must not be served any more. He asked them all to leave quietly, but someone shouted, “Show us your chuckers-out.” Then blows were struck. The landlady received a blow on the jaw, while her husband, who went for her attacker, was struck on the head. The landlord telephoned for the police. Then Leslie Higham, a barman, who has fought at local boxing turnaments, received a blow in the back from a tool, whereupon he began setting about some of the party with a life preserver, with the result that one sergeant had to have four stitches put in his head and a guest of the sergeant’s was unconscious for several hours. For the defence it was stated that the disturbance was due to a small trouble which was started by civilians and developed into a big “row-” The hotel staff, it was pleaded, lost their heads. The Bench fined' Sergeants Thomas Griffiths and William Butcher £1 each for assault, and Sergeants Percy Brown and Arthur Syrett were bound over on charges of refusing to quit the premises. The chairman said the Air Force officials did not regret more than the Bench that this unfortunate affair had taken pTace. The whole bother arose because the lively sergeants with the ukuleles determined to have a spree. Addressing the licensee, the chairman said that the Bench were perturbed to find that he had on the premises certain persons of distinctly pugilistic tendencies. who were not satisfied with their fists but carried about life preservers and other mischievous weapons. The sooner these men were gotrid of the better.