BULLIES IN THE ARMY.

Taihape Daily Times, Volume XI, Issue 3344, 24 November 1919, Page 6

BULLIES IN THE ARMY.

l BRITISH ALLEGATIONS. E THE DRILL SQUAD TYRANT. [ 1 TORTURING THE RECRUITS. 1 ' : LONDON, Nov. .10. Following the publication of Mr; Stephen Graham's book, “A Privatei in the Guards,” in which he alleges that bribery, beating, torture_, and injustice were practised by non-cornmis-'sioned officers when drilling recruits, thousands of former soldiers are writing to the newspapers describing the horrors of the drill squads. A selection of these letters which have been published shows that at several camps, especially that of the Guards at Caterham, the permanent! non~coms. were execrated, owing to‘ their merciless cruelty, degraded! language, and constant money-grab Ib-ing. ' An extraordinary figure called “Black Jack’; recurs in the correspondence, and was apparently the leading’ horror of the Guards bal'racks..He spoken of as a “tyrant of the worst type; only the pitchfork Was missing.” To-day’s instances include that of a lad at Caterham, who was stripped and beaten in a bath until “he fainted, and of men who were driven insane, and in numerous cases were bullied into desertion. ‘Another sold-ie-I~__ was used as 4-1 pxlriirirellingi pad by! a sergeant. showing skill with .1 bayonet. , C

An Air Force R.S.M. Writes:--—“I was bullied and beaten in the Gunrrls till I complained, when a sergeant major prodded me with his cane, wiped his muddy boots down my uniform, spat in my face, and dared me to complain again. I ‘left and right hooked the sergeant-major, who fell seu:3cln.sS. I deserted and joined the Flying C'orps.’-’ . Former_ sergeant-majorg of the Guards Wl'i’(C that oriber'y is tife throughout the army, and that it is un,fair to make the Guards stand all the blame ‘of the disclosures. General Codrington, on '-behalf of Cc-ldstream Guards, in a letter to The Times, resents the comparisons made 'by the paper in a leading article on Txlesday, and £L(1(lS‘l',ll11t the Guarals Divisions’ record compares favourably with that of any other troops. “Their success,” he states, “was not due merely to iron discipline, but to the regimental spirit, high purpose. and self-sacrifice which was inculcate'd at Caterhamfi’ The Times, in a leading article, says that the old discipline produced reliability and steadfastness, ‘-but lacked initiative, and never allowed the private to think. i In the House of Commons Mr Win--ston Churchill (Minister for War} refused to institute an inquiry into the sergeants’ cruelties.