On This Day, 1 May 1918

Evening Dispatch

Wednesday 1 May 1918

ARMY BLUNDER.

LAD OF FIFTEEN ALLEGED TO BE A DESERTER.

The story of a curious blunder on the part of the Army officials was told at the Birmingham Police Court to-day, when Mrs. Ellen Russell, 22, Brookfields-road, Hockley, was summoned for harbouring a deserter.

Mr D. Grierson, who prosecuted, explained that the defendant’s son joined the Army when 15 years old and served in France. Detective-constable David Sterry received a communication from the Army authorities to arrest the defendant’s son as a deserter, but in spite of a number of visits to the house he failed to effect the arrest, and was on one occasion actually resisted with violence. There were other summonses concerning resisting the police against defendant and members of her family.

Mr P. Baker, who defended, elicited from Sterry the fact the defendant and the alleged deserted himself were both under the impression that he had received his discharge from the Army, as when Mrs. Russell communicated with the Army authorities concerning her son’s age the lad was sent home, and she received an official Army form stating that he had been discharge and applying for the return of her ring paper. Sterry admitted that he had seen the paper in question and had informed the military of the fact.

The prosecution now contended that the paper had been sent to Mrs. Russell in error, but Mr. Baker pointed out that her separation allowance had also been stopped – possibly also in error.

The magistrates decided that they could not punish a woman who had harboured her son when she believed him to have been discharged from the Army. It was the Army’s blunder. The summons was dismissed, and Mr Grierson then withdrew the other summonses.

The Clerk (Mr. Walker) said that from the correspondence in the case it appeared that Sterry had done everything he could to avoid causing defendant annoyance, and the magistrates said that they agreed that he was in no way to blame.