1940-10-26 — Page 9

THE CHINA MAIL, OCTOBER 26, 1940

IRONSIDE SAYS MAJOR WAS A

NUISANCE

"If it could be proved that any 'individual were responsible for misleading anybody else I saw It was being prepared for us sys- teinatically for ten years to my. knowledge I should be quite happy to see him shot, but I don't

Field-Marshal Sir Edmund Ironside, former Chief of the Imperial General Staff, told the court- martial at the Duke of York's headquarters, Chelsea, know who the person is that Major A. D. Wintle, M.C., the 1st Royal Dra- goons "officer in the Tower," pestered him to go and fight.

“Like many people with guts who want to go and fight, he became a bit of a nuisance," said the field-marshal. The court took only five minutes to find the monocled major Not Guilty of the first and third charges he faced.

These were that he feigned defective sight at a medical board, and that he produced a pistol in the presence of Air Commodore A. R. Boyle, Director of Intelligence at the Air Ministry, and said that cer- tain Ministers, R.A.F., and Army officers ought to be shot.

Field-Marshal Sir Edmund Ironside then gave evidence. He said he met • "Major Wintle last December through the, introduc- tion of Lord Birdwood.” “Major Wintle reported to him the result of his meetings with various{ French - generals and officers and: seemed perturbed about · certain things in France.

Mr. Casswell:-Did he tell you he was anxious to be attached to the infantry? Yes

His chief anxiety appeared to be to get into the firing line?-- Yes,

Disappointed

"He was a cavalry officer, and when his regiment went out East one of the officers had to be left which was the usual thing," said behind to look after the depot,

Findings on the second charge, France where I knew they were -that Major Wintle assaulted Air prepared to let me got to a bat-Sir Edmund. Commodore Boyle -will be pro- talion or to the Foreign Legion mulgated.

"He was left behind. I think perhaps at Field-Marshal

any rate, some-he Ironside gave where where I would have been What are you doing now?

was disappointed. I sa'd; evidence after Major Wintle had able to go into action," he said.

And fold the court-martial for nearly Describing his visits to the sec-That will all come. We must all he said, 'I want to fight. I said, three hours his own story of his ond board, Major Wintle said that have patience. It is a matter of attempts to leave the British Army, an that occasion he memorised a equipment, and so on. join France's forces, and secure aline with a quick glance and was 'plane from Hendon by a trick to thus able to read it. fly. to Bordeaux to persuade French officers to get their war- planes to Britain.

Major Wintle

told the court- martial that in November 1939, when at the Air Ministry, he visit ed France to make contact with the French Air, Staff. He lunched with General Gamelin and met

· various French Air Force officers. From the conversations he had he became uneasy about the French Army.

His foremost object was "to go to war with: Germany."

In December he carried out a similar mission to that of Novem- ber. He went to the French Air Force H. Q. and had a long talk with, General Mondial..

Sir Edmund added that Major Wintle told him: "I want to go to the infantry. I am a bit of a Prussian."

Major Wintle said that on June 13 he met a member of the French Mission in London and He told Major Wintle to have discussed with him the situation | patience, and said he would look through his papers and sec what he could do, because these things could not be done in a minute.

In

France. That Frenchman expressed the opinion that the French might have to evacuate and devastate the whole of France and try to save as much of their armles as they could by taking them over to Morocco.

State Secrets

The President: We shall have to clear the court. if he is going to speak of State secrets.

The President: It is getting very near it just now.

Mr. Casswell: I shall be the last to attempt to bring out anything That visit increased my anxi-ike State secrets in court. ety," said Major Wintle, who add- ed that the general asked him to keep in touch with him. The gen- eral was immediately under the Chief of Operations of the French Air Force.

Wanted Command-

On June 17, when he heard of the appointment of 'Marshal Pe- tain, he made up his mind that if he could see a high French Air Force officer that day - before -anything-could possibly be decid- led he could Returning disturbed to Britain, officer to do something, and possi- influence that he had an interview with Field-bly get from him a plan to bring Marshal Sir Edmund Ironside, to part of the Air Force over here. whom he reported the result of his Mr. Casswell: Did you appre- meeting with the various French ciate that you were going into generals and officers.

"I told him," said Major Wintle, was a reasonable chance of getting grave danger? I thought there "of my anxiety to transfer to the shot by the French. infantry, and mentioned that I He went on: "I rang was anxious to have a command aerodrome in London and said up an or to be in second command of an that I was speaking from the Air infantry battalion.......

gave a direct order in the approv- Ministry, which was untrue, and cd way, with which I was familiar, and did the best I could to get an aeroplane to go to France."

"He said that he did not see any reason why I should not be able to do this, but mentioned some thing to the effect that I would have, to fend for myself."

-

Of the interview with Air Com- When he was instructed. to re-modore Boyle, the major said he join his reg nient at Edinburgh, was quite certain, that he did not Major Wintle said he was very threaten to shoot the other officer. disappointed to find that he was to

act as a draft, conducting officer. "I considered myself so insulted by this," he said, "that I felt I should disclose how bad my eyé was so that I might be invalided out of the service.

Legion Post

I had been invalided out of

Army I should have gone to

Should Be Shot

He told Alr Commodore Boyle that for years the truth ahout German rearmament had been suppressed by heedless politicians and that it would be a very good thing if those peo- ple could be shot for having done so.

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"He became a little bit of nuisance over this," said Sir Ed- mund, "like many people with guts who want to go and fight, It is not easy to find jobs for people of that rank, and I will put it quite plainly he became a nui- sance because he wanted to go and fight."

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