Follow-up

rEAdING about the mutiny (Peterborough) reminded me of the time I was present when another one occurred.

I was with a royal Engineer survey in Cyprus in the late fifties. A group of hard men were having a good old ‘bevvyup’ in the NAAfI when it was time to close.

The duty officer, a Captain, a real decent chap, came in and said: ‘ Now come on lads, it’s time to go back to your tents.’

They refused point blank and grew very rowdy and continued to defy the duty officer.

‘Come on, lads,’ he repeated, ‘If you go back to your tents I will forget all about this.’

They still refused and the duty officer was forced to call out the guard and they were locked up in the guardroom.

In the morning they were charged with mutiny and sent to the prison at Wayne’s Keep camp to await court martial.

They were found guilty and sentenced to imprisonment in Malta for a time and were to be discharged with ignominy after serving their sentence.

They appealed and their defending officer said that what the duty officer had s ai d on t he night about forgetting it if they went back to their tents amounted to ‘condonement’.

The sentence was quashed and the lads were returned to our unit.

N. Goodale, Lincoln.