• Biscot troops on parade during a royal visit in April 1916.

At Biscot yesterday [January 25th, 1918] a court martial ordered by Major-General F. S. Robb, Commanding the Eastern Command, investigated accusations against Captain Charles Lane, Royal Field Artillery, who has been at Biscot upwards of two years.

The first charge accused Capt Lane of "conduct to the prejudice of good order and military discipline on July 20th, 1917, when acting as catering officer to the mess of No 6 Reserve Brigade, R.F.A., by improperly causing a chicken, ham, a quantity of salad, dessert, cheese, butter and vegetables, the property of the said mess, to be sent to his billets." A second charge was similarly worded except the date, which was August 11th, 1917, and only concerned a ham. Capt Lane pleaded not guilty.

Opening the case for the prosecution, Capt Percy H. Gibbins, R.F.A., said that evidence would be given to prove that on or about April 8th, 1917, Capt Lane was appointed mess caterer at a general mess meeting, and acted as such in the months of July and August. In consequence of communications made by the chef, investigations were carried out, and evidence would be called to show that the chef and two other men acted as messengers on the days specified and took food stuffs from the mess to Capt Lane's billet. Capt Lane did not pay for any foodstuffs taken from the mess.

Lieut-Col R. J. McHugh said he was elected President of the Officers' Mess at Biscot in June 1917. It was agreed that Capt Lane should have a free hand with the catering. The captain's duty was to purchase food, arrange menus, control the kitchen and mess room staff and look after the comforts of the mess generally. When he resigned over changes to the messing account, the profit balance of the mess had risen to £88, payments reduced from 2s 6d to 2s a day and there was no doubt he had made great improvements to the mess.

Gunner Percy Walter Beale, who was appointed chef to the officers' mess in July, said that on or about July 20th Capt Lane asked him to send down to his billet some lunch, enough for five or six people. Later the Captain told him to send some dinner plus eggs for next morning's breakfast. The witness said he sent a hamper of food a day to Capt Lane's billet for about a week. The same happened again in August, the food being the property of the Officers' Mess. But there was no secrecy involved.

Lieut Clyde Tabor Wilson said that on October 20th he had a conversation with Capt Lane. THey were discussing whether Capt Lane should keep the account book of the men's ,essing to the end of the quarter, and in the course of it Capt Lane want to speak to Colonel Alexander. Afterwards, while walking with Lieut Wilson, Capt Lane remarked: "The whole affair is a bad business."

Asked what he meant, Capt Lane said: "The trouble about my having hampers sent down to my billet." Asked by Lieut Wilson if he had paid for the hampers, Capt Lane replied: "No, I thought I could take what I liked so long as I allowed a profit on the mess."

Judge Advocate Captain P. M. Beachcroft read a statement made by the accused in which he said he was appointed to take over the catering on April 8th on the understanding he should have a free hand and run the messing accounts separately. He did it so well that at the end of May he had a credit on the accounts of £85, although when he took it over things were in a very illstate. He thought he improved things to the satisfaction of all concerned.

He had no previous experience of mess catering, and all he knew about it was what he heard from civilian contractors. He bought in the cheapest market, and by doing so was able to reduc the messing payment from 2s 6d to 2s and have a credit at the bank. The food sent to his billet he regarded as his own.

Capt Lane told the court martial that in addition to being in charge of messing, he was head equitation instructor. That kept him on during the whole of the drill hours during the day. There had been as many as 3,500 men there at one time. Practically all his work for the officers' mess was done in his spare time.

He understood that when told he was to have a free hand that he would take over the catering. He thought he was responsible to no one, and understood that so long as he gave satisfaction in the messing that all food stuffs were his own property and not the property of the mess., and thought that he could have food sent to his billet and do what he liked with it. Food was sent to the house quite openly and was eaten by himself and his wife. There was never enough sent down for six or seven people. He paid the sums of 16s and 17s because he thought that was a fair payment for what his wife had. He admitted he himself was feeding for nothing and considered himself in the position of a civilian contractor.

Asked for his opinion of Capt Lane, Col C. H. Alexander, Commandant at Biscot, said: "I do not believe he would do deliberately that which was not straight and honest. During the 20 months I have commanded here I cannot speak too highly of him, as his work has been conspicuous for zeal, energy and devotion to duty, and I always looked upon him as a straight, honest and reliable man."

Prosecutor Capt Gibbins said it was the most extraordinary defence he had ever heard that an officer subject to the discipline of the Army could say he was in the position of a civilian contractor and thatall the rations he drew for officers were his own property, and if he could make a profit that was his own property. He was certain that no reasonable man could follow the processes of the working of Capt Lane's mind.

The prosecution was quite prepared to allow all that had been said about Capt Lane's good service, but they could not have an officer doing acts such as the prosecution alleged against Capt Lane, and which the prosecution considered proved. If a man took a tin of bully beef in addition to his rations he was severely punished.

An officer should be an example to the men, but practically unlimited food had been taken. Everybody in the camp knew it, and it was very necessary for that reason that the prosecution should have been brought.

Capt Gibbins said he did not wish to press the charge unduly, but it was his duty to lay the facts before the court as clearly as possible. He described the defence as farcical.

The Judge Advocate sad the prosecution was brought under Section 40, and it was solely a question for the court whether certain acts were prejudicial to good order and discipline. Looking at the evidence from an impartial point of view it seemed that the case whittled down to the claim put forward by the defence that an officer in the position of mess caterer was in the same position as a civilian contractor who took subscriptions from the officers, and then being so much to the good, purchased goods.

Accused held that so long as messing was satisfactory no one should enquire further, and that he was entitled to take anything he made out of it. The prosecution had asked Capt Lane what he would do with the money, and the captain recognised he could not walk away with it.

The court had to decide whether Capt Lane's conduct was what should be expected from a reasonable man in an officer's position, and whether as a reasonable man he knew that he should not do certain things.

The court then cleared for about 20 minutes. On re-opening the Judge Advocate at once asked the prosecution for evidence of character. Capt Gibbins referred the court to the records which showed that Capt Lane enlisted in 1898 and retired in 1913 with the rank of brigade sergeant-major. Eleven years he had been on foreign service, including the Indian frontier and South African wars, for which he held medals along with the long service medal, and he was anticipating the meritorious conduct medal.

On the outbreak of war he served with the Home Guards at Gravesend, where he also organised the Volunteer Force. He enlisted in the R.F.A. with the rank of sergeant-major in June 1915 ad gained his commission in 1916. Three drafts he had trained had gone abroad.

The court, which had sat from 11.15am until after 5pm, was then closed. [The court sat in closed session while the verdict was announced, and it was not until February 28th, 1918, that The Luton News reported that it was understood that Capt Lane had been reprimanded at the court martial and transferred from Biscot to Woolwich, but with no loss of rank.]

[Abridged version of a lengthy report in the Beds & Herts Saturday Telegraph: January 26th, 1918]