While the vast majority of our armed forces during the Second World War would have done their best to uphold good standards of discipline, honour, and respect, it’s also fair to assume that many of our country’s young fighting men were desperate to let loose and temporarily escape their heavy responsibilities whenever possible.
The phenomenon of alcohol being supplied to servicemen at local military camps became quite a large problem in Ashburton at one point, as it was discovered in November 1942 that liquor trafficking had been ongoing for quite some time and had reached an alarming scale.
It’s worth noting that in August 1941, the Women’s Christian Temperance Union had protested strongly against the establishment of ‘wet canteens,’ which served alcohol to troops in Territorial Camps, as well as other military camps across the country (including the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force camp at Levin!) A petition had been handed to the Prime Minister and House of Representatives, which had circulated and was widely signed in Ashburton, and it read as follows:
“We, the undersigned electors of New Zealand, emphatically protest against the establishment of wet canteens in Territorial camps. The majority of those in camp are under the age of 21 years and cannot legally be served with intoxicating drink at hotel bars. They are being trained for physical fitness and the defence of their country. ‘Alcohol is a narcotic drug’ and has no place in the promotion of health.”
While it seemed to be a controversial topic nationwide, not much news about the wet canteen debate was published in our local newspaper. We do not think there was one available to the thousands of young soldiers staying at the Westerfield Military Camp, as Ashburton and the surrounding area was under prohibition at the time, but information came to light that made a mockery of the concerns of the WCTU and other groups who lobbied for temperance among the Armed Forces. On 27 November 1942, a long list of cases were brought to the local Ashburton Magistrate Mr. H. Morgan, one of which being related to the illegal supply of liquor to the troops.
Blame the Commercial
The first case brought before Magistrate H. Morgan on that day was that of Emily W. Stirling, proprietress of the Commercial Hotel, who was convicted and fined £15 on one charge of selling liquor without a license, and convicted and discharged for “supplying liquor to members of the Armed Forces in uniform for consumption elsewhere than on the premises.” Stirling had been remanded on several previous charges of selling liquor without a license.
According to the Ashburton Guardian, “A large quantity of intoxicating liquors, including ale and brandy, had been found on the premises said Senior Sergeant Cleary, and there had been glasses and a towel on a small table. The Magistrate said that the finding of such a large quantity of liquor on the premises pointed to the fact that the trafficking had been going on for some time.”
The Magistrate had a strong warning for Emily Stirling; the Guardian continues: “The accused: I used to ‘shout’ for my tenants when they paid the rent. ‘That may be so,’ said the Magistrate, ‘but you nevertheless broke the law. There has been trouble over this offence in Ashburton for a long time. First I dealt out fines, with comparatively little effect. Then I tried imprisonment, there was a diminution of the offences. If you think that because you are a woman you will not be punished you are wrong. Moreover, if you come before me again, you will be imprisoned.’”
Free trolley transport?
The next case brought before the Magistrate that day is the perfect follow-up to the previous case. Five soldiers were charged with offences which involved breaking a padlock, damaging the property of the New Zealand Railway, and placing rolling stock (a trolley) up on the main south railway line without authority to do so.
Senior Sergeant Cleary said, as the Guardian describes: “the men had been to a party and were on their way back to camp in a car. One of the tyres punctured, and they broke the padlock on a trolley beside the railway line, and rode the trolley to a point where they could telephone for a taxi.”
The five soldiers responsible were Robin Campbell (who did not appear in court), Reginald Cavell, Ronald Tonks, Harold Webster, and Gordon Clark. They were each fined £1 and ordered to pay half the cost of replacing the padlock, valued at 2 shillings and sixpence.
There is no mention whatsoever of alcohol consumption being a part of this case, but its left me wondering: keeping in mind the scale of Emily Stirling’s liquor trafficking operation, and the fact that the boys had gone to a party that night and thought it was a good idea to steal a railway trolley, it may be possible that these two cases are connected… I suppose we will never know!
By Connor Lysaght
Unless otherwise stated, photographs and research materials on this page are owned by the Ashburton Museum & Historical Society Inc. This post was modified for this blog and was originally published in the Ashburton Guardian, 29 April 2023.
Captions
- Gun emplacement at Awaroa/Godley Head coastal defence site featuring WWII murals by Ōtautahi street artist Wongi Wilson. Image courtesy of Christchurch Heritage Awards Charitable Trust.
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