JANUARY, 1954

Police plans: "Special radio car teams with young and enthusiastic sergeants in charge."

Lymington (Hants) police station: New and serious charges alleged against Lord Montagu, also his cousin, Michael Pitt-Rivers and a journalist, Peter Wildeblood. Charged that during 1952 the three incited airmen "John Reynolds and Edward McNally to commit unnatural acts and gross indecency with certain male persons." The three pleaded innocence and were remanded on bail.

SUNDAY PICTORIAL reader protests embarrassing skin-tight tights worn by male ballet dancers.

SUNDAY PICTORIAL: The great anti-vice drive stepped up by countrywide police visits to homes of well-known men. Address books and personal papers taken from several homes in the provinces.

From one flat alone, detectives took more than 300 letters sent by people in Manchester, Cambridge and several towns in Scotland. A number of the writers have been visited and questioned. In some cases the men interviewed were advised by police to break off association with certain of their friends.

Montagu, Pitt-Rivers and Wildeblood sent for trial on 19 counts, after three counts dropped. Detectives Anderson, Toms, Stuchfield, Smith and Jones testified to searching quarters of accused and witnesses, and produced variety of letters, photographs, address books, diaries and other private items taken from said quarters. Certain affectionate, but hardly revealing, letters were read.

Miss Florence Horsbrugh under pressure to close private schools employing persons "guilty of misconduct." "SCANDAL SCHOOLS" cries the DAILY MIRROR, charging that many such private schools are run or staffed by "evil men, totally unfit to be in charge of boys."

In 34 hours of testimony, R.A.F. Corporal Edward McNally, having been assured he would not be subject to prosecution, told of meeting Peter Wildeblood in a subway, and going, quite willingly, with Wildeblood to a Kensington flat where "an offense took place," and in subsequent months spending much time and many offenses variously with the three defendants and other persons, including his buddy, John Reynolds, whom he introduced to the defendants.

Weekends and leaves spent at various apartments, parties at Montagu's castle and beach house, trips to the theatre, dancing (all male), plenty to eat and drink, and always, the inevitable "offenses," which never, according to the testimony, seem to have offended any of the persons concerned. On Dec. 17th, R.A.F. police officers had searched McNally's kit and found a letter from Wildeblood. The Corporal's voice was almost inaudible, but the prosecutor jibed that it was ordinarily a "high voice."

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