Ernest Arthur Phillips, 19, labourer, pleaded guilty to stealing an overcoat, etc, the property of Robert Andrew, at Wrawby, and a hammer, the property of George Tenney, at Brigg. It was stated that when arrested he said that he committed the thefts in order that he might go to prison under the Borstal system. He was obliged to the extent of two years.
The Lincolnshire Chronicle, 7 January 1911
Gas meter broken open
Ernest Arthur Phillips (22), a ship’s fireman, of no fixed abode, was charged at West Bromwich today with stealing 5s 10d from a gas meter, the money of the West Bromwich Corporation.
The meter was in the house of George Matthews, of 26, Lloyd Street, West Bromwich, who is a brother-in-law to prisoner. On 13 June prisoner called upon him, and subsequently it was found that the padlock had been broken off the meter and the money taken out.
When charged at West Bromwich he said, “Of course I had the money and spent it; I broke the lock off with the poker.” Prisoner was committed to the Borough Quarter Sessions for trial.
Evening Despatch, 25 June 1914
Soldier’s Strange Conduct
Driver who posed as Sergeant-Major
Strange conduct on the part of a soldier was described at the South Shields Police Court, yesterday, when Driver Ernest Arthur Phillips (30), of the 3rd Battery, Gloucester RFA, was brought up on three charges. The first one was for being a deserter since the 7th August; the second for obtaining, by false pretences, 14 pairs of boots and two pairs of leggings, value £10 5s 1d, the property of Messrs Dunn and Co, and the third for obtaining food and lodgings to the value of 16s from Mrs Emma Carter, of Beacon Street, by false pretences.
From the evidence it appeared that at 12.40am on August 15 the prisoner, whom Mrs Carter had had as a lodger 2½ years ago, came to her house and asked for lodgings. He said he had been travelling from Southend since 6am, and represented himself as a sergeant-major, who had come to take a prisoner away. He added that the man was locked up, and he would not be able to get him till the Friday. Believing his story, Mrs Carter took him in and gave him supper. Accused, who had a bandage on his wrist, also told Mrs Carter that he had been wounded and gassed, having been in four engagements in France, and he had just come out of hospital. He took the lodgings for six days and had four meals a day. Accused got Mrs Carter to sign a paper, and told her to forward it to Col Rees, Southend-on-Sea, Essex, and she would receive 19s 6d from the War Office. Mrs Carter gave accused coppers, amounting to 1s, to get cigarettes.
While staying with Mrs Carter, it appeared that Phillips, on August 19, went to Messrs Dunn’s boot shop on King Street, and presented an order for the boots and leggings to be sent to the Quartermaster-Sergeant at the Beacon. He said some convalescent soldiers had arrived at headquarters and the boots had to be as near the regulation pattern as possible. Part of the boots were sent by a boy named Howell, but he was unable to find anyone who knew anything about the order. He returned to the shop, and was sent again, when he saw the prisoner, who took him to the house of Mrs Carter, in Beacon Street, where the boots were left, and the remainder were afterwards taken to the same place. Next morning, prisoner called at Messrs Dunn’s shop and said he thought the Quartermaster would be keeping all the boots. Prisoner was then wearing one of the pais and one of the pairs of leggings.
Lieut Robson, RGA, stated that Robson (sic) had no authority to order any boots for men in the locality. In fact, he had never seen the man before.
Detective Inspector Bruce spoke to interrogating the prisoner, who, he said, was wearing a South African ribbon, had one of his arms bandaged, and also had two crowns on his arm, denoting the rank of sergeant-major. On removing the bandage witness found the man’s arm was all right, and he discovered in his possession the bill for the boots.
Prisoner, who pleaded guilty to the two charges of false pretences, and had nothing to say, was committed to gaol for six months.
The Newcastle Daily Journal, 28 August 1915
Posed as Wounded Soldier
Plausible Tale which deceived a Cardiff man
A flagrant case of imposture came before Mr Joseph Stanfield, Mr James Allan and Alderman Dr James Robinson at Cardiff on Thursday, when Ernest Arthur Phillips (31) was charged with unlawfully obtaining by false pretences from Henry Hingstone, 33, Crwys-road, food of the value of 14s by false pretences between February 2 and February 12.
Defendant went to complainant's house and asked for lodgings, saying he was a wounded sergeant of the Royal Field Artillery, and that he had been in the Howard Gardens Hospital, which he had been obliged to leave, as his bed was required for another wounded soldier coming in that day.
He said he had been discharged from the service on a pension of £1 a week, and had £13 back pay to draw. On the faith of these representations, he was taken in.
It was true that, having got into trouble, he had been discharged from the Army, but the other statements were found to be fabricated.
He had not been an inmate of the Howard Gardens Hospital, and when examined by Detective-sergeant Lucas, after he had been taken into custody, it was ascertained that he bore no trace of any wounds, whilst he admitted to Detective Ivor Evans, by whom he was arrested, that he had not been out to the front at all.
Several previous convictions were proved vy Court-inspector J E Price,and defendant was sent to prison for three months with hard labour.
Western Mail, 18 February 1916
Soldier Wearing Another Man's Decorations
Remarkable Police Court Story of Fraud and Deceit
Man Who Escaped From Prison Cell
Charges of an unusual character were investigated by Coventry magistrates sitting at the County Police Court today. The prisoner, who had been under remand was Ernest Arthur Phillips, Whitmore Park Hostels, who was accused of doing wilful damage to a police cell at Longford to the amount of £2, on the 7th inst, and also of wearing false military decorations, contrary to Section 149 of the Defence of the Realm Regulation, viz King and Queen South African, Somaliland, and the Croix de Guerre ribbons. Defendant pleaded guilty to both charges.
On December 6th prisoner was brought to the Police Station at Longford charged with being a deserter from the Royal Engineers on Sept 16th this year. On being charged he denied his identity and said he had never been in the Royal Engineers, but had formerly been a soldier in the Royal Field Artillery. He said he had served in India, in South Africa, and Somaliland, and also in France, being present at the Battle of Loos and wounded, also that he was sent home invalided, and finally had his discharge granted owing to his wounds and general incapacity.
Prisoner also told witness his father was a lieutenant-colonel in the Hertfordshire Regiment and that his brother was a captain in the RFA now serving in France. He did not believe the story of the man, who was wearing the uniform of the fire brigade of a Coventry factory, and on the tunic he had the decorations mentioned in the charge. He said the French Military Medal carried with it a pension of £55 a yearand was granted to him for bravery at the Battle of Loos, where he held the Germans up owing to his gallantry.
Asked if he was entitled to wear these ribbons prisoner said he was – he had won them and they were his.
The Superintendent subsequently caused inquiries to be made, and found prisoner was never in the Royal Artillery. On the date of the Battle of Loos, when he said he won the French medal, he was actually serving a sentence of six months' imprisonment in Durham County Prison.
Witness proceeded to give a statement of prisoner's history. Beginning with a charge of larceny at West Bromwich in 1909, he was sent to Dr Barnardo's Homes and was said to have gone on to a merchant ship, but it was very doubtful if he ever went to a merchant ship. Convictions for begging at Brigg were proved against prisoner; for stealing a coat he was committed at Lincoln Sessions to two years' imprisonment; in September, 1914, at West Bromwich, he was bound over for stealing money from a gas meter; on August 27th, 1915 (having previously enlisted), he was convicted at South Shields and sentenced to six months' hard labour for obtaining goods and food and lodgings by false pretences – on which conviction he was discharged with ignominy from the Gloucestershire Regiment. Having completed this term of imprisonment the man went to Cardiff, and on February 17th last year he was again convicted for false pretences and sentenced to three months' imprisonment. Afterwards he enlisted in the Royal Engineers, and having deserted once or twice he reached Newark somewhere about July this year. While at Newark he made the acquaintance of a soldier's wife named Collins, whose husband was serving in France, and induced her to leave her home and come with him to Coventry. The soldier's wife had a separation allowance, and prisoner 'sponged' on her until he got employment in the fire brigade at a Coventry factory. In support of his story as to the French award, prisoner produced what purported to be a bank book. This was calculated to deceive any one until it was examined, but when it was opened there was nothing at all in it. At Coventry he had made the acquaintance of a single girl and had done his very best to ruin her. He had passed as a single man, but as a matter of fact he was married and had one child, his wife living at Aylesbury. Altogether it was one of the worse cases he had ever known.
Prisoner was put into a cell at Longford, and next morning it was found he had pulled out an iron bracket and managed to make a hole in the wall, through which he had escaped, doing the damage complained of, but was arrested subsequently. As to the original charge of being a deserter from the Royal Engineers the military authorities would not have him – he had been charged with ignominy.
The Chairman said he did not think the magistrates had ever had before them a more despicable instance of what a man could be guilty of. He would be sent to prison for six months in one case and for one month in the other, sentences to run concurrently.
Coventry Evening Telegraph, 14 December 1917
A Hurried “Marriage”
Police Court Sequel at Portsmouth
Ernest Arthur Phillips, a young R.F.A. saddler, who is now on a month’s furlough pending his discharge from the service at Hilsea, was charged at the Portsmouth Police-court today, before Mr A Grigsby and Mr CH March, with bigamy.
Victoria Rose Warren, of Tennyson-road, Copnor, said that she became acquainted with the accused in September, and they walked out together. He told her he was a single man, and repeated this to her brother on December 11th when he asked permission to marry her by special license. The mother, however, insisted on a public notice being given for three weeks. This was done, and on January 11th witness went though a form of marriage with Phillips at the Registry Office, Portsmouth, witness’ mother being present. They lived together at Tennyson-road, Copnor, up to March 7th, when Phillips was arrested.
Corroborative evidence having been given by the girl’s mother, Detective-Sergt Simpson said that on March 7th he went to 27 Tennyson-road, Copnor, where he saw the prisoner. Later, at the Fratton Police-station, witness told him that from police inquiries it appeared that he had previously married a woman named Gurney, at Wigginton, Herts, in 1916. The marriage certificate was shown to him and he was charged.
The case had reached this stage, when Elizabeth Phillips, of Wigginton, arrived in Court to prove the previous marriage in June 1916. The accused, she said, was then a saddler in the Royal Engineers. He gave his age then as 33, whereas the age on the second certificate was 25. They lived together when the accused was on leave until three and a half years ago, since when they had not met. She had only occasionally received separation allowance until 1919, when her husband was demobilised from the Royal Engineers. The reason why she did not get the allowance regularly was that accused several times deserted. There was a child of the marriage.
Accused: Why did you refuse the home I offered you?–Witness: Because you wanted me to go to the home of a girl you had got into trouble in the Midlands.
Further formal evidence having been given, the accused said that in 1917 he proceeded from the Midlands to Wigginton to offer his wife a home. She was not there when he arrived, and he saw her people instead. He asked them where she was, and they refused to tell him, or have anything more to do with him. He therefore took her to her word, and never intended to bother about her again.
The accused was committed for trial at the next Assizes.
Hampshire Telegraph, Friday 18 March 1921