Court Martial

Major Charles ‘Copper’ Carrington (David Niven), who has had a distinguished war record and was awarded the Victoria Cross, is arrested for embezzling 125 pounds (about £5000 today) from his unit’s safe. Other charges include leaving the base, when he was supposed to be putting his men through some exercises, and entertaining a woman officer in his room, which was forbidden by the base commander Colonel Henniker (Allan Cuthbertson).Appearing in his own defence, Carrington’s case at his court-martial is that he took the money openly and without secrecy because of all the back pay owed him. The Army Paymaster has failed to pay him back for various expenses during postings in the Far East and his wife Valerie (Margaret Leighton) has been pressuring him for money. She lives in another part of the country, has become ill as a result of the financial worries and has even threatened suicide.Carrington claims that he told his superior, Colonel Henniker, about his decision to remove the money. He transferred £100 of it to his wife’s account in order to give her relief from her financial problems.