HL Deb 05 May 1948 vol 155 cc670-8

4.40 p.m.

THE EARL OF CORK AND ORRERY had given Notice of his intention to call attention to the parsimonious attitude of His Majesty's Government in the matter of the replacement of decorations, medals and stars which have been destroyed by enemy action subsequent to presentation; and to move for Papers. The noble Earl said: My Lords, the Motion which I have down on the Paper in my name is intended to call your Lordships' attention to what I think can be fairly described as the parsimonious attitude of His Majesty's Government in the matter of the replacement of decorations, medals and stars which have been presented for distinguished conduct to officers and other ranks, in this and past wars, and which have been destroyed by enemy action subsequent to presentation. My attention was drawn to this matter by an officer who had lost his D.S.O., which had been deposited in what he believed was a place of safety, while he was serving at sea. The building was entirely destroyed by a bomb, and he lost his decoration. His request for replacement was refused, but he was told that if he wanted another he could buy it at a cost of £9.

Being anxious to learn the truth of this, I put down a question "Not for oral answer" asking whether it was true that medals or stars which had been awarded to officers or other ranks for distinguished service in action, and which had subsequently been lost as a result of enemy action, were not replaced unless the recipient paid the price of them. The answer to that was: Such insignia destroyed by enemy action are replaced if the holders require them for official purposes, and this includes all serving officers and other ranks. Those who do not require them for official purposes can replace them by purchase at cost price. That answer raised the question: What are serving officers and other ranks? That has been decided by a Treasury ruling, by which it is said that if an officer or other rank was not serving on July 31, 1947, he is not eligible for free replacement. I have not been able to discover why that particular date was chosen, but it will certainly be agreed, I think, that it does not indicate anything of that tender heart of the Treasury which caused the noble Lord, Lord Pakenham, to break into poetry yesterday. Your Lordships will note that it cuts out all those who were retired, for one reason or another, or who were demobilised during the two years immediately following the war.

The Government answer also brings forth the question: What is an official purpose? If a retired officer wishes to attend a Levee, is that an official purpose? If a guard of honour of ex-Service men is mounted to meet a distinguished visitor to their town, is that an official purpose? Is an attendance at the Cenotaph or a village war memorial an official purpose? These are all proper occasions for the wearing of decorations and medals which are a sign of honourable service and, as such, have a psychological value. I think your Lordships will agree that they should be worn whenever possible. Even a replacement cannot mean the same to a man as the decoration which was handed to him by the Sovereign or, perhaps, a representative of the Sovereign; but I think it goes a long way to make up for the loss to a man who has suffered through no fault of his own.

I myself have lost no decorations, and I am not personally concerned. I would also make it quite clear that I am asking for free replacement of only those decorations, orders or medals conferred for personal service of a distinguished nature. And I ask it only for cases where the man makes it clear how he lost it, or if it is clear that it was lost through enemy action. I am not suggesting that ordinary war medals should be replaced, because these might run into a large number, and their replacement might delay for years the time when the issue of medals can come to an end. It is perhaps unnecessary to add that I also urge that all Albert Medals, or medals which have been worn in the Civil Defence Services, should be included with the military medals for which I urge replacement.

The question of the loss of uniform has been met. Soon after the war started, the various Service Ministries issued orders about putting uniforms and equipment of that sort in safe places; and of course this was done. But places which were considered safe in 1940 did not in fact prove so. To take a particular case: a great number of uniforms were sent for safety to the well-known firm, Messrs. Gieves of Bond Street. That had been done, also, all through the 1914–18 war. The uniforms were stored at the firm's headquarters in Bond Street. Those premises, together with their branches in Portsmouth, Plymouth and, I think, Chatham, were totally destroyed, so that all the uniforms stored there were lost. As I say, compensation has been granted for uniforms destroyed, but one cannot place a value on these decorations. Many officers and men value their decorations more than any other of their possessions. I suggest that the moment the question of money is introduced into this matter of personal decorations it vulgarises the whole system; and it would be much better to leave it out altogether.

Let me give your Lordships an example of how this may work out in practice, if the present rules are continued. Take the case of the Conspicuous Gallantry Medal, which is issued to petty officers, non-commissioned officers and seamen in the Navy and to men in the Marines. It is awarded for "acts of conspicuous gallantry in action against the enemy." Take, for instance, the case of an able seaman who was awarded this medal for an act of gallantry in the year 1942, and who, in earning it, was also crippled for life—that is to say, he had to be invalided out of the Navy. If he put in for a replacement he would be told that he could not have it, because he was not serving on July 31, 1947. If he wants a replacement he must pay 11s. for it, and, let it be added, an additional 2s. 6d. for the purpose of having his name engraved on it. I think your Lordships will allow that in this connection I am entitled to use the adjective "parsimonious." I have every reason to believe that when the First Lord of the Admiralty replies to this Motion he will give an answer that will satisfy your Lordships' House, but that is because it is a question which has come forcibly to the notice of two Ministers who are really humane—I say "humane," because all Ministers are human. I have, however, persisted with this Motion, because I think the very fact that the Treasury can issue that ruling shows what a material view the officials take of these matters, leaving out altogether the psychological side of the question.

Surely the real value to the nation of these decorations, apart from the fact that they are rewards to people for distinguished service, is not only the effect that they have on their holders but upon the large numbers with whom those holders are brought into contact; and by this means the younger generation can be influenced. Any man or woman who has distinguished himself or herself, and can display a decoration for having done so, has acquired a certain prestige and influence, particularly among those younger than themselves with whom they have to deal. This, I imagine, applies to any school which has a master with a rowing "blue." He is of importance to the boys much more because of that than because of what he knows and what he can teach. Any instructor who is possessed of decorations such as I have described carries more influence than any ordinary instructor. A home with children growing up is at a great advantage if one of the parents can exhibit some tangible sign of distinction, because it gives that home something which all homes need—something to live up to, something to emulate, and something to be proud of.

At the end of the First World War a friend of mine with whom I used to discuss such matters issued a small and handy booklet which set out all the citations of decorations which had teen awarded to those on the lower deck of the Royal Navy. His object in so doing was that there might be easily available to post-war sailors a record of gal ant deeds. As he said in his foreword, with which I am sure your Lordships will agree—and I would remind you that, at hat time, we were not expecting another war quite so soon as we did in fact get it— Who knows but that in some future time of stress and emergency, in peace or in war, the memory of one of those incidents may inspire a similar act of bravery, and so help to carry on the traditions of our Service If this could happen—and I am sure that it could—then the more the story of each brave deed is circulated, the better. And what better exponents could you have to reinforce the written word than the men who themselves have the right to wear the decorations and who have performed similar deeds? To obtain that aid you must distinguish such men from among their fellows, and you must do that by giving them special decorations so hat people will notice that they are wearing something different from what is worn by their comrades. People will then ask about them. The stories of the deeds which won the decorations will circulate, and, as time goes on, those stories will lose nothing in the telling.

Of course, every man who wears a decoration may not be a credit to it, nor may everyone brought into contact with such insignia be benefited by it; but I do submit to your Lordships that the bestowal of these decorations should be looked upon not only as a personal reward for distinguished service, but also as an investment for the future, the influencing of coming generations of our race. In this connection I would urge the Government to remember the Parable of the Sower, whose seed fell, some among thorns, some on stony ground and some by the wayside, but others fell on good ground and sprang up and bare fruit an hundredfold. And in this we have an advantage over the Sower in that the ground has been lying fallow, and that 90 per cent. of it is first class and only awaits the seed to bring forth all that is fine in our young men and women. But if you leave the ground without planting the seed, then do not be surprised if weeds spring up. At the moment we are suffering from what I consider to be a national disgrace—thousands of young men who are deserters, roaming the country and shirking National Service. I attribute a good part of that disgrace to pernicious doctrines which were preached to those people in the years between the wars. One part of that preaching was actually directed to discouragement of the cadet movement.

And so, my Lords, in conclusion, I beg the Government to regard these insignia in the light of rewards which the nation has been pleased to bestow upon those who have given it fine and devoted service. If any of the holders have lost their insignia through no fault of their own, by enemy action, let the Government hasten to replace what those they represent wish their countrymen to wear—what they wish their heroes to have. Do not spoil it all by introducing such petty questions as whether the replacements should be at half price, at cost price or free. I plead, also, that if this restitution is to be made, it may be extended to include those widows who, after their husbands' deaths, have been presented with the decorations won by their husbands. The original idea of such presentations was to do something towards mitigating the loss which a gallant man's wife had suffered. Do not, because the enemy managed to destroy the decoration thus granted and so to deprive her of it, perpetuate that deprivation. Do not deprive that widow of what is not only a solace to herself but also a great help in bringing up her family and turning out good citizens in whom respect for courage, fortitude and devotion to duty has been fostered from childhood. I beg to move for Papers.

4.55 p.m.

THE FIRST LORD OF THE ADMIRALTY (VISCOUNT HALL)

My Lords, it is very characteristic of the noble and gallant Earl that he should raise this question in your Lordships' House. It may be true that his remarks centre upon one or two cases which have been brought to his notice, but indeed there are other cases which can be classified, as he has classified those to which he has referred. I am very pleased to say that, as a result of his interest in the matter, the letter which he quoted has been cancelled, and it is the intention of His Majesty's Government to replace medals which have been lost in circumstances such as he has described. But I am afraid it will take some little time before we can do so. There are quite a large number of medals earned in the last war—and indeed some personal decorations—yet to be issued, and in view of the fact that there has been some delay I am sure that your Lordships will agree that nothing should be done which might impede the delivery of those medals to the persons entitled to them. We all know and share the pride which, as the noble and gallant Earl rightly said, almost every person who won a decoration or a medal must feel. We agree with the noble and gallant Earl also when he says that it is not only a question of the personal distinction—which is in itself something of which to be proud—but that these decorations and medals are also a source of pride to the district in which the holders of them live, to their relatives and to all who are associated with them.

It is not the fact that there is no replacement scheme. A replacement scheme is now being carried out, and it provides for the replacement free of charge where certain conditions are satisfied. The first condition, as the noble and gallant Earl has rightly said, is that the person concerned must prove that the medal or insignia was lost. If he can satisfy the authorities that it was lost under conditions such as Lord Cork described, and that he requires it for official purposes (and I have explained to the noble and gallant Earl that our definition of "official purposes" is fairly widely drawn) then these medals and insignia are supplied free. What the noble and gallant Earl is seeking is an extension of the scheme so that all may have the pleasure and privilege of wearing their medals on occasions which may be regarded as not strictly official—for instance, at demonstrations of ex-Service men, British Legion parades and gatherings of that kind. I say quite frankly that I have great sympathy with what the noble and gallant Earl desires, but, as I have already pointed out, we could not with equity replace those decorations until we have proceeded with the delivery of the medals and orders which are now due from the last war. When I inform your Lordships that there are no fewer than 20,000,000 medals, stars and clasps, and that we are hoping to proceed as soon as possible to complete the delivery of those awards—say by the middle of next year—

THE EARL OF CORK AND ORRERY

May I interrupt the noble Viscount for a moment? The figure, 20,000,000, surely does not relate to decorations for personal service. I take it that it includes war medals as well.

VISCOUNT HALL

I am referring to medals and stars. Personal decorations would number about 128,000, nearly all of which I think have been delivered. But we have, of course, to consider the delivery of the medals and stars in addition, and that amounts to about 20,000,000. The Government are fully sympathetic to the noble Earl's proposal. I can assure him that we will adopt it; and when the back of the work in hand is broken, we will proceed with it. I should think that about September of next year—not this year—we shall be able to meet all requests made strictly in accordance with the conditions suggested by the noble Earl. I am grateful to him for the great interest he has taken in this matter. I assure him that the Government will not be as parsimonious in this matter as he earlier thought they were.

EARL BEATTY

My Lords, it would be inappropriate if some one did not rise from these Benches to thank the Government and the noble Viscount for the favourable reply they have given to my noble and gallant friend.

THE EARL OF CORK AND ORRERY

My Lords, I thank the noble Viscount for his sympathetic reply. It will give great satisfaction to the large number of officers and men who were anxious about replacements. I feel that the matter is now in safe hands. I beg leave to withdraw my Motion.

Motion for Papers, by leave, withdrawn.