§ Major McCallumasked the Secretary of State for War if he will consider speeding up the arrangements whereby Service personnel serving abroad, whose presence at home is urgently required owing to the dangerous illness of a near relative, can be repatriated with the least possible delay; and if he will arrange that in such cases the Serviceman's unit is informed by cable, and not by letter, that the man's presence is required in this country.
§ Mr. Bellenger:All urgent cases of this nature are notified to overseas Commands without delay, either by telephone in the case of B.A.O.R. or by cable in the case of other Commands overseas. Letters are never used for this purpose in urgent cases. The notification must be sent through the command headquarters and not direct to the individual or his unit, because there is no direct cable communication with units and because it is the command which must make the necessary transport arrangements. In an urgent case of this kind the highest priority would be allowed so that the soldier concerned travels by the fastest means of transport available. The time taken in any individual case will necessarily vary greatly according to the particular place at which the man is stationed and the transport facilities available there.