§ COLONEL GILPINasked the Secretary of State for War, If he would state to the House what is the present strength of the several Brigade Depots at Warley in Essex, in officers and men, particularly detailing the Staff, Commissioned and non-Commissioned; and, whether it is true there are three Paymasters stationed there, and if so, what are their functions?
MR. GATHORNE HARDYSir, the strength of the three Brigade Depôts at Warley is as follows:—Staff, 4 of the 44th, 3 of the 49th, 4 of the 50th—total, 11; officers, 11 of the 44th, 8 of the 49th, 9 of the 50th—total, 28; sergeants, 17 of the 44th, 16 of the 49th, 13 of the 50th—total, 46; drummers, 4 of the 44th, 4 of the 49th, 4 of the 50th—total, 12; rank and file, 149 of the 44th, 111 of the 49th, 94 of the 50th—total, 354; making a total of 185 of the 44th, 142 of the 49th, 124 of the 50th—grand total, 451. It is true that there are at present three Paymasters there. Their duties are to pay the men and Staff of the Brigade and of the two Depôts attached to each, and as the Brigade system is more and more developed, they will pay the Auxiliary Forces and Pensioners and all local services in each sub-district. Two of the three Brigade Depôts are only temporarily at Warley, having been moved there from Woolwich in consequence of the sickness at the latter station. The fact of there being three Paymasters at Warley arises from the state of transition of the Depot arrangements generally, and is unavoidable unless the War Department were 254 to dismiss Paymasters merely because three Depôts happen to be temporarily together on account of unforeseen circumstances such as have happened in this case.