§ COLONEL BARNEasked the Secretary of State for War, Whether the sergeant instructors of Volunteers appointed serjeant majors under Article 204 of Volunteer Regulations 1863, and previous to the issue of the Volunteer Regulations of 1878, would, when they retired, be entitled to a pension as laid down for a serjeant major in the Royal Warrant dated 6th of September 1876, and amended July 9th 1877?
§ COLONEL STANLEYThere is not, and never has been, any such rank as sergeant-major in the Volunteers, one of the sergeant instructors being allowed to act as such, and being granted an addition of 6d. a-day to his pay; but as these non-commissioned officers do not hold the actual rank of sergeant-major, they are not entitled to the sergeant-major's rate of pension laid down in the Regulation quoted. I may add that there have been some few cases in which the Commissioners of Chelsea Hospital have, from a want of proper information, granted the higher rates of pension. These cases it is not intended to interfere with; but I do not consider that they should form any ground for admitting others to the higher rate.