COLONEL CLIVEasked the Secretary of State for War, How many of those officers at the head of the list of Infantry Colonels, who have been passed over in the promotions to the rank of Major General, dated 1st and 25th October 1882, gazetted on 17th November 1882, have been permanently passed over as 785 not having been stated by the Commander in Chief to be competent to command in the field?
THE MARQUESS OF HARTINGTONThe Royal Warrant requires, in the case of a colonel promoted to be a Major General, a certificate from the Commander-in-Chief of his competence to command in the field. As regards a colonel who may be passed over, no certificate in an opposite sense is required. The selection of a colonel for promotion is a question of relative fitness for the higher rank, and does not necessarily imply that a colonel passed over may not be chosen for promotion at a subsequent time.