HC Deb 16 July 1897 vol 51 c299
COLONEL WELBY (Taunton)

I beg to ask the Under Secretary of State for War whether, in his calculation that for a force of similar composition as that reviewed at Aldershot on 1st July '94 staff officers would be allowed in the German Army, he included judge advocates, chaplains, surgeons, and veterinary surgeons; and, whether he is aware that the "Armed Strength of Germany," officially published, shows that for a similar number of divisions and brigades of the three arms in peace time, staff officers performing the same duties as those that marched past at Aldershot would not exceed 50 in number?

THE UNDER SECRETARY OF STATE FOR WAR (Mr. BRODRICK, Surrey, Guildford)

The non-combatant officers named in the Question were not included in the estimate of 92 staff officers for a German force constituted as was the force reviewed at Aldershot, on the 1st inst.; but, in order to give a fair comparison with the British staff, the staffs of the German infantry regiments, which are practically equivalent to our brigades, were included, and 12 orderly officers were allowed as attached to the staff of the cavalry division and cavalry brigades. With the exception of the Guard Cavalry division, cavalry divisions are formed in Germany only for manœuvres, and do not exist at other times.