§ SIR A. ACLAND-HOOD (Somerset, Wellington)I beg to ask the Under Secretary of State for War if he will state what was the strength of the 2nd Battalion Royal Warwickshire Regiment, 2nd Battalion Royal Fusiliers, and 1st Battalion Lancashire Fusiliers on 1st March, 1898; what is their present strength; what is the present strength of the new 3rd battalions of the three regiments named; and to what extent those new battalions are composed of men transferred from the other battalions, men from the Reserve, and recruits?
THE UNDER SECRETARY OF STATE FOR WAR (Mr. ST. JOHN BRODRICK,) Surrey, GuildfordThe arrangement made was that two companies should be transferred from the home battalion of each of the three regiments to form the nucleus of the 3rd battalion which would be completed by Reservists who returned to the colours and by recruits. The strength of the 2nd Battalions of the Warwickshire Regiment and the Roval Fusiliers and the 1st Battalion of the Lancashire Fusiliers was respectively on the 1st March last 712, 593 and 600, excluding commissioned officers. On the 1st of the present month their strength stood at 529, 409, and 408 449. At the latter date the 3rd battalions of the same regiments had respectively 732, 626, and 629 non-commissioned officers and men. Of these 166, 163, and 162 had been transferred from the other home battalions; 278, 224, and 281 consisted of men returned from the Reserve; while 288, 239, and 186 had been recruited. My honourable and gallant Friend will recollect that although only 10 weeks have elapsed since we were authorised to raise these battalions, the six battalions already average about 560 men each.