§ MR. PIRIE (Aberdeen, N.)I beg to ask the Under Secretary of State for 490 War whether he has now full information as to the case of Private Joseph McCombie, who was accepted as a recruit in the Gordon Highlanders in 1897, although he was born in 1882, and therefore only fifteen years old at the time of enlistment, or three years under the nominal regulation age of enlistment of eighteen; whether, seeing that an error of practically three years in judgment of age has been made, a reprimand will be inflicted on those responsible; if he can state the reason for the objection on the part of the War Office to require positive proof of age by the production from the recruit of a birth certificate, or, failing that, of a written permission to enlist from parent or guardian, as is done in the case of boys joining the Navy; and whether the present constant disregard of the regulations tends to bring Army orders into disrepute, and acts detrimentally on the best interests of recruiting.
§ * THE UNDER SECRETARY OF STATE FOR WAR (Mr. WYNDHAM,) DoverThe facts are as follows: McCombie gave his age on enlistment as eighteen years and eight months, and the measurements supported this statement. More than a year afterwards his parents applied for his discharge, proving that he was only sixteen years and seven months when enlisted (not fifteen years, as stated in the question); but as he was by this time seventeen years and ten months old, the General Officer held him to serve. In reply to the remaining paragraphs, I have to say that an attempt was made recently to establish a system of verification, but in nearly half the cases examined it was found impossible, from various causes, to identify the recruit by means of the registers. The boys of the Navy are enlisted at much earlier ages, and are received from their parents or guardians. In the case of McCombie, no regulation has boon disregarded, and no one will be reprimanded.