§ MR. LAMBERT (Devonshire, South Molton)I beg to ask the Secretary of State for War whether all the regiments now stationed at Devonport are connected with the County of Devon; if not, will he consider the propriety, in view of their services in the field, of quartering the Devonshire Regiment in Devonshire.
§ THE FINANCIAL SECRETARY TO THE WAR OFFICE (Lord STANLEY,) Lancashire, WesthoughtonThere can be only one Devonshire battalion in England at any one time, and as the number of battalions quartered at Plymouth and Dovonport is four, it is not possible to secure that all these should be connected with Devonshire. The barracks were already filled when the 2nd Battalion arrived from South Africa, and it would have been very undesirablo to have put another battalion to the expense of moving out to make room for it. My right hon. friend has every sympathy with the desire to quarter county regiments in their own districts, and hopes an opportunity may arise for quartering the battalion in Devonshire before it abroad again.