§ 23. Mr. MULDOONasked the Secretary of State for War whether his attention has been called to the fact that a soldier of the King's Shropshire Light Infantry on the company parade ground at Fermoy was, on 17th March of the present year, ordered by his superior officer to remove a shamrock from his cap; whether he is aware that the soldier hesitated, took off his cap and showed the officer that it was a sprig of shamrock, and then replaced the cap upon his head with the shamrock still displayed upon it; whether he is aware that this man was thereupon placed under arrest; whether he can say what 1625 action was taken upon the case; whether any communication has been or will be addressed to the officer who acted in this fashion; and what are the regulations upon this subject?
§ The SECRETARY of STATE for WAR (Colonel Seely)The case is as stated in the first part of the question. The soldier referred to states that he is an Irishman. The official records show that he was born at Oldham, but the brigadier-general, who at once investigated the case, accepted the statement as to his nationality, and in view of paragraph 1693 King's Regulations, which permits an Irish soldier to wear a sprig of shamrock in his head-dress on St. Patrick's Day, ordered his release.