§ 81. Mr. YERBURGHasked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether all the ships of the First Fleet have on board at the present time the correct numbers of petty officers, able seamen, ordinary seamen, boys, and Marines, as laid down in the official scheme of complements for those ships?
§ Mr. CHURCHILLThese ships carry their authorised complements. To meet the rapid expansion of the Fleet, temporary modifications were made about a year ago, slightly increasing the proportion of boys, and, in two classes of ships, increasing the percentage of Royal Marines.
§ 82. Mr. YERBURGHasked whether the officers and men who will man the ships of the Third Fleet during the forthcoming test mobilisation will be those who would man those ships in time of war?
§ Mr. CHURCHILLAs regards officers in the Royal Navy, whether on the active or retired list, the answer is in the affirmative. As regards officers of the Royal Naval Reserve and men belonging to the Reserves, it is not possible to guarantee that those who volunteer for the forthcoming test mobilisation will be allocated to the same ships in war.