§ 7. Colonel YATEasked the Under-Secretary of State for War whether he is aware that 800 men of the Fourth Reserve Regiment of Cavalry were recently ordered to transfer to Infantry and were told that they could choose which Infantry regiment they preferred, subject to there being vacancies in the regiment selected; that the men were accordingly paraded and gave in the names of the regiments they wished to be transferred to; that subsequently orders were received to the effect that the men were not to be allowed to have any choice in the matter; and they were accordingly transferred, against their will, to regiments they did not wish to go to; and whether he will take steps to obviate in future the discontent aroused by this treatment by permitting the men of Cavalry reserve regiments to volunteer to proceed as Infantry to the front in a unit of their own under their own officers or else be transferred to the Infantry regiments they select to go to?
§ Mr. TENNANTI have no detailed information as to what happened in the case referred to, but I may say that the instructions sent out for transfers to the Infantry contemplated that, as far as possible, men should be allowed to go to the regiment they preferred. Should it become necessary to order further similar transfers, the question of allowing men to select the regiment they wish to go to will be borne in mind when issuing the instructions.
§ Colonel YATEMay I ask the right hon. Gentleman whether it would not be possible to allow these reserve regiments to go to the front as units under their own officers, as Infantry, leaving their horses and so on at home?
§ Mr. TENNANTI recognise, of course, that that is a very desirable consummation to achieve, and I will make representations to the proper quarter.
§ Mr. J. O'CONNORIs the right hon. Gentleman aware that this shameful practice has been applied to a division called the 16th Division in Ireland, which was supposed to be an Irish Division, or an Irish Brigade; will he try to remedy this state of things?
§ Mr. TENNANTI hope my hon. Friend will not use the word "shameful." I do not think it would be a proper expression 1790 to apply. The 16th Division is an Irish Division, as my hon. Friend quite properly says, but it is not the only Irish Division. There is another Irish Division, and 200 men were transferred from the 16th Division to the 10th Division to supply a demand. I do not think that is a matter to which exception should be taken.
§ Mr. J. O'CONNORI desire to ask the right hon. Gentleman whether he is aware that no complaint was ever made about transferring men from the 16th Division to the 10th Division, but complaint has been made about the transference from the 16th Division to other regiments with which the country has no connection whatever.
§ Mr. TENNANTThat is rather making our country into separate countries, which I should be sorry to see done. However, if the hon. Member will bring to my notice the exact transference to which he alludes, I may be able to do something. It may possibly be too late. If the men are put into formations which are ready to go to the front it may not be possible to alter these details.