PRISONERS OF WAR. (Hansard, 28 September 1915)

1. Mr. MURRAY MACDONALD
asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, whether anything is being done to obtain from Turkey a list of British prisoners 706 captured in the Dardanelles; and, if so, with what result?

§ The SECRETARY of STATE for FOREIGN AFFAIRS (Sir Edward Grey)
Every effort has been made, through the United States Ambassador, to obtain lists of British prisoners of war captured in the Dardanelles, and the Ottoman Government have been warned that, until they fulfil their obligations in this respect, no further lists of Turkish prisoners in the custody of the British Forces will be furnished to them, nor will specific inquiries concerning missing Turkish officers be answered.
So far we have only received from the Turkish Government the names of twenty officers and men of the crew of the submarine E 15, the names of thirty-two officers and men of the submarine A E 2, and the names of two officers and fourteen men of the Military Forces. In addition to the above, we have received the names of about one hundred and twenty officers and men through the kind offices of the United States Ambassador at Constantinople. It must, however, not be concluded that the Secretary of State for War has not received further information from other sources as to officers and men reported missing from the British Mediterranean Expeditionary Force.

§ 2. Sir CLEMENT KINLOCH-COOKE
asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether, in existing circumstances, there is any machinery in being for removing wounded British prisoners from Germany to Switzerland for the benefit of their health; and, if not, will he consider the advisability of approaching the United States Government with the view of asking them to use their good offices in the matter?

§ 3. Sir HENRY CRAIK
asked the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether a project of sending wounded British prisoners to a neutral country (Switzerland) has been arranged; and what information he can give regarding it?

§ The UNDER-SECRETARY of STATE for WAR (Mr. Tennant)
My right hon. Friend has asked me to answer these questions. No machinery of the kind indicated at present exists. A proposal was made by the Vatican for such a procedure and has been under consideration, but it has not hitherto been found practicable.

§ Sir H. CRAIK
Will the efforts of the British authorities be in favour of carrying out an arrangement of the sort?

§ Mr TENNANT
It is impossible to give an answer either in the affirmative or negative to that suggestion until one knows fully what the suggestion involves.

§ 13. Mr. BUTCHER
asked the Under-Secretary of State for War whether, in order to facilitate the apprehension of escaped German prisoners of war, he will, instead of paying notes or other currency to these prisoners, give directions that payments to them shall be in the form of vouchers which will be accepted in the places of internment in payment for their food and clothing and other necessaries?

§ Mr. TENNANT
The token system is now being introduced, and this will do away with the use of money by officer prisoners of war. Payments to ordinary prisoners are in such small sums that it is not considered that the token system in their case is at present feasible.

§ 18. Sir ROBERT PRICE
asked the Under-Secretary of State for War whether he has any further information about the number of men of the 5th Norfolks missing since the 2nd August; and whether it is now possible to state whether any, and which, of them are prisoners of war?

§ Mr. TENNANT
Of about 200 men reported missing up to date, only seven have been reported to the War Office as prisoners of war. It is possible that some of the others who are recorded as missing may be in direct communication with their relatives, but I cannot give any figure for these men. Every effort has been made to obtain from the Turkish Government full lists of the prisoners of war in their hands, but so far these efforts have not been successful. Perhaps the hon. Member will refer to Question No. 1, answered by the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs.

§ 24. Mr. BUTCHER
asked the Financial Secretary to the War Office whether his attention has been called to the fact that the British Government pays to German officers of the rank of lieutenant and second lieutenant, who are prisoners of war in his country, double as much as the German Government pays to British officers of the same rank who are prisoners of war in Germany, and that the British Government pays to German prisoners of war of the rank of captain and the higher ranks more than one-third as much again as the German Government pays to British prisoners of war of the same rank; and 708 whether, in view of the fact that the German Government have by the murder of non-combatants on sea and on land, by the bombardment of unfortified towns, and by numerous other acts of barbarity systematically violated and in effect abrogated The Hague Conventions, the British Government will in future pay to German officers who are prisoners of war in this country the same daily or monthly sums and no more that are paid by the German Government to British officers who are prisoners of war in Germany?

§ The FINANCIAL SECRETARY to the WAR OFFICE (Mr. Forster)
Under The Hague Convention each country pays to the officers that it makes prisoners of war the rates of pay allowed to its own officers. As the German Government is paying only a proportion of those rates to our officers, a similar proportion of our rates is being paid to captured German officers. Under The Hague Convention, whatever payments are made are due to be repaid by the Government to whom the officers belong.

§ Mr. BUTCHER
Will the hon. Gentleman answer the latter question: Whether, in view of the fact that the German Government by acts of barbarity have violated and abrogated The Hague Conventions, the British Government will in future pay to German officers who are prisoners of war in this country only the same sums that are paid by the German Government to British officers who are prisoners of war in Germany?

§ Mr. FORSTER
The negotiations are still proceeding through the good offices of the United States of America, and I am certainly not without hope that in this matter, at any rate, the provisions of The Hague Convention will be fully observed by all the countries concerned.

§ Mr. BUTCHER
Is not the hon. Gentleman aware that the German Government have by their action during the War practically violated almost every provision of The Hague Convention?

§ Mr. FORSTER
I think it is better we should be guided by our own standard of ethics rather than that of Germany.