§ 8. Mr. RENDALLasked whether a recruit rejected as being unfit for military service and given a cross flag card, as issued by the Bristol Citizens' Recruiting Committee and medically signed, is excluded from the operation of the Military Service Act, 1916?
§ Mr. TENNANTThe essential point is not the form of the certificate but whether it is properly filled in and signed by the recruiting officer or other authorised person. I am not quite clear as to what my hon. Friend means by the words "medically signed."
§ 11. Captain AMERYasked whether a single man of military age who at any previous time may have belonged to the 856 Territorial Force and was discharged or left the force on grounds of ill-health is excepted from the provisions of the Military Service Act, 1916?
§ Mr. TENNANTYes, Sir. Such a man is excepted by the provision in Schedule I., paragraph 5.
§ 16. Mr. CURRIEasked the Under-Secretary for War if he will state how many out of 12,000 men discharged on medical grounds from the Army up to the end of the year 1915 and awarded no pension were disabled through causes not attributed to misconduct; how many of them had been kept with the Colours for a period of at least four months before being found to be unfit for service; and whether any of them were cases of frost-bite?
§ Mr. TENNANTTo prepare these figures would throw a great deal of labour on a Department already seriously overstrained. With reference to the last part of the question, I know of no case of trench-foot where a pension has been refused.
§ 24. Mr. ANDERSONasked the Under-Secretary of State for War whether his attention has been directed to the statement publicly issued by Major T. Lucas, J.P., chief recruiting officer for Monmouthshire and Glamorgan, that a man was free from liability to be called up if he possessed the blue certificate of unfitness but could without a doubt be brought up compulsorily if he only possessed the white certificate of unfitness; and, having regard to the provisions of the Military Service Act, 1916, whether any official statement has been issued to the recruiting officers informing them of the legal position?
§ Mr. TENNANTNo, Sir. My attention has not hitherto been called to Major Lucas's statement. The form of certificate is not material. What, however, is essential, is that the form must be properly filled in and signed by the recruiting officer or other authorised person. I think the recruiting officers are fully aware of this.