§ 64. Mr. MacVEAGHasked the Secretary of State for War if a draft of 200 men from the Connaught Rangers have been taken from Kinsale, county Cork, and sent, not to the Connaught Rangers, but to the Seaforth Highlanders, and compelled, against their will, to don the kilt; whether he can say who is responsible; whether the men will now be restored to their own regiment, and, seeing that a number of similar instances have Occurred, whether he can state how the War Office proposes to keep the Irish regiments up to strength if men are withdrawn from them to fill up gaps in English and Scottish regiments?
§ Mr. FORSTERThe Army Council have no information which corroborates the statement in question, but perhaps my hon. Friend would give me in private any information of which he is in possession.
§ Mr. MacVEAGHI am afraid I cannot do that. Cannot my hon. Friend ask the officer commanding whether this is the fact? He will find it is the fact.
§ Mr. FORSTERI will make inquiry.
§ 72. Mr. MacVEAGHasked the Secretary of State for War whether he is aware that men serving at the front in the Tyne—side Irish Brigade have been withdrawn from their own battalions and attached to Scottish regiments; and whether they will be sent back to their own brigade?
§ Mr. FORSTERSo far as I am aware this is not the case. Perhaps the hon. Member will furnish any particulars he may have.
§ Mr. MacVEAGHIs the hon. Gentleman aware that I have numerous letters from men so transferred?
§ Mr. FORSTERMay I ask the hon. Member to forward those letters?
§ Mr. MacVEAGHWe do not know what might happen to them if we did.
79. Mr. HAZLETONasked the Secretary of State for War if he is aware that the commanding officers of all Irish Reserve battalions have available records to show to what regiments the drafts supplied by them are sent; and whether he will call for a Return from these commanding officers of the number and strength of such drafts sent by them to units other than units of their own regiments?
§ Mr. FORSTERI am obliged to the hon. Member for his suggestion, but the information he asks for is already in the possession of the War Office.
Mr. HAZLETONIs the hon. Gentleman aware that he has just told my hon. Friend (Mr. MacVeagh) that the War Office have not got that information?
§ Mr. ASHLEYMay I ask whether it is or it is not the policy of the War Office to send Englishmen to English regiments and Scotsmen to Scottish regiments and Irishmen to Irish regiments?
§ Mr. FORSTERMy hon. and gallant Friend knows perfectly well that as far as the exigencies of the moment permit—and my hon. and gallant Friend knows as well as anybody that they vary from time to time—as far as the exigencies of the moment permit we send Englishmen to English battalions and Scotsmen to Scottish battalions and Irishmen to Irish battalions.
§ Captain Sir OWEN PHILIPPSAnd Welshmen to Welsh battalions?
§ Mr. FORSTERBut as occasion arises, and in the interests of the Service as a whole, it may be imperative to send men to different battalions.
Mr. HAZLETONHas not the hon. Member denied to-day that the War Office has any information with regard to two hundred Reservists sent from Kinsale to a Scottish regiment?
Mr. FØRSTERWhat I said was that the information in our possession did not bear out the statement in question. [An HON. MEMBER: "NO, no!"] Certainly!
§ Mr. PRINGLEWas it the exigencies of the situation?
§ Mr. MacVEAGHIf the hon. Gentleman will compare the answer which he gave with what he says he will find that is not so. What he said was that he had no information of the fact stated in my question.