§ 14. Mr. DORISasked the Secretary of State for War whether Patrick Noble, migratory labourer, of Ballinamorrogue, Castlebar, county Mayo, now Private, No. 54283, I Company, 3rd Battalion King's Liverpool Regiment, has protested against being forced into military service on the grounds that he has never been ordinarily resident in Great Britain and that he has come to England only for a special temporary purpose for a few months of each of the last three years and returned home in October or November when his special work was completed; wheeher he is aware that Noble has been suffering from a diseased hip and consequent lameness during the past seven years and that he has been a patient in hospital continuously since his enlistment; and will steps be taken to have this case fully investigated and Noble discharged on its being found that he is exempt from the operations of the Military Service Acts?
§ The FINANCIAL SECRETARY to the WAR OFFICE (Mr. Forster)I have made inquiries, and I am informed that Patrick Noble was not forced into military service. He presented himself for enlistment at Seaforth Barracks, and was posted to a regiment in the ordinary way. Noble has been in hospital since the 25th September.
§ 15 Mr. DORISasked the Secretary for War (1) if he will have further inquiry made into the case of Michael Nolan, of Cloonagleeragh, Turlough, county Mayo, No. 85152, Royal Garrison Artillery, 4 Hut, Lenan Head Battery, Donegal, who, having come to England as a migratory agricultural labourer in March last, was seized by the military authorities 1500 on a farm at Mouldsworth and forced into military service, although he had never been ordinarily resident in Great Britain; is he aware that Nolan denies emphatically the statement that after his arrest he enlisted voluntarily; will he take steps to have Nolan, whose two brothers are in the Army, discharged from military service and permitted to return to his home in Ireland; (2) if he is aware that William Caine, of Cortoon, Newport, county Mayo, a migratory agricultural labourer, who left home for England on 19th June last, was arrested at 13, Darwell Avenue, Petercroft, near Manchester, and pressed into the Army, although he has never been ordinarily resident in Great Britain, and that Sergeant McGuire, Royal Irish Constabulary, Newport, in reply to official inquiries, has stated that before leaving home Caine reported to him that he was proceeding to England for a special purpose; will steps be taken to have Caine discharged from the Army on its being ascertained that he is not liable to compulsory service under the Military Service Acts; (3) if he will have further inquiries made into the case of John Battle, farmer's son and migratory labourer, of Muccanagh, Turlough, county Mayo, who on coming to England in March last for a special purpose was arrested under the Military Service Act on a farm at Knowsley, near Prescot, and forced to join the Royal Garrison Artillery at Gosport; if the military authorities are now satisfied that Battle was never ordinarily resident in Great Britain, and was, therefore exempt from compulsory military service; if so, will he be offered his discharge from the Army and allowed to return home to Ireland; (4) whether Luke Carney, of Castlebar, county Mayo, No. 5836, 7th Reserve Battalion, Royal Warwickshire Regiment, D Company, who left home in February last to take temporary work in Coventry, was arrested there on 5th September under the Military Service Acts, confined in a cell for sixteen hours, tried at the police station, handcuffed, and handed over to the military authorities, his plea that he was never ordinarily resident in Great Britain having been disregarded; will steps be taken to release Carney from military service and to permit him to return to his home in Ireland; and (5) if he will have further inquiry made into the case of Thomas M'Hale, of Oughterard, Turlough, county Mayo (Private, No. 4683, R.L.N., C Company), who was arrested on 1501 a farm at Holmes Chapel and forced into the Army in May last; whether he is aware that M'Hale is an agricultural labourer, who for years had come to England for a special purpose and returned home to Ireland on the completion of his work every year, and that he has never been ordinarily resident in Great Britain; whether he is aware that a registration paper produced at his trial and purporting to bear his signature was neither signed nor authorised by him; and whether steps will be taken to have M'Hale discharged from military service and allowed to return to his home in Ireland?
§ Mr. FORSTERThe cases of all the men mentioned have been tried in the Civil Courts, which have in each case decided that the man is liable to military service. It is not proposed, therefore, to discharge any of them.
§ Mr. DORISIs there any Court for a young man who comes over here on the invitation of the Department and is run into military service, although he is assured that he is exempt from it and the military ask him to come over?
§ Mr. FORSTERThe hon. Member knows that it is a question of fact. The man in question has an opportunity to establish the facts to the satisfaction of the Court, and where he does so he is not liable to military service. Where he fails to establish the fact to the satisfaction of the Court he is liable.
§ Mr. DORISOne of these young fellows has been taken, handcuffed, run in, tried at the Police Court, and rushed into a regiment. Is that the way to do it?