HC Deb 14 November 1917 vol 99 cc485-6

(1) Any men who, by virtue of the Military Service Acts, 1916 and 1917, are deemed to have been enlisted in His Majesty's Regular Forces and to have been transferred to the Reserve, or who having voluntarily enlisted in the Regular Forces have been so transferred, shall on being called up for service be liable to be transferred to the Air Force.

(2) There shall be included amongst the exceptions mentioned in the First Schedule to the Military Service Act, 1916, the following:

Men serving in the Air Force.

Mr. BILLING

I beg to move, in Subsection (1), to leave out the words "be liable to " [" to be liable to be transferred "], and to insert instead thereof the words " subject to his consent."

The reason why I move this Amendment is that I do not think that the Army Act or the Naval Act permits the Army or the Navy to call the man up for the Army or the Navy and then to transfer him either from the Army to the Navy or from the Navy to the Army. As I understand, if a man goes into the Navy as a stoker or a plumber, or any other particular position, he has a right to say that he will go into that position. This Clause, however, proposes to give power to insist that when the man is called up he shall become a member of the Air Service, or to insist that a man shall be taken from the Army or the Navy and forcibly put into the Air Service. Every man who enlists by the Army Act automatically becomes a soldier, but, if he is called up, he may by this provision be transferred to the Air Service from the Army Service. I think it is not advisable to retain the words "be liable to be transferred" into the Air Service when called up. Although it is absolutely necessary to insist that every man who enlists should be a soldier, it is not always advisable to force a man into a department of the Service to do work which he is opposed to do. It is far better to put round pegs in round holes, if possible, and not to have them in square ones.

The UNDER-SECRETARY of STATE for WAR (Mr. Macpherson)

I hope my hon: Friend will not press this Amendment. A man is liable to be drafted into the Royal Flying Corps under the Military Service Act, 1915, and I think it is much

better that the man should not be given the option as to the Service he would desire. It might happen that a man with mechanical skill was required either in the Air Service or some other branch of the Service, and it is essential that we should have the power, as now, to order the man who enlists to any arm of the Service.

Mr. BILLING

I quite appreciate the point put by the hon. Gentleman, and I will not press the Amendment.

Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.

Clause ordered to stand part of the Bill.