27. Mr. CHANCELLORasked the Under-Secretary of State for War if he is aware that Private E. H. Whitley, No. 59500, Machine Gun Corps, Egyptian Expeditionary Force, who has been on active service seventeen months in Salonika and Palestine, during which time he was with his company in every encounter, only reporting sick once, was told by the officer commanding his company two days before starting on leave to Egypt that his leave had been cancelled solely on account of refusal of inoculation; what disciplinary steps he proposes to take with this officer for not complying with his repeated assurances that men should not be penalised for exercising their legal right in regard to inoculation; whether he is aware that numbers of other officers have similarly defied his authority without being punished; and whether he will state why discipline is not maintained amongst officers who refuse to honour his published assurances by obeying Army Council instructions?
§ Mr. MACPHERSONI am making inquiry into the case of Private Whitley. I have no information which would support the statements made by my hon. Friend in the last two parts of his question, but if he will furnish me with particulars of any specific cases I will certainly have the matter taken up.