HC Deb 05 June 1918 vol 106 cc1561-3
24. Mr. HOGGE

asked the Under-Secretary of State for War whether Army Form B 2079 requires to be endorsed by a medical board of the National Service before it is a valid final discharge from the Army?

Mr. BECK

My right hon. Friend has asked me to reply. Army Form B 2079 is the form of discharge certificate which is given to soldiers whatever the ground of their discharge, and, strictly speaking, it is not of itself a final discharge in the sense that it relieves the man from further liability to be recalled. In order, however, to remove misapprehension, I should like to make it clear that certain discharged men who have been given Army Form B 2079 are in certain circumstances freed from liability to be recalled, and in those circumstances their discharge certificate becomes in effect a valid final discharge. Those circumstances may be tabulated as follows:

  1. (i.) The man who has served in the forces for not less than a week, and is discharged for disablement or ill-health, is free from liability subject to his engaging in approved work of national importance under the First Schedule to the Military Service (No. 2) Act, 1918.
  2. (ii.) Should such a man, who has served for not less than a week, and is discharged for disablement or ill-health, fail to comply with the condition of engaging in work of national importance, he would be liable to medical examination by a National Service Medical Board, and if he is then found to be totally and permanently unfit for any form of military service, his discharge certificate, Army Form B2079, is endorsed by the recruiting authorities with a statement that he has been medically examined, and his previous discharge is confirmed on the ground of his being totally and permanently unfit for service, and in such cases the endorsed certificate shows that the man is finally excepted from liability under the Schedule to the Act mentioned.
  3. (iii.) Men discharged as time-expired who have been wounded within the terms of the First Schedule to the Act are not liable to recall unless they fail to engage in work of national importance. If on such failure they are medically examined and are found by a National Service Medical Board to be totally and permanently unfit for any form of military service, their discharge certificate, Army Form B 2,079, 1563 is endorsed as above and with a confirmation of their previous discharge, and in such cases they are free from further liability to service or medical examination.
  4. (iv.) Men who have served overseas as provided in the Schedule to the Act and who have been discharged on the ground of disablement or ill-health, are, under the Act, entirely free from liability to service or medical examination.
It will thus be seen that, in the cases mentioned, it is only the discharged men liable to perform work of national importance, but failing to comply with that condition, who are liable to be recalled for medical examination, and therefore the question of the endorsement of their discharge certificates can arise only in comparatively few cases.

Mr. HOGGE

Will my hon. Friend say Yes or No to this question: Do we understand that men who have Army Form 2,079 from the, War Office, which is a discharge from the War Office, cannot regard that as final unless and until it is endorsed by a medical board of the National Service Department?

Mr. BECK

I have set out the exact facts, but there is no doubt, roughly speaking, the answer is Yes.