§ 26. General Sir IVOR PHILIPPSasked the Under-Secretary of State for War whether any steps are being taken to secure full reports from all corps, divisional, and brigade commanders, and also from all units, of the position they occupied before and during the recent withdrawal of the Fifth Army, and to secure copies of all orders received and issued before and during the withdrawal, the dates and hours of the retirement of each unit and of each headquarters, the reasons for such retirement, whether by order of superior authority, by enemy force, or otherwise, and the action taken by each unit; whether junior officers will be permitted to submit to such Court in writing any account of their actions before and during 2148 the withdrawal; whether such junior officers will be given protection for any such evidence they may give; and whether the original or copies of all orders and documents submitted to the Court of Inquiry will be forwarded to the Army Council in full, together with the Report of the Court of Inquiry?
§ Mr. MACPHERSONI would refer my hon. and gallant Friend to the written answer which I gave on the 1st May to a question on this subject by the hon. and gallant Member for Hampshire West, to which I have nothing to add.
§ 27. Sir I. PHILIPPSasked whether the Army Council will suggest to Sir Douglas Haig that, to satisfy public opinion in this country, it is desirable that two civilian members of standing, of whom one shall be a judge of the High Court of Justice, should be appointed to the Military Court of Inquiry ordered to investigate the circumstances of the withdrawal of the Fifth Army; and whether, to bring these civilian members within the purview of the Army Act and to enable them to sit on such Court of Inquiry, the Army Council will give them temporary commissions in the Army of such rank as may be considered desirable?
§ Mr. MACPHERSONNo, Sir.
§ 48. Mr. G. LAMBERTasked the Prime Minister whether the Fifth Army on the Somme had on the 21st March only fourteen Infantry divisions against forty German divisions reinforced by eight or ten more German divisions during the subsequent two days; if so, who was responsible, when the attack was foreseen by the present Chief of the Staff, for compelling the British forces to face such overwhelming odds, resulting in a reverse to the British forces; and whether such person or persons are still engaged in the active direction of the War?
§ Mr. BONAR LAWIt is not possible for me to answer a question of this kind.
§ Mr. LAMBERTWill the right hon. Gentleman give the assurance that such persons responsible for the disposition of the British forces there are no longer in the employ of the Government?
§ Mr. BONAR LAWI am surprised that my right hon. Friend should think it possible that a question of this kind can be-discussed in the House.