§ 65. Lieut.-Commander KENWORTHYasked the Secretary of State for War whether thirty men of the Royal Army Ordnance Corps, 21st Company, including 1917 men, are being sent to the East against their will; and is it the intention to only send volunteers to the East?
§ Mr. CHURCHILLDrafts of the Royal Army Ordnance Corps are being sent from France to Egypt and the Army of the Black Sea to replace men who are entitled to be demobilised or who have served a long period in those theatres. They will consist of men who have volun- 1605 teered for the Armies of Occupation or who were called to the Colours on or after 1st January, 1916, and will not have attained the age of thirty-five by the 1st April, 1920. Men who joined the Colours under the Derby scheme for continuous service in January, February, and March, 1916, are specifically excepted from these drafts. Only Regular soldiers or men who have voluntarily enlisted for short periods are being sent to stations east of Suez. I could not, however, carry out the reliefs of demobilisable men in the Near East unless men other than volunteers were included.