§ 22. Major WHELERasked the Secretary of State for War whether he will state the number of decorations presented by the Serbian Government in 1916 and the early part of 1917 for the British Expeditionary Force in the Mediterranean, and the proportion of these decorations which were given to Staff officers?
§ Mr. CHURCHILLThe number of decorations presented by the Serbian Government during 1916 and the early part of 1917 was approximately:
| 1916 | 29 |
| 1917 (to end of April) | 1,220 |
| Grand total | 1,249 |
§ A certain proportion of these were direct nominations made by the Serbian Government. The remainder of the awards were in the form of batches which were sub-allotted to the General Officers Commanding-in-Chief in certain theatres of War for award on their nomination. No batch was given specifically for services in the Mediterranean. There is no record as to the proportion of awards made to officers while serving on the Staff, nor is there any possibility at this stage of this information being compiled.
§ Major WHELERCan the right hon. Gentleman say what proportion of those decorations were given to those who served in the Balkans?
§ Mr. CHURCHILLI am not in a position to give any figures on that, but I should be very interested to receive any calculations which my hon. Friend may have made privately.