§ 11 and 27. Colonel WEDGWOODasked the Secretary of State for War (1) how many conscientious objectors are in guardrooms or barracks awaiting re-court-martial; and whether these men are to be re-court-martialled and sent back to prison in spite of his statement of 3rd April; (2) whether F. W. Treherne, No. 60618, 3rd Essex Regiment, was court-martialled for the third time as a conscientious objector on 3rd May, a month after the official statement that conscientious objectors who had served imprisonment would be discharged from the Army; whether this is the second time this man has been court-martialled since the Armistice; and whether he will now order his immediate discharge?
§ Mr. CHURCHILLI would refer my hon. and gallant Friend to my statement of the 3rd April which related solely to release from prison of men who had completed a total of two years in the aggregate in this country. I would also refer my hon. and gallant Friend to my statement of the 1stMay, in reply to the hon. Member for Bishop Auckland. The principles laid down in that reply have been applied to soldiers with their units awaiting disposal, and in consequence thirty-one such soldiers who have completed twenty-four months in the aggregate have been discharged and seventeen soldiers who have completed twenty months in the aggregate are at the present moment awaiting their discharges and will not be re-court-martialled. If the facts are as stated by my hon. and gallant Friend, Private Treherne will be discharged from the Army.
§ Colonel WEDGWOODHas my right hon. Friend's attention been called to the court-martial which only the other day sentenced a man to two years' penal servitude?
§ Mr. CHURCHILLThat may be quite true, but it may not be at all contrary to the policy which I have announced to the House. If a soldier had not completed twenty-four months in the aggregate, or twenty months, assuming that there had been a revision for good conduct, he would be liable to be re-court-martialled, and, if convicted of several offences, he would probably get a severe sentence. That does not mean that in the aggregate he would serve more than twenty-four months or twenty months subject to the revision for good conduct.
§ 13. Mr. DUNCAN GRAHAMasked the Secretary of State for War whether members of Non-Combatant Corps who were granted non-combatant service on conscientious grounds are being still retained in the Army, notwithstanding that their service was stated to be for the duration of the War only; and whether he will state the objections to their being released on the same conditions as that applying to the other members of the Army?
§ Mr. CHURCHILLThe Regulations at present in force qualifying men as eligible for demobolisation apply to the Non-Combatant Corps, and I am not aware that any men who are eligible for demobilisation are being retained unless their services are temporarily required.