§ 12. Mr. BOTTOMLEYasked the Secretary of State for War whether an Army Order has recently been issued disbanding between 400 and 500 scheduled Volunteer Corps; and, if so, how many men have thus been discouraged from offering their services to the Empire in case of emergency?
§ Sir A. WILLIAMSONYes, Sir; Army Order 455 of 1920 contains a list of Volunteer Corps which have been disbanded. These corps were raised in 1916 as a war measure, and when the emergency was clearly at an end instructions were given for the units to be disbanded. It is not considered that the disbandment of the Volunteer Force in any way discourages members from offering their services to the Empire in case of emergency. All Volunteers of the present military age may, if they are physically fit, join the Territorial Force, and efficient Volunteers with six months' service are encouraged to do so by a special condition (common to them and other members of His Majesty's Services who have served for a similar period during the War) under which they may enlist for a shorter period than other recruits, namely, for one year (with extensions) instead of four years.