8. Mr. TREVELYAN THOMSONasked the Secretary of State for War whether he is aware of the disappointment caused by the delay in granting a home service medal; and, having regard to the fact that medals have already been issued to special constables for less onerous services, can he now say how soon he will be able to make a definite pronouncement on this matter?
§ Sir L. WORTHINGTON-EVANSI regret to say that, after careful reconsideration of the question by the Army Council, the decision not to grant any home service medals must be adhered to.
Mr. THOMSONDoes not the fact that medals have been issued to special constables affect the question?
§ Sir L. WORTHINGTON-EVANSMedals to special constables are not Army medals. Every consideration has been given to this question from every angle, and the decision is as stated.
9. Mr. THOMSONasked the Secretary of State for War if he is prepared to state the considerations that led to the imposition upon the issue of the Territorial war medal of conditions other than the one that the recipient should have mobilised with his Territorial unit on 4th August, 1914; and whether, in view of the dissatisfaction with the conditions now imposed upon the issue of this medal, he is prepared to vary the conditions, so that it shall be issuable to all members of the Territorial Force who were members of the Force on 4th August, 1914, and mobilised with their units upon that date?
§ Sir L. WORTHINGTON-EVANSIt is impossible, within the limits of an answer to a Parliamentary question, to reply fully to the first point raised, but the proposal suggested would have the effect that some Territorial soldiers would earn as many as four medals for the War, which is one more than the 1941 maximum that can be earned by any regular soldier. One of the main reasons for laying down the present conditions was to obviate this result. The conditions governing the grant of this medal have been the subject of very full consideration, and I do not think that a case for now varying them in the manner proposed can be made out.
14. Mr. THOMSONasked the Secretary of State for War what men, classified either by date of enlistment or discharge, should have now received their war medals; and, if any such recipients have not received their medals, can they have them on application direct to the War Office?
§ Sir L. WORTHINGTON-EVANSIt is not desirable to classify men, whether by date of enlistment or discharge or otherwise, so as to endeavour to secure for any given category priority of issue of their medals. Any attempt to do this would slow up the whole distribution. In regard to the last part of the question, the medals, except in the case of officers, are distributed not by the War Office but by Record Offices, to which application should be made by any man entitled to a medal who has reason to think that his address is not already known.