§ 35. Mr. MACPHERSONasked the Under-Secretary of State for War whether the British and French authorities are proposing to exhume the bodies of soldiers buried in the Proyart communal extension cemetery; whether he is aware that parents who have visited this public cemetery, and have made local arrangements to have the resting-place of their sons cared for, are anxious that their resting-place should not now be disturbed; and will he have their wishes respected?
Lieut.-Colonel GUINNESSThe French are converting this mixed cemetery into a purely German one of 21,000 graves, and it is therefore necessary to re-inter the British dead at Harbonnières. The reburial will be carried out with due reverence, and I can assure my right hon. Friend that the Imperial War Graves Commission are fully alive to the considerations to which he refers.
§ Mr. MACPHERSONWill the hon. and gallant Gentleman see to it that parents whose sons are buried there are duly notified of the removal of the bodies?
Lieut.-Colonel GUINNESSI am sure that will be done. I will draw the attention of the War Graves Commission to the matter.
§ Sir B. FALLEWill this be done at our expense, or at the expense of the French or Germans?