§ 22. Mr. Bellengerasked the Secretary of State for War whether any further reorganisation of the Higher Command is contemplated in the near future?
§ Mr. Hore-BelishaThe hon. Member will recall that I replied yesterday to a question on this subject.
§ Mr. BellengerDoes the right hon. Gentleman recollect that in his statement yesterday he talked about the principle he is following in the future reorganisation, and in view of the deduction that can be arrived at from that statement, will he extend this principle to its wider aspect in the Higher Command?
§ Mr. Hore-BelishaYes, Sir. The statement I made was not restricted in its aspect.
§ Lieut.-Colonel Sir Thomas MooreWill my right hon. Friend ensure that the financial position of these officers who are dismissed will be protected?
§ Mr. Hore-Belisha indicated assent.
§ 26. Lieut.-Commander Fletcherasked the Secretary of State for War whether the new Chief of the Imperial General Staff, the Adjutant-General, and the Master of the Ordnance are all younger than the officers they replace; and whether he will give the average ages of the officers comprising the general staffs of the British, French, German, and Japanese armies?
§ Mr. Hore-BelishaThe new Chief of the Imperial General Staff and the new Adjutant-General to the Forces are both younger that the officers they replace. The Master-General of the Ordnance is not being replaced as such. The officer to be 185 appointed Deputy Master-General of the Ordnance is younger than the present Master-General of the Ordnance. As regards the last part of the question, if by general staffs the hon. and gallant Member means the senior military officers in positions roughly comparable with those of the Military Members of the Army Council, the average ages in France, Germany and Japan are about 63, 57 and 53, respectively, compared with 55 for the Military Members of the reconstituted Army Council.