28. Vice-Admiral Taylorasked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty whether retired officers called up for service have to provide duplicate sets of uniform, one for use when ashore and a different one for use when afloat?
§ Mr. ShakespeareNo, Sir. They are required to provide the uniform appropriate to the appointment.
Vice-Admiral TaylorIs it not a fact that after having the rank of Commander officers may be appointed to the rank of Lieutenant-Commander, and that, therefore, they have to change their uniform?
§ Mr. ShakespeareAs I understand the position, a Commander on the retired list will have the uniform of the rank he held when on the active list. In that case it will be the appropriate uniform.
Vice-Admiral TaylorIf these officers are permitted to hold the rank of Commander and have the uniform of that 1741 rank, is it not obvious that when called up for service they will have to alter that uniform and go back to a lower rank?
§ Mr. ShakespeareNo, Sir. If an officer is on the active list as a Lieutenant-Commander and on the retired list as Commander, and he has kept his active service uniform, he will wear that.
29. Vice-Admiral Taylorasked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty the terms of the old regulations governing the employment of officers on the retired list in the event of their being called up for service?
§ Mr. ShakespeareMy hon. and gallant Friend will find these Regulations set out on pages 107–9 of the Appendix to the Navy List, a copy of which will be found in the Library of the House.
30. Vice-Admiral Taylorasked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty whether the recent decision about the rank in which officers on the retired list who have received promotion on their retirement are to be appointed, in an emergency, is interpreted as meaning that such an officer will never be re-employed in the rank he holds on the retired list?
§ Mr. ShakespeareNo, Sir. The officer will be appointed in the higher rank, whenever the higher rank would not be inappropriate to the appointment. As far as practicable, the Admiralty would avail themselves of the services of the more senior officers for such appointments.
Vice-Admiral TaylorWill the hon. Gentleman have inquiries made in the office of the Second Sea-Lord whether it is not possible that, as a rule, officers shall be appointed in the rank which they hold on the retired list rather than the active list?
§ Commander MarsdenIs it not clear that in whatever rank an officer is reemployed he gets the pay of his higher rank?
§ Mr. ShakespeareThat is so, because he comes from the retired list and his reemployment is of great assistance to the Navy. I give my hon. and gallant Friend the assurance that in every case where it is possible to give a higher rank to a retired officer coming back to the active list to be re-employed, that will be done.