HC Deb 17 May 1939 vol 347 cc1390-1
38. Mr. Fleming

asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty whether he is now in a position to make a statement with reference to the restoration of a training ship for Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve recruits in the Manchester area?

Mr. Shakespeare

I would refer my hon. Friend to the reply which my hon. and gallant Friend gave to him on 20th February, to which I have nothing to add.

Mr. Fleming

Is my hon. Friend aware that in the cities of Salford and Manchester there is a very keen desire to keep alive the tradition of the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve in Manchester, but that young men who wish to carry on that tradition have no opportunity of doing so except by going to Liverpool, which is utterly impossible for university students for reasons both of time and of cost? Surely my hon. Friend will do something to help them?

Mr. Shakespeare

I quite appreciate the interest that people in the Manchester area take in the Navy, and I should like to consult my hon. and learned Friend as to how it can be maintained. The point might be met in another way by the formation of a naval brigade.