§ 26. Commander Bowerasked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether the Admiralty policy regarding the holding of courts-martial on the survivors of His Majesty's ships which are lost, as outlined by the Parliamentary and Financial Secretary on 25th May, 1917, to hold courts-martial except in cases where there are no survivors or in those instances in which it would obviously be a waste of time to do so, still holds good and on how many occasions such courts-martial have taken place during the present war?
Captain HudsonWhen one of His Majesty's ships is lost it is the practice to hold a Board of Inquiry, which can be readily assembled, to investigate thoroughly the. cause of the loss and any matters connected with it. To hold a general court-martial on the survivors in such cases would be a waste of time since it could do little, if anything, more than duplicate the work of the Board" of Inquiry. It has, therefore, been decided not to hold such courts-martial in this war, and none have in fact been held. This, of course, in no way precludes the trial, on a specific charge, of anyone to whom blame is considered to be attributable in connection with the loss of the ship, and a number of such specific courts-martial have been held.
§ Commander BowerWhile realising that some change has been necessary in the ancient practice of holding such courts-martial, does the First Lord of the Admiralty investigate the question of what safeguard there is now to prevent the Board of Admiralty being judges in their own case should their own actions have been the principal factor in the loss of one of His Majesty's ships?
Captain HudsonI will see that my right hon. Friend the First Lord reads that Supplementary Question.