§ 1. Captain McEwenasked the Secretary of State for War whether the Red Cross representative sent out to Lisbon in connection with prisoner of war supplies has vet reported; and, if so, to what effect?
§ 6. Sir Leonard Lyleasked the Secretary of State for War whether he can now 2 make any statement as to the working of the Red Cross machinery for the despatch of parcels to British prisoners of war in Germany: whether there has been any improvement; and what defects in procedure still remain to be remedied?
§ 26. Captain McEwenasked the Secretary of State for War whether any new arrangements for the sending of parcels to prisoners of war in Germany have been made as a result of the report of the investigator who went out to Lisbon on behalf of the Red Cross in November?
§ 36. Dr. Littleasked the Secretary of State for War, whether, for the purpose of allaying the anxiety and disquietude of friends at home, he will take steps to have closer co-operation between the War Office and the Red Cross with a view to the speedier delivery of parcels of food and clothing to British prisoners of war in Germany, as at the moment this matter is one of the greatest urgency?
§ The Secretary of State for War (Captain Margesson)The reports received from the General Secretary of the War Organisation of the British Red Cross Society and Order of St. John, who proceeded to Lisbon last month to investigate the position locally with regard to the transmission via that port of parcels to British prisoners of war in Germany, confirm the information previously reaching the Red Cross headquarters in London that these parcels were seriously delayed in transit across the Iberian peninsula and France.
As has been referred to recently by the Chairman of the Executive Committee of 3 the War Organisation in a broadcast address, ships have been chartered to convey direct by sea to Marseilles or other convenient ports the parcels which had to some extent accumulated at Lisbon owing to the railway delays I have referred to; from Marseilles these parcels are being forwarded to Switzerland on their way to the prison camps in Germany under the direct supervision of the International Red Cross. It is proposed to continue with this method of transport of parcels from Lisbon onwards, at any rate until such time as a satisfactory and sufficiently rapid service through postal channels can be assured over the railway systems of the intervening countries.
The first ship on this service arrived in Marseilles, and the cargo, including 80 tons of clothing, convoyed by a representative of the International Red Cross Committee has arrived at Geneva. Four further ships have since left Lisbon for Marseilles, of which three sailed on 11th January. In addition, an experimental consignment, convoyed by a representative of the International Red Cross Committee, is being sent by a new overland route from Lisbon through Portugal, Spain and occupied France direct to camps in Germany, which, if successful, will be developed.
Representatives of the War Organisation and of the General Post Office are in Lisbon, where they are co-operating successfully with the various local authorities. The War Office are in constant touch with the War Organisation of the British Red Cross Society and Order of St. John to secure that the fullest co-operation exists between the War Organisation, the Service Departments and the other Government Departments concerned in this matter.
The House may be interested to learn that between 19th December and 17th January, 228,658 parcels were despatched by the General Post Office, and that during December 99,592 parcels left Geneva for the camps in Germany, in addition to 105 tons of food.
§ Captain McEwenWhile I thank my right hon. and gallant Friend for his reply, will he state what is the position with regard to Mrs. Campbell's committee?
§ Captain MargessonI think there is a Question on that subject later on.
§ Major-General Sir Alfred KnoxDid my right hon. and gallant Friend state that no representative of the Red Cross Organisation went to Lisbon until December?
§ Captain MargessonI believe that is so.
§ Sir A. KnoxDoes my right hon. and gallant Friend realise that for four months these parcels have been accumulating between Lisbon and Geneva?
§ Captain MargessonThat may be so, but what I was trying to give to the House were the steps which are now being taken, which appear to be effecting some improvements. We are doing all we can to get these parcels through to our prisoners.
§ Sir Annesley SomervilleCan my right hon. and gallant Friend explain why it is that letters are continually being received from prisoners saying that they have received no parcels from the Red Cross organisation, whereas previously they had been receiving, regularly, parcels through Mrs. Campbell's agency? Why has an end been put to that agency?
§ Captain MargessonAs I have stated, there is a Question later on which deals with that subject.
§ 3 and 4. Mr. Denvilleasked the Secretary of State for War (1) whether it is permissible to send British or other currency to officers who are prisoners of war and not to non-commissioned officers and men;
(2) whether he is in a position to answer the communication sent through the hon. Member for Central Newcastle, from the right honourable the Lord Mayor of Newcastle and Mr. S. W. Johnson, on 2nd December?
§ Captain MargessonThe question of remittances to prisoners of war will be covered by an announcement to be made shortly in regard to the general question of remittances to persons in enemy territory. Perhaps my hon. Friend will await that announcement.
§ 10. Sir A. Knoxasked the Secretary of State for War whether he is aware that a letter from an officer prisoner in Oflag VII. C/H, dated 29th October, states that he had not yet received a parcel from the Red Cross, but he had received food parcels from a friend in Budapest, and a letter from another prisoner in the same 5 camp, dated 1st November, says that he had not received a parcel from the Red Cross but had received two parcels from the Rumanian Red Cross and a parcel from the British Legion in Geneva; and whether he will ask for an explanation of the non-arrival of the parcels, which the Red Cross claims to have despatched?
§ Captain MargessonAs my hon. and gallant Friend has already been informed, parcels sent by the War Organisation of the British Red Cross Society and Order of St. John, and distributed by the International Red Cross Committee at Geneva, are not addressed to individual prisoners of war but are consigned in bulk to the senior British officer at the camp who issues them in the form of additional rations. While, therefore, the statement that an individual prisoner has not received a Red Cross parcel may be literally true, the implication of my hon. and gallant Friend's Question, that no Red Cross parcels have arrived, is misleading and calculated to cause needless anxiety to the families and friends of prisoners of war. In fact, we have positive evidence that a considerable number of parcels has arrived at Oflag VII Camp.
§ Sir A. KnoxWill my right hon. and gallant Friend state why he is proposing to shut down Mrs. Campbell's organisation which has been delivering parcels, until the Red Cross organisation really gets going?
§ Captain MargessonAs I understand the position about Mrs. Campbell's organisation, it is this: She has been conducting an independent parcel service for individuals from Lisbon. She has been informed that if, instead of addressing her parcels to individuals, she will address them to the Senior British Officer at Oflag VII. C/H, where there are some 1,400 officers and orderlies, the War organisation will bear the whole cost of that organisation.
§ 13. Sir A. Knoxasked the Secretary of State for War whether he has received the report of the representative of the United States of America Embassy, Berlin, who was asked to report on conditions in Oflag VII, in the second week in December; and whether he will publish the report?
§ Captain MargessonI have received a telegraphic summary of the report. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs informs me that the United States Government are not prepared, in the interests of the prisoners, to agree to reports by officials of the United States on prisoner-of-war camps being published.
§ 14. Sir A. Knoxasked the Secretary of State for War whether any decision has yet been come to regarding the deduction from the pay of officers who are prisoners of war?
§ 12. Sir Adam Maitlandasked the Secretary of State for War whether deductions are made from the pay of officer prisoners of war in Germany in respect of maintenance and messing; and whether he will consider the cancellation of these deductions?
§ Captain MargessonThe deductions which were provisionally made from the pay of British officer prisoners of war in Germany in respect of the free messing provided for them by the German Government have been discontinued, with retrospective effect to the date when each officer became a prisoner of war, since it has been ascertained that the scale of messing thus provided does not exceed the ration which would normally be provided in cash or kind under British Army Regulations. Apart from deductions for Income Tax, the only deductions which are now made, therefore, from the pay of British officer prisoners of war are in respect of advances of pay made to them by the German and Italian Governments.
§ Sir William DavisonDo we understand that that dates back to the time when these unfortunate men were made prisoner and that they will get the arrears of pay which have been deducted?
§ Captain MargessonYes, that is so