§ 9. Mr. Bensonasked the Secretary of State for War whether he has now satisfied himself of the facts regarding the treatment of conscientious objectors at an Auxiliary Military Pioneer Corps centre in Liverpool; and whether, following the conviction by court-martial of two non-commissioned officers and an officer in connection with assaults on conscientious objectors, he will re-issue the War Office letter of September, 1916, forbidding such coercion, and requiring offenders to be remanded for court-martial in accordance with military law?
§ 16. Mr. McGovernasked the Secretary of State for War the decisions of the military court-martial of the officer and non-commissioned officers at a training centre, of which he has been informed, who were charged with brutal treatment of conscientious objectors; and whether he will make public the result of the former inquiry into these allegations?
§ Captain MargessonThe sentences that have been awarded by the court-martial have not all been promulgated, and I am not therefore in a position to make a statement on the decisions of the court at this stage. As regards the second part of the Question by my hon. Friend the Member for Chesterfield (Mr. Benson), I should prefer to wait until I have had an opportunity of studying the proceedings of the Court as a whole before considering whether any further general instructions on the treatment of conscientious objectors are necessary.
§ Mr. McGovernIs the right hon. and gallant Gentleman now in a position to publish the initial inquiry which took place, as I understand it was really a Parliamentary Paper? Ought it not to be placed before Members of the House?
§ Captain MargessonNo, Sir, I do not think that is necessary. The military court of inquiry was set up to see whether any further action should be taken in this matter. It was as a result of the court of inquiry that I decided that court-martial proceedings should be instituted, and the proceedings of this court-martial were held in public.
§ Mr. McGovernThat is not the point. That inquiry took place with the consent of Parliament, and should Parliament not now have the evidence that was laid 678 and the decision arrived at by the initial inquiry?
§ Captain MargessonI do not think that is necessary. The proceedings of a court of inquiry are not normally made public. We have, I think, acted very fairly in the matter. The court of inquiry established certain facts, and on those facts court-martial proceedings were instituted.
§ 17. Mr. McGovernasked the Secretary of State for War whether he will inquire into the allegations made against Sergeant Moloney, that he took Privates Murray, Dakar, Morris, Wade and Waters to private quarters and compelled them to stand for periods with hands above their heads, punching and kicking them, and threatening them with greater violence if they did not give up their conscientious objector's attitude, warning them that no witnesses would be allowed to see the violence, and that complaint was futile; and will he send a warning to commanding officers ordering all such brutal treatment to cease?
§ Captain MargessonI am having inquiries made into these allegations and will communicate with the hon. Member as soon as possible.
§ Mr. McGovernIs it the case that this sergeant has already been placed in detention and is awaiting court-martial, and is the right hon. and gallant Gentleman aware that there is a feeling that these incidents cannot happen without the knowledge of commanding officers, and will he take steps to order commanding officers that this procedure must entirely stop?
§ Captain MargessonI heard of the case for the first time when the Question appeared. I caused inquiries to be made into the truth or otherwise of the allegations. Until I get some information it is impossible to carry the matter further.
§ Mr. McGovernApart from that, will the right hon. and gallant Gentleman give an undertaking that he will draw the attention of commanding officers to this form of Gestapo methods and order it to cease?