§ 39. Mr. Sharpasked the Secretary of State for War how many British troops. are employed in this country in camps provided for Polish troops and the Polish Resettlement Corps; whether these men are required to carry out orders given to them by Polish officers and non-commissioned officers; and if he will release them from these duties and so speed up demobilisation.
§ Mr. BellengerA total of 33b officers and 715 other ranks are employed on advisory or administrative duties in camps for Polish troops and the Polish Resettlement Corps. In view of the nature of their duties they are not required to carry out orders given by Polish officers and non-commissioned officers.
The majority are older men who have recently accepted short service commissions and engagements specifically for extra-regimental employment such as this. They are therefore not due for early release and even if they could be employed on other duties their numbers are so small that their transfer would not materially affect the rate of release. Moreover their removal would cause a breakdown in the entire scheme of Polish resettlement.