§ 29. Flight-Lieutenant Beswickasked the Under-Secretary of State for Air if he is aware of the impression that posting to the Far East automatically means a deferment of release; and whether he will take steps to remove this impression.
§ Mr. StracheyThere is no justification whatever for any impression that a posting to the Far East means that a man's release will be postponed. If the hon. and gallant Member encounters such an impression I should be extremely grateful if he will deny it categorically. It is a 1906 principle of the Bevin release scheme that men in each age and service group are released in the same month all over the world. That principle will be upheld. All this has, of course, been repeatedly explained to the Service, in Demobforms for example. What we cannot give is any absolute guarantee against a hold-up in transport home—such as occurred for instance for 2,000 airmen in January for about a month. That hold-up is now cleared, however, and the prospect of preventing any new hold-up in March is good.