HC Deb 02 December 1947 vol 445 cc179-80
28. Mr. John E. Haire

asked the Secretary of State for War whether the Brigade of Guards, when doing guard duties in London, can wear full dress.

Mr. Shinwell

No decision has yet been made regarding the future dress of the Brigade of Guards.

Mr. Haire

In view of the appreciation shown by the people of London and others on the recent occasion when the Life Guards were turned out in full dress for the Royal Wedding, would not my right hon. Friend give an early decision on this matter?

Mr. Shinwell

That required a special effort for a special occasion, and I cannot promise to repeat it in the near future.

Mr. Mellish

Would my right hon. Friend ask the Guards whether they want to wear full dress?

Mr. Shinwell

There was some difficulty about the wearing of full dress, but we overcame the difficulty.

Lieut.-Colonel Kingsmill

What has happened to the full dress uniforms which were put into store in 1939?

Mr. Shinwell

There is a lot of misunderstanding about the full dress uniforms put into store between 1939 and the end of the war. A lot of things happened to those uniforms.