Officers' Servants (Hansard, 27 May 1952)

§ 22. Mr. Simmons
asked the Secretary of State for War how many soldiers, including National Service men are employed as officers' servants or batmen.

§ Mr. Head
I would refer the hon. Member to the answer which I gave on 5th February to a Question on this subject by the hon. Member for Dudley (Mr. Wigg).

§ Mr. Simmons
Am I to understand that the Minister is still unable to get the figures—that was the sense of his answer—and that he is incapable of counting the number of officers, or does this mean that some officers have no batmen, some have one, and others have a retinue of batmen, including nursemaids, housemaids and gardeners? We ought to know how these men are utilised, and whether they are really teeth or tail.

§ Mr. Head
The reason I cannot give the answer to the hon. Gentleman's question is that although an establishment is laid down, the actual number employed is well under that establishment, which is not filled up. If I want the exact number, I have to circulate every unit in the British Army for a special return, and I do not feel justified in taking that course.

§ 23. Mr. Simmons
asked the Secretary of State for War what extra remuneration is received by officers' servants or batmen; and to what extent their employment in this capacity is governed by Queen's Regulations

§ Mr. Head
A soldier employed as an officer's batman receives an extra 2s. 6d. a week: or, where he is serving more than one officer, 15s. a month in total. This employment is sanctioned by Queen's Regulations, paragraph 1617, and the remuneration is governed by paragraph 1623. The number of batmen allowed is laid down by Army Council Instructions.

§ Mr. Simmons
Will the Secretary of State tell the House whether anyone other than an officer can give orders to an officer's batman—an officer's wife, for instance—and if so, and if the batman refuses to obey the orders of someone, not holding Her Majesty's commission, is he liable to punishment under Queen's Regulations? Will the right hon. Gentleman consider the abolition of this mediaeval retainer system which is so alien to our modernised Army? Would the right hon. Gentleman consider whether it would be appropriate, for instance, for Len Hutton to be butler to Freddie Brown?.

§ Mr. Head
The first part of the question is somewhat hypothetical. I think the only basis is that there should be good relations between the individuals concerned. As regards abolishing batmen, I would remind the hon. Gentleman that batmen today number something like one or two to four officers, and that they also carry out the job of mess waiters. As to abolishing them, I think the hon. Gentleman will agree with me that we have a slight mote in our own eyes regarding the use of mess waiters in this House.