THE EARL OF MAYOMy Lords, I rise to ask His Majesty's Government what arrangements are made with regard to the granting of leave to private soldiers who have been out at the war for a lengthened period. There have been a number of complaints of the absence of these facilities, and I myself am cognisant of several cases in which men have been out at the Front for a very long time without having been granted leave. One case is that of a man who was wounded and sent to hospital, and on his recovery had to go back to the trenches and was not given any leave. Curiously enough, the day after I handed in this Question at the Minute Room there appeared two letters on this subject in the Daily Mail. One was from a father saying that his son went out to the Front in August of last year, had fought at Mons, and was still in Flanders, never having been home on leave. The other 832 letter was from a member of the Royal Army Medical Corps, complaining that officers and nursing sisters had had leave but that before one of the rank and file could get leave he must have an excuse such as the death of his mother or his wife. That may be an exaggeration, but I know there have been complaints that men who have been out at the Front from the earliest, period have not been granted leave. I hope that this matter will be considered, and that in cases where it is possible men who have been out at the Front for a lengthened period will be granted leave.
§ THE PAYMASTER-GENERAL (LORD NEWTON)My Lords, every one will probably be in general agreement with the sentiments expressed by my noble friend, and I can say that I know from my own experience cases of men who have been in France since the beginning of August of last year and have not yet been able to return home on leave. The real truth, however, with regard to the granting of leave in the Expeditionary Force is that it is entirely at the discretion of Field-Marshal Sir John French, and it would obviously be undesirable that definite regulations upon the subject should be made over here. I think it will be obvious to my noble friend that it is very difficult, having regard to the differences in the military conditions prevailing at different parts of the line, to distribute permission to take leave on any strictly uniform principle. The number of men who can be allowed on leave at any one time must, of course, be limited by the exigencies of the Service; and not, only by that, but by the difficulties of extra transport both by land and sea. To put it shortly, men can be spared from some units whereas men cannot be spared from others.
I might also point out—and it is desirable not to forget this—that leave is a privilege rather than a right, and that it is obviously impossible for soldiers serving in other parts of the world, such as the Dardanelles or the Persian Gulf, to get leave. Therefore in this respect the men in France are in a much better position than the others. Subject to these considerations I can assure the House that Sir John French holds strongly the view that a brief rest from work in the field has not only a beneficial effect on the health and morale of the troops, but tends in the long run to 833 make for fighting efficiency. Consequently he is desirous of increasing the number of men who can be allowed to proceed upon leave as far as is consistent with due regard to the military situation, that being, of course, the primary consideration, having regard also to the transport and administrative aspects of the question generally. I am glad to be able to assure my noble friend that steps have recently been taken by which it is possible to give greater facilities with regard to this question of leave.
There is one other circumstance in connection with this matter which perhaps I ought to mention. Attention has been drawn in the Press and elsewhere to the desirability of providing trains to bring soldiers from places where they disembark up to London at an earlier hour. The importance of this is fully recognised, but it must be pointed out that the leave trains necessarily must run in connection with the leave boats, and that the running of these boats must be regulated by Admiralty considerations and military requirements. The House may, however, rest assured that if any further opportunity can be discovered of more fully meeting the difficulties of men coming home on 834 leave full advantage will be taken of it In conclusion it may not be amiss if I point out that the privileges with regard to leave are much greater in the case of the British Army than in the case of the French Army or any other Army, so far as I am personally aware.