THE MARQUESS OF CREWEMy Lords, I beg to ask the noble Earl the Parliamentary Secretary of the War Office, a Question on which I have given him private notice. Your Lordships may know that in the name of Lord Dunraven there is a Question down for November 21, whether any decision has yet been arrived at regarding the award of a decoration for the Gallipoli Campaign of 1915. My noble friend Lord Dunraven is not in the House, but as I understand the War Office are now able to give an answer to this Question I take the liberty of asking my noble friend opposite if he will kindly inform the House what is being done.
§ THE PARLIAMENTARY SECRETARY OF THE WAR OFFICE (EARL STANHOPE)My Lords, I am glad to be able to say that an agreement has been reached, which has received the approval of the War Cabinet and of his Majesty the King, which, I am assured, is satisfactory to those principally concerned. The settlement of this matter has been complicated owing to the diversity of the interests involved, and has been delayed by the need for consultation with the Dominion authorities.
In the first place, the 1914 Star will be reserved for its special purposes. A Star on the same model and with the same riband but bearing distinctive marks as to dateߞnamely, the years 1914–15ߞwill be given 88 to all officers and other ranks of the Royal Navy and Royal Marines, who prior to December 31, 1915, served in a ship of war at sea, and all officers and other ranks of Military and Air Forces who served in a theatre of war prior to the same date. In every case, the officer or man must have served on duty and with proper authority, and no officer or man will receive the 1914–15 Star in addition to the 1914 Star.
Thus, in the same way that those who first bore the brunt of the attack in France and Flanders received a special mark of recognition by the award of the 1914 Star, so those from our Dominions and Colonies, as well as British and Irish troops who first responded to the call of duty and served in a theatre of war, will receive special recognition. The House will recollect that it had been originally proposed and sanctioned that the Governments of Australia and New Zealand should present their troops with a special medal for the operations on the Peninsula. They have now agreed to the new proposal, so that all troops, British and Indian and those from the Dominions, who shared the same dangers and hardships, shall receive the same award. The date chosen—namely, December 31, 1915—forms a definite break in the operations, and all concerned have accepted it on the understanding that it is final. It will interest the House to know that there will be included, in addition to all those who fought on the Gallipoli peninsula, the Canadian troops who fought at the second battle of Ypres, the battle of Festubert, and subsequent operations of that year in France and Flanders, all those who fought at the battle of Loos, the troops engaged in the defence of Egypt, the troops who conquered German South-West Africa under the command of General Botha, as well as all who were engaged in other parts of the African continent, the Australian Force which captured the Bismarck Archipelago, and those who fought so gallantly under General Townshend at Kut.
The Committee arrived at this solution after consideration of a number of alternatives, which they had to reject for a variety of reasons. Thus the adoption of a special medal marked "Gallipoli" would have landed us in claims which could not have been withstood for medals for other theatres of war or special operations; and, moreover, the recognition of locality as marking special operations will be made in due course in 89 the form of clasps to whatever war medal is adopted
The "Dominion Star," which had already been approved for Australia and New Zealand, could not have been accepted and worn by Imperial troops; and, moreover, the Canadians did not want, nor indeed did the Australians and New Zealanders want, a decoration which was not to be shared by their brethren of the United Kingdom. Thus the Committee reached the position that whatever was given must be common to all who had shared the same dangers and hardships, and as one medal and not a multiplicity was the only practicable solution, the Committee had to seek a common basis of services for all which would entitle to the award.
They found this in the principle underlying the 1914 Star—namely, services in a theatre of war within limits as to dates. The 1914 Star is limited to one theatre and is for services during a limited time and of a certain limited special significance. The Committee decided to avoid depriving that Star of its special value. They took it, however, as their model for the solution of the problem before them. They adopted the plan of a Star on the same model but with the marked distinctiveness of a different date—namely, 1914–15—instead of that which now appears on the 1914 Star.
As to the limits of time, they first selected the first year of the war, the idea being to reward those who first came forward and served against the enemy, but this period would have ended on August 5, 1915, would have excluded many whom they wished to see rewarded, and, moreover, would not have answered to the description on the medal of the year 1914–15. They therefore, after consultation with the Dominions, adopted the date December 31, 1915.
As to the riband, they considered the advisability of a special riband, but they found that if the model of the 1914 Star were not followed, a diversity of ribands to meet the particular wishes of the Dominions would have had to be adopted. A suggestion was considered of using the same riband but marking that of the 1914 Star with a thin red line. This, however, presented difficulties of manufacture, and, moreover, would certainly have led to claims that both ribands and Stars might be worn by the same officers and men. As it, was desired not to issue two medals, it 90 was necessary for the Committee to confine themselves to the same riband as that of the 1914 Star.
§ VISCOUNT HALDANEI understand, from the answer given by the noble Earl, that members of the Territorial Force will be put on exactly the same footing as members of the Regular Army.
§ EARL STANHOPEAnybody who served in a theatre of war with a Territorial Force or the New Army.