§ EARL BEAUCHAMPMy Lords, I beg leave to ask the Leader of the House a Question of which I have given him private notice. It is in relation to the arrangements which are being made in connection with the celebration of Armistice Day. I venture to ask the noble Earl whether he can give your Lordships any information on the subject, and whether he would suggest that your Lordships' House should follow the example of another place in relation to seats at the ceremony.
§ THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS (EARL CURZON OF KEDLESTON)My Lords, were I to give information to the House upon the arrangements that are being made with regard to the ceremony on November 11 I am afraid I should occupy a con- 126 siderable portion of your time, but I do not think the noble Earl expects me to do more than give an indication of opinion on that particular branch of the subject which he has brought to our notice. It is, indeed, very difficult to arrange for the necessarily limited number of persons who can be admitted to view either the ceremony at the Cenotaph or the subsequent interment of an unknown warrior in Westminster Abbey, and the general inclination of the Committee over which I presided is very strongly in favour of giving priority at both places to the widows and mothers of the bereaved.
I observe that yesterday, in another place, a Question was asked as to the facilities that might be given at either place to members of Parliament, and the Prime Minister suggested that members of the House of Commons might be willing to waive the rights to which they would in ordinary circumstances be entitled in favour of persons in the category to which I have referred. That remark was received with general cheers. At the next meeting of the Committee we shall, of course, take due notice of that, and shall endeavour to make our arrangements accordingly. I would not like to do more, therefore, on the present occasion than say that a self-denial similar to that which was indicated on the part of members of the House of Commons will, I am sure; be willingly made by the members of your Lordships' House. We do not, we cannot forget that many members of your Lordships' House were also among those bereaved, and some consideration might be extended to such persons. I will therefore do no more this afternoon than say that the point of view indicated in another place is one that we will carefully consider, and that I hope that the House of Lords will absolve me if, in the discharge of our duties, we may call upon them to make a sacrifice similar to that which is to be exercised in another place.