§ LORD BRABAZON OF TARA had the following question on the Paper: To ask His Majesty's Government, how it is that the R.A.F. do not employ women as motor bicycle dispatch riders, in order to save man-power; how it is that both the Navy and the Army employ women with complete success, and that the R.F.C. used women as motor cyclists successfully in the last war, yet the W.A.A.F. do nothing in the matter.
§ The noble Lord said: My Lords, I have a question on the Paper which I know will please my noble friend Lord Beaverbrook because it concerns the immediate present rather than the future. I am asking why it is that the Royal Air Force are wasting man-power by not using women as motor cyclists. I have always been a great admirer of, and tremendously interested in, the war organizations in which women serve. The great pioneer organization was the "Fannies," who were, I maintain, very badly treated in this war. Also among the pioneers were the women motor cyclists used by the old Royal Flying Corps in the last war. It was thought right to use the women in that way then, but now we find ourselves in this war with 280 women not doing what they did in the last. I hope it is not going to be said to-day that riding a motor cycle is not women's work. Plenty of women now are performing excellent service of which it can be said that it is not women's work. Driving heavy lorries and heavy tractors, for instance, is not women's work. Nor is doing duty in factories from seven o'clock in the morning until six in the evening women's work. I trust also that it will not be suggested that the Air Force cannot get the right machines. My knowledge of the Air Force leads me to the belief that they can get everything they want in priority to everybody else.
§ It is a curious thing that while the R.A.F. do not use women motor cyclists both the Army and the Navy do. We, who live in London, see many members of the W.R.N.S. going about on motor bicycles in all sorts of weather. We see them on the streets of London every day. Figuratively, whenever I see one I take my hat off to her—but only figuratively. In the old days of criticism of the War Office we used to say it was run by a lot of old women. I sincerely hope that the W.A.A.F. is not being run by a lot of old men.
§ THE JOINT PARLIAMENTARY UNDER-SECRETARY OF STATE FOR AIR (LORD SHERWOOD)My Lords, of course I should be one of the first to admit the immense value of the work of women in the Services to-day to which tribute has been paid by the noble Lord who has just spoken. But, after all, the advisability of using W.A.A.F. personnel on certain work is a question the decision of which must rest with the Air Ministry. This question has been examined quite a number of times in recent years, and, on each occasion, the conclusion has been reached that there are objections against the use of women as motor cyclists for the R.A.F. Lord Brabazon has said that he hoped I would not use certain arguments against the employment of women in this way. I certainly am going to use some of them. For one thing the motor cycles in use by the Royal Air Force are of the heavy 500 c.c. type. They are used on rough roads and they have to stand up to very hard work. Now these motor bicycles which, as some of your Lordships may have seen for yourselves, are very big machines, are not suitable for women 281 to ride. A further consideration is that the men who ride these machines have to go out in all weathers, and in view of this circumstance and all the hazards of the roads at the present time, I do not think that we should be justified in replacing them by women.
The alternative of introducing a smaller 350 c.c. motor cycle has been considered. This, of course, is a lighter machine and we did think of getting a supply of this type so that we could use women motor cyclists. But the supply question, despite what Lord Brabazon has said about the Air Ministry being able to get what they want, is not a small one. It seemed to us that unless we had an actual need for these smaller bicycles it would be wrong for us to have two types of machines. We have to use a large number of motor cyclists abroad, indeed the greater number is abroad, and if we were to have two types of machines a great deal of the elasticity and many of the advantages of interchangeability, which now exist, would be lost.
The noble Lord, Lord Brabazon of Tara, said that women dispatch riders were used in the other Services. I understand that the trade of W.R.N.S. dispatch rider has now been declared obsolescent and that recruitment was closed in October, 1942. The reason for this change of policy was that it was felt that better use could be made of women on the motor transport. As regards the A.T.S., members of this Service are employed, it is 282 true, as dispatch riders, but only on lightweight machines. It is true also that women were used for this work in the last war, but then the machines with which they were furnished were of the lighter type. I am told that in those days the machines had a shorter wheel base and were thus more easily handled by women. This applied even to the heavier motor bicycles. I think that your Lordships will gather from this reply that we are not behindhand in making use of women, but that we mean to make the fullest possible use of them and to use them to the greatest advantage. I am certain that it would be a mistake to use them as riders of these motor cycles to which I have alluded.
§ LORD BRABAZON OF TARAMy Lords, I am not allowed to reply, but I would thank my noble friend for his usual unsatisfactory answer.