HL Deb 30 October 1945 vol 137 cc570-1

5.5 p.m.

VISCOUNT TRENCHARD

My Lords, I beg to ask the first question standing in my name.

[The question was as follows:

To ask His Majesty's Government, if they could give the estimated strength of the Navy, Army and Air Forces, officers and men, in the British Isles, Europe, the Middle East, India and the Far East, on December 1, 1945.]

VISCOUNT ADDISON

My Lords, with regard to the first question standing in the name of the noble Viscount, I regret to say that we cannot, in the public interest, give this information.

VISCOUNT TRENCHARD

I, of course, accept the reason of security and of public interest, but I would like to know if that applies to all fifteen parts of my question. There are three Services in five different theatres. Is it impossible to give a statement on the size of the Army in Germany or the size of the Air Force in the Middle East?

VISCOUNT ADDISON

From the inquiries I made from the General Staff, I think the answer would be that for security reasons it is. As the noble Viscount will know, however, there was a statement of the gross numbers published on October 3 and it was reported in The Times. That statement was of the gross numbers in all theatres of war, but I am' advised that we cannot at the moment give distinctive figures of the different theatres. I am sorry.