HL Deb 20 December 1955 vol 195 cc359-63

3.50 p.m.

EARL FORTESCUE

My Lords, I am afraid I have to interrupt the proceedings of the House in order to make a statement about the Reserve Army and the Home Guard. It is rather lengthy, and I apologise in advance.

As the House is aware, the Government have been reviewing modern defence requirements. The role of our Reserve Forces has changed. The conception that it would be possible to send from these islands in global war ten or twelve fully equipped Reserve divisions with their appropriate corps and army troops is no longer realistic. Therefore, the Government have decided that only two Territorial divisions will remain organised at full scale, together with the necessary supporting troops. These two divisions are required to meet our N.A.T.O. commitments. The remainder of the Reserve Army will be reorganised for the tasks which we can foresee. The House will appreciate that it is extremely hard to make exact predictions at the present time about the course of a future war. Initially the Reserve Forces will have to help maintain the life of the nation and to deal with raids, sabotage, et cetera. They must be capable of acting in the closest co-operation with the Civil Defence services. They must also provide the reserve fighting power necessary for Home Defence in all its aspects. They constitute the country's potential strategic reserve. They will therefore continue to be organised as military forces with a fighting capacity. The divisional organisation will be retained. It affords the best method of control, both operationally and geographically.

There will be no requirement for armoured divisions. The two armoured divisions and the Lowland mixed division will be converted to infantry divisions. Six armoured units will, however, be retained for the support of our N.A.T.O. divisions. The airborne division will be reduced to a parachute brigade group of about four to five battalions and the remainder of the division will be absorbed in infantry divisions. Apart from the two divisions and supporting troops available to meet our N.A.T.O. commitment and some light anti-aircraft units, there will be no requirement for non- divisional artillery. Consequently a number of non-divisional artillery units will be converted to other rôles. A considerable number of Army Emergency Reserve units will have to be disbanded, but it is hoped to be able to offer the great majority of their volunteers the opportunity of transferring to other units. We fully realise that this reorganisation will involve far-reaching changes in the Reserve Army; but these changes are based on present day strategical requirements, and if the Reserve Army is to remain what it is to-day—the best Reserve Army in the world—we must keep up to date with modern developments.

The Territorial Army depends on its volunteers. Their record in the past has been unique. We feel confident that this tradition of service will continue to inspire young men to offer themselves for this important task. We are going to increase the bounty for the Territorial Army from £12 to £20 after a qualifying period of three years, and there will be similar increases for the Army Emergency Reserve. My right honourable friend knows that details of these changes are eagerly awaited. They will be given at the earliest possible moment; but if proper consultation is to take place, the detailed examination must take some time.

In 1951, the Home Guard was formed again at a time when there were virtually no fighting units in this country. During this time, the Home Guard made a most important contribution to our state of preparedness and general plans for defence. Furthermore, there is no doubt that, should war come, the Home Guard would play a most valuable part in the general scheme for the defence of this country. Details of its future role on mobilisation are now being worked out within the general pattern of Home Defence. After careful consideration it has been decided that the Home Guard shall be placed on a reserve basis. It is intended that sector commanders, battalion commanders and two other members of each battalion shall remain to keep war plans up to date and maintain the lists of those registered for service. We hope that sector commanders and battalion commanders will agree to carry on with this important work. The paid permanent staff will remain at their posts to effect this reorganisation, after which their services will no longer be required. Detailed instructions will be issued very shortly.

We should like to assure the Home Guard that they will have an essential part to play in our future defence organisation, and their ability to mobilise rapidly and carry out the tasks allotted to them will be of great importance. I am sure that the whole House, whatever their personal views about the creation of the Home Guard, will wish to join me in thanking them most sincerely for their loyal and selfless service during the past five years.

3.58 p.m.

THE EARL OF LUCAN

My Lords, I should like to thank the noble Earl for his full and detailed statement, which, of course, is far too full and far too detailed to be commented upon at any length now. We arc faced with a complete revolution in the whole strategic conception of a future war in which this country would take part. A number of questions arise, answers for which we shall have to wait until the Defence White Paper which I hope Her Majesty's Government will bring out early next year.

So far as the Territorial Army is concerned, I think this will be a bitter blow to a great many fine units and a great many officers and men. I hope Her Majesty's Government will bear that in mind and try to soften the blow, and also will ensure that no officer or man is any worse off in consequence of these changes. One point, in particular, occurs to me: when a large number of technical armoured units are converted to infantry there will be a timber of men, who hitherto have been drawing tradesmen's rates of pay, for whom there will be no room in the new establishment. What, for instance, is going to happen about these men? There will also be a large retraining commitment when a number of Royal Artillery and armoured units are converted to infantry. Nevertheless, "It's an ill wind…", and where there are reductions in permanent staff the beneficiary will be the Regular Army which has need of every single Regular officer and N.C.O. it can get.

As regards the Home Guard, it is clear that under present conditions a Reserve basis is all that is needed for this force. We can welcome the Government's decision to reduce it to this basis. Of course, both the Home Guard and the Territorial Army will in the future be in the sphere of Home Defence much more than in the general strategic concept of the war, and co-operation with the civil authorities will become of even greater importance. We should all take this opportunity of paying tribute to the long and devoted service that has been given over so many years by all ranks of the Territorial Army.

LORD REA

My Lords, I agree with the noble Earl who has just spoken, that the field which this statement covers is too wide to allow any analysis at this stage. But we welcome the statement for what it is. If, as it seems to me, it presages some general alteration in the strategic schemes, an alteration which is bound to come in this hydrogen age, and which may lessen the amount of men per unit throughout all units in all the Forces, I hope the Government will continue to bear in mind that the National Service scheme in general should always be before them. I conclude by paying a tribute from noble Lords on these Benches to the Home Guard for their good work during these past years.

VISCOUNT BRIDGEMAN

My Lords, before we leave this subject, I should like to say that I entirely agree with what the noble Earl opposite said about the necessity for a debate in the New Year when the Estimates and White Papers are available. Therefore, I will at this stage keep my comments down to the minimum. I would, however, say how very welcome this statement will be, if only because it puts an end to the period of uncertainty which has continued for far too long in the Reserve Forces. That period of uncertainty is not yet over. It will take some time, as the statement said, to implement these changes. That period can be shortened if they are implemented by the War Office in close consultation with the Territorial Army associations. I hope that my noble friend will he able to give me an assurance that this will be done.

In regard to the Home Guard, here again I feel that the announcement is welcome because it puts an end to the period of uncertainty. I hope also that their new role will be worked out with close reference to the rôle of the Civil Defence services, particularly the Wardens' Service, because in the country districts those two problems are very much the same. There is one point about the Home Guard about which I did not give my noble friend notice: it concerns the permanent staff. I should be most grateful if he would convey to his right honourable friend the importance of giving the Home Guard permanent staff officers sufficient notice of the time when they will be no longer required, so that they can have proper time in which to look round for new employment. There was one point that was not made quite clear in my noble friend's statement. He mentioned the bounty. The news of the bounty, which refers to other ranks, we welcome; but there were suggestions afoot for a bounty for officers. Could my noble friend give us any views on the position with regard to the proposed officers' bounty?

EARL FORTESCUE

My Lords, I must thank the noble Lords who have taken part in this debate for their comments, which have been most helpful. No doubt we shall have a debate in the New Year on the Defence White Paper when it is published. I quite agree with noble Lords that we should wait until then before we make our detailed corn-meats. No doubt, many men—or perhaps I should say a considerable number of men—will have to transfer to other arms. Gunners will have to become infantrymen, and so on. I am afraid that is inevitable. As the noble Earl, Lord Lucan, has pointed out, the Regular Army will benefit from these changes in that they will not have to provide so many permanent staff instructors to the Territorial Army. That goes without saying. In reply to the noble Viscount, Lord Bridgeman, I can inform him that consultations will take place between the Territorial Army associations on every subject. I can assure him, too, that steps will be taken to ensure that the permanent staff instructors are given plenty of notice, so that they can find other jobs. As regards the noble Viscount's question about the bounty for officers, whilst I have given the figures for other ranks, the bounty for officers has not yet been worked out. It is under active consideration, and no doubt the noble Viscount will be informed as soon as possible. I should like to thank noble Lords very much.