Colonel FABERasked the Under Secretary of State for War (1) if he is 511W aware that there are complaints from convalescent wounded officers who have been sent to their battalions that they have been the first to be sent to the front again, a permanent lot of officers remaining behind; and whether these latter have all been passed unfit for service abroad or are over age; and (2) whether appointments to transport and embarkation staffs are now made from convalescent wounded officers; whether some of these appointments have been held by officers of military age since the beginning of the War; and whether there are now any officers fit for service in Labour Battalions and in the Remount Service who have not been to the front
§ Mr. MACPHERSONIn order to provide for the efficient performance of the important duty of training the men before they are sent abroad it is essential that the instructors should be carefully chosen and that there should not be constant changes. For these reasons a fixed period has been laid down for which officers on the permanent establishment of training units retain their appointments, and it, therefore, follows that some of these officers are retained in this country for a time after they become fit for general service. I am making inquiries about the particular appointments referred to by my hon. and gallant Friend in his second question, and will let him know the result later.